Why tutor? What does the university gain from a writing center?

In high school I spent a lot of time with a good friend that I thought to be very intelligent and had an undying thirst for the enrichment of literature. I chose to spend most of my time with him for obvious reasons, the first being that I viewed myself similar to the way I viewed him- one who cared not only about the ability to write well, but also to only improve upon that ability. As a conversationalist he was well articulated and I felt fueled by his enthusiasm towards literature and creative writing, we seemed to grow as writers and thinkers simply by spending time together. Despite my very particular confidence in writing, this friend was the only person throughout my high school career that I ever went to for a good proofreading.

One particular afternoon I remember picking apart a certain sentence for quite some time, unable to shake the awkward sound it had to it, he pleaded to allow him to have a go and after a few stubborn minutes I handed my computer over. In a short two minutes he stared and saw what I hadn’t seen, the beginning of my sentence needed to be the end and vice versa. This is one of few moments where I felt both surprised and enlightened in a peer-tutoring like setting, despite my confidence I felt excited to have gained a new knowledge- my brain latched on to the process that he very simply explained to me.

In that brief, and what seems like miniscule, moment with a good friend, I recall thinking how intrinsic discussing and sharing writing in intimate situations can be. I’ve found since then that the comfortable environment a tutor can create helps to nurture writers, whether they are confident or withdrawn, tutoring sessions are a setting that helps learning become more accessible and far less stressful than a typical classroom setting.

            The university can gain many things from a writing center, for both the tutors and the tutees. The students gain a comfortable place to go at any stage of the writing process, to leave the barriers that are built between student and teacher in the classroom, and go to a ‘safe-house’ where worry of evaluation is no more. As for the tutors, the process of tutoring is fulfilling, a writer passing on their tools and processes to create a greater community of writers is a worthwhile experience all in itself.