The Tutoring Book - California State University, Sacramento

While I have had many successful tutoring sessions using this method, there has been a few times
where the tutoring session focused too much on the individual and not enough on their writing process. I
began this drop-in session the same way that I would any normal session: asking what their major is, why
they are in here, what interests them. We then began talking about football and continued to exchange
high school stories. I remember the look of terror on this student’s face when he looked at the clock and
saw that his time was up. I felt horrible and thought this student would never come back to the writing
center because our session was unproductive. However, this student signed up to work with me for the
rest of the semester because he felt as though I truly cared about him and his “language,” not just his
paper. I cannot guarantee that all of your tutees will want to share their personal lives with you. However,
I can attest that by doing so you will build a relationship with that tutee, and begin to understand their
language.
My encouragement to you is: understand that while the tutee’s writing process and paper is the
primary aspect of the tutoring session, spend some time learning “secondary” information about the tutee
to help them understand the language of composition. If you begin your sessions by focusing on who the
student is as an indivdual, and thus learning their language, then they will have confidence in your desire
to teach them the “language” of composition. Finally, keep it simple. You don’t have to learn their life
story in order to have a successful tutoring sessions. But, it would be helpful if you were to begin the
session by asking questions such as: what is your major? What do you like to read? Do you normally
enjoy writing? What are your hobbies? If you are able to begin a session by investing in the student, then
the student will invest in the language of the composition community.
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