The Tutoring Book - California State University, Sacramento

Fearless Tutoring
12
Ulises Palmeno
Spring 2011
When I was a young child, back in elementary school, I encountered a wonderful technique called
tutoring. Because I was in accelerated classes, I was given the option to tutor other students who were in
lower grades and had fallen behind. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but it seemed enjoyable and
participated in the last summer after I had graduated. I started to tutor along the way in school, from
middle school, to high school and in community college. Every new student was a new challenge. I didn’t
know about the various theories that were involved with tutoring, or the strategies that came behind it, all
I knew was that I had to tutor. Somebody came up with a different approach, or saw the material in a
different way that made me rethink and consider a new strategy. It happened all the time. Older students,
younger students, some that believed they knew more than you, while others that were completely lost. I
didn’t have a set plan, other than to adapt to the situation. Every session was new, I didn’t know about
specific theories; I went a long with what fit the situation best. Everybody needed to pass, and as a tutor, I
took that as my job. From my experience, it worked well, and had many come back and thank me for the
help; but sometimes they never came back and that was ok for me as well, because I knew that I had
worked all the angles possible and could do nothing more. As I got older, I still tutored, when I had been
dismissed from another university and had gotten laid off from my job, I offered my services as a tutor to
make ends meet. From the experience that I had developed earlier, I knew that my student had to receive
the best possible tutoring in order for them to continue coming back and gain a better understanding of the
material and retain the knowledge. If I didn’t put forth my best skill, they wouldn’t come back, and that
meant not receiving pay. In the end, it was not about the money; I learned that it was about using the skill
set I had acquired to push forth the best session, in order for the tutor to gain the most out of it. This is the
same mindset I apply at the University Writing Center and Sac State. I am not depending on tutoring to
make ends meet, but I know I have to do everything that is allowed in order for the student to get the most
out of the session.
When you come in, and it’s your fist time tutoring, all the fears run through your head: what if the
student doesn’t like you, you might not do a good job, and you run into a problem that you can’t
overcome. My suggestion? Don’t worry about it. Tutoring is about helping the student to your best
ability. If it’s your first time, you aren’t going to know everything about tutoring. It’s a skill that gets
acquired through time. The best thing to do is to start with what you know and go from there. From
forming a thesis in an essay, writing a clear statement in the form of a sentence, and have organization in
the paper just to name a few. You have already made it this far in your academic career, so relax. As a
tutor, you can’t possibly teach them everything in a half hour or hour session but address the issues that
are the most important.
For the optimum results, the tutor must be able to adapt. Without this, the tutor is lost. It can feel
like it’s frustrating, but if the tutor is able to adapt to the situation, then anything is possible. With
adaptability, you don’t conform to one style, there are many open to you. But as a new tutor, you don’t
know many options out there other than some of the theories from textbooks and online resources. Act
natural in the setting, bring in the studying techniques you already know, but don’t just switch from one
technique to another too quickly. Switch in a transition that is comfortable for you and your tutor. It’s not
frowned upon if you tutor more casually with others, it depends on the student. It’s best to go into the
session without knowing any of the theories. See how it works without them and just use personal
experience to guide you through. But if you run into anything you can’t handle, go back to the books and
reread the techniques that will help you out.
Everything that is worked on is for the benefit of the student. Without the student, there can be no
tutor. It is a symbiotic bond that both parties need. We need to tutor, and they need help. Make it possible
to get through. So how can you approach this situation? Don’t try to be somebody else, be yourself. The
student is going to be just as nervous as you are, probably even more so because it may be their first time