by MichaelAnne Briggs

Throughout my tutoring experience, what stood out to me the most was that I got a lot better at it. In the beginning I was nervous that I wouldn’t be able to help or suggest something that wasn’t helpful or effective. But as the weeks went on, I got more comfortable with myself and with the students. I began to become more confident in my advice in writing. It was a little frustrating when students did not communicate whether or not I was being helpful. For instance, when a student would “oh okay, yeah, that makes a lot of sense. Thank you”, it was super rewarding knowing that I was able to help them get where they needed to be. So, when I couldn’t tell what I was saying was getting through to them, it stressed me out a bit. It was also frustrating when someone would sign up for a meeting with a completed college essay a week before the deadline to submit the application. Especially if the essay wasn’t that good. I felt like they really didn’t want my help. I think they just wanted another person to say that it was good to confirm what they already thought. It also hard to give critics or suggestions because I feel like that would just stress them out.

This experience taught me that teaching or tutoring gets easier through experience. Although I completed my 20 hours, I would say my goals for the future as a tutor for Asheville High School is to get even better at it. I am excited to see where it could take me with more experience. The service learning influenced my personal growth by making me more confident. Just speaking to another person and helping them for 15-30 minutes helped me grow a lot.