by Lily Balmer

So far, my work as a tutor has been pretty uneventful. My scheduled time window is between eight pm and nine pm, so I understand why I rarely have a student to tutor. Whenever I do get the opportunity to tutor, it is usually very casual and mostly deals with concerns that the students have before they finish their paper. I have never had any crazy excellent papers or crazy terrible papers. Most of the time, my people just need help with the framework so that they can get started. The appointments are never long and very stress free on both ends.

When helping the students come up with their outlines, I realized just how important it is to plan out the paper before you start writing. On so many occasions, I have just sat down in front of a blank screen with the intent of immediately being able to find my direction. Although this is achievable if I am passionate about the topic, I have learned that it is always better to plan out my paper so that my words flow better and I don’t get distracted from my main point.

My goal is to help more with finished papers. I have really enjoyed all the laid back appointments that I’ve had, and look forward to maybe getting to help someone with a solid essay. It would definitely push me and my knowledge if I had to critique an essay that is already written and established. 

I haven’t discovered anything new about myself in particular throughout this tutoring process, but I have a new appreciation for studying-by-teaching. I have heard on many occasions that one of the best ways to learn something is to explain it to someone else, and tutoring has helped me to understand that technique and put it to use.