What Tutoring A Student Is Really Like, As Told By J-Law

By Francine Fluetsch on February 11, 2016

Hi, I’m Jennifer Lawrence, and today I’m here to talk to you all about tutoring. Tutoring just, well, it warms my heart, but I do think some students aren’t as appreciative as they could be.

image via www.dumpaday.com

Like, I’m giving them my time and full attention, and sometimes I just don’t see that reciprocated. One time I even offered to bring them pizza, since I love it so much, and only some of them partook in eating it with me. *Sigh.*

I really try to show them that there isn’t a power dynamic between us, we are both students after all. I had one student who was trying to call me Professor Lawrence, and I was like, no honey, we’re like the same age.

A power dynamic in a tutoring session, in my opinion, really hinders the learning environment of the student. I’ve witnessed some other tutors berating the students to do better, and that just infuriates me. I see the fear in the student’s eyes, and that is not going to convince them that they can do it, that they will understand the concept. So I always try and promote a friendly, healthy, learning environment, and most of them really seem to thrive from it.

I mainly tutor writing, because grammar is kind of my sh!t, and I’ll get students all across the board in their writing ability. My favorite students are the ones who come prepared, actually bring an extra copy of their essay for me to read along with them, listen to my comments, and actively engage with the text and with the discussion that I am trying to promote. Star students right there! They are so fun to work with, and it’s even to the point where I’ve gotten coffee with them afterwards and we discussed the writing process and it was just glorious. Such a wonderful use of my time.

Then there are the students who come to me because their professor made them or they know that they need help, but they aren’t receptive to it. I’ll ask them to read the essay out loud and they grumble at me. I’ll ask them questions about their work or point out places that could be revamped, and they just stare at me, and don’t seem at all like they want to be there. The worst is when they think they are perfect at writing and don’t see why they need to be there, even after I’ve pointed out multiple aspects that need to be reworked.

My favorite response is, “I don’t need writing in my major.” Um, excuse me? I don’t care if you’re a computer science major, you are still going to have to write professional emails, properly write a cover letter, be consistent in your reports, etc. No one is exempt from writing! That is a thought that I try and dispel from them ASAP. This is where a lot of them get the attitude of not wanting to try, because they don’t see the pay off.

Maybe it’s from being the Mocking Jay for so long, but I feel as though it’s my personal duty to reach each and every one of them, even the difficult students. You know, some of them even think that they can outsmart me by getting me to correct the paper for them. Tutoring is about growing, not about me making the paper perfect for them. What would they even learn from that?

I try and explain how tutors are there to promote learning, answer questions, help interpret what a professor is asking, and so on, and some of them just get so frustrated with me. They say I’m too peppy, that they want more direct help, but they don’t understand that that is exactly what I am trying to do! We have rules as tutors that we need to follow, and we can’t just bend them because we like a particular student.

I think a lot of them also don’t realize that I’m a student as well who also has homework and other obligations. My biggest pet peeve when it comes to tutoring is when a student doesn’t tell me that they can’t make it to a session. I even email them the night before, reminding them when and where we are meeting, and mind you, these emails are super friendly and even come with a smiley emoji sometimes.

After all this, some of them decide that they just aren’t going to show up, probably figuring I have nothing better to do than to sit in a café and wait for them! Some of them are sweeties and at least shoot me a text an hour before, explaining why they can’t make it, but some of them have the audacity to just not show up, and that is where my peppiness runs out.

Sorry for the rant, I don’t want you to think that I don’t like tutoring, because I definitely do. I just wish the students could all see how much I want them to succeed, and that for the most part, I am doing it out of the goodness of my heart (insert poster child smile).

That’s pretty much my take; do you have anything to add?

J-Law out.

Follow Uloop

Apply to Write for Uloop News

Join the Uloop News Team

Discuss This Article

Back to Top

Log In

Contact Us

Upload An Image

Please select an image to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format
OR
Provide URL where image can be downloaded
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format

By clicking this button,
you agree to the terms of use

By clicking "Create Alert" I agree to the Uloop Terms of Use.

Image not available.

Add a Photo

Please select a photo to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format