The Tutoring Book - California State University, Sacramento

Collaboration at its Finest: A Survey of Your Peers
8
Savannah Barnard
Hart Boyd
Spring 2011
At the end of every semester we have all heard someone say, “I wish I’d known ______.” What was
different about this semester, however, was that we were given the opportunity to turn that question into
an article that will be included in the “Tutoring Handbook” for future students enrolled in 195A/410A.
When given the task of coming up with an idea for the article, we asked ourselves a similar question to
those that we later posed to our classmates: What do I wish this handbook had in it that it didn’t? The
answer was almost too simple; an article based solely upon the advice of our peers and fellow tutors. We
then posed the following questions to our classmates, asking that everyone answer at least one of the
questions.
1. What is the one piece of advice you would like to pass on to a new tutor in next semester’s class?
2. What is one thing you wish you had been told when you started tutoring?
After analyzing our classmates’ responses, we separated them accordingly, into the following
categories: Methods to Maintain Your Emotional Stability, Tutor Expectations, Tutoring Process,
Collaboration, and General Advice Concerning Tutees.
Methods to Maintain Your Emotional Stability
What is the one piece of advice you would like to pass on to a new tutor in next semester's class?
• “I would say that one thing that is really important is to have fun! Have high spirits and wear a
smile on your face. Smiling and trying to make the session fun in small ways actually makes the
whole situation much better in the sense that your tutee seems more willing to come out of their
shell and talk to you more than they would normally” (Bains).
• “I think any new tutor should remember to remain calm and open at all times. Tutoring can be a
stressful business if one allows it to be. If you can be the calm eye of a tutee's educational storm,
you will be better situated to give that tutee the help they seek. You will face different kinds of
challenges with each session, and remaining open to the changing needs of tutees will enable you
to adjust your tutoring approach accordingly. Being calm and open may not be the solution to
every situation you encounter, but it is an excellent starting point” (Price).
• “RELAX! The students that come to the writing center are just thankful to have anyone at the
table with them to help with their reading/writing, so relax. Students come in with an idea of what
they need. You do not need to have all of the answers. Do not be ashamed to say you're not sure
about something. Working in the writing center is a collaborative learning process. Everyone has
something to learn” (Rivas).
• “The nervousness goes away after the first session, so don’t always worry about it being an issue”
(Tabrizi).
What is one thing you wish you had been told when you started tutoring?
• “I was told the right thing – to relax – but I wish I had believed it right away! I spent the first few
weeks at the Writing Center being completely stressed out over every detail, every session that
did not happen exactly as I planned it, every moment where I felt I did not present myself as a
competent tutor… After a while, I learned that the students were very appreciative of my help,