On Being an English Tutor
I do not write perfectly. I will not have all the answers. And I definitely will not guarantee you a good grade. I will help you. I will be honest about your work. And I will like your story.
One of the things I have noticed after being a tutor the past two semesters is how much people doubt their work. Yes, many of them actually have a lot of work to do to be on par with what society expects as far as writing skills or capabilities. However, what they seem to forget is everyone has room to improve. Even authors don’t get it right the first time, that’s why there are editors out there. Even the editors miss things, and I know this because I have seen so many errors and typos while reading a book it’s scary. So, who is to say your first draft is crap. It probably is. Most everyone’s is. All of mine are. That’s why we have drafts.
Why are people surprised when they hear me say I don’t write perfectly? I mean, I do write better than them (I hope so since I’m the one tutoring…) but who is to say that means my first drafts are perfect? They are total crap. That’s why I write another draft! Honestly, I am usually too ashamed of my crappy first draft to even show up in class with it, so most of the time (okay every time) I show up with my second draft… or third. Writing is a process. I know students look at an assignment and calculate about three drafts per paper; first draft, then peer edits on the first draft resulting in a rewrite (second draft), then a conference with the teacher which means another rewrite (third draft). Whew. That’s a lot of work for one paper, right? Piifffft. By the time I turn my papers in they are at least a draft five. Because writing is a process, it’s not a switch. I’m here because I made the effort on my papers whereas most students don’t. But that doesn’t mean I write perfectly. Just ask my mom…
I am not a citation machine. I am not School House Rock. I am not a thesis sentence or creative title guru. I will not have all the answers. I can help you find the right way to cite something. I pray every day you don’t make me think about comma splices or conjunction functions. I will not write your thesis sentence or come up with your title. I think a thesis sentence just takes some thinking, and I know you can do that. If you are sitting by me asking for help on your paper, you obviously have a paper written. So, all you need to do is read your own flippin’ paper and sum it up in one sentence. What are you trying to say? I am not going to put those words in your mouth. It’s the mission for your paper. Your paper. Not mine. So it is your mission, it is your thesis. That ties right in with why I will not give you a magic title for your paper. If you ask me I will say some fluffy nonsense about how I believe the author and only the author should be the one to title their own work. Because… I kinda believe it.
Just because you show up and get help does not mean you will get 100% on your paper. Ultimately it is up to you to put in the effort and make the changes to your paper that I suggest. If you walk in and your paper was likely to be graded as, say, a C- then coming in does not mean you will receive an A. You will, however, save yourself from getting that C-.
Honestly, I do love helping people improve their work. I love the fact that I get to be a part of the process of saving another student from a poor grade. I will be honest when I read your paper. Yes, having your paper read by your friends and family is helpful, but I am an objective reader and that is going to help you the best. So when I am confused by a sentence or suggest a different word choice, it is nothing personal, it is so the next reader can understand and enjoy your paper to its fullest.
What I love the most about tutoring English is the stories. Most of them are very personal, because writing is personal. If you watch movies and say to yourself “stuff like this doesn’t actually happen though!” you are wrong. I have said that to myself so many times, but now I know I was wrong. People’s lives are like the movies. I’m not kidding. If you actually get a glimpse into a person’s real story like I have then you would realize this. I didn’t think people’s lives were like that because mine isn’t. If my life was a movie or show it would be I Love Lucy or something. I am constantly making mistakes and messing up funny little stuff and I can hear the laughter because usually it’s my own. But if you watch movies and think human trafficking, dropping out of high school, or teenage drug abuse doesn’t happen… well, let’s just say you are wrong. I’ve read too many stories that prove otherwise. What has been confirmed to me is, when I walk around and see people at the college, or anywhere, I should have compassion for them. I know not every person has a crazy story, but I bet most of them do. So I should show some compassion because… if Jesus would, I should.
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