According to Jeff Brooks' advice on minimalist
tutoring, I predict that my greatest struggle will be avoiding giving too much
of my own input and editing papers myself. Brooks describes the tactics that
some students use to manipulate tutors into doing the work, so and as a
pacifist I fear I will cave. It would be easier to tell them how to structure
the paper than to have them put in the effort, though this is the best method.
I will have to make a conscious effort to keep the student's paper in front of
the student and to take an outsider's approach by guiding, not writing. I fear
that I will cave and give too much of my own advice solely to avoid awkward
silences so I will have to speak only when necessary to lead the student toward
their own conclusions and have the patience to wait for them to do so. It will
be important to help them to formulate the paper themselves because we can't
always be there to help them through future writing endeavors when they will
have to fend for themselves.
I also wonder what I can do in situations where
students don’t have enough knowledge about the subject matter to write a strong
essay. As an English major I don’t have a lot of useful tidbits of knowledge
about bimolecular physics or mechanical engineering to offer, so I will be
forced to work with the info the student does have at hand. As we’ve discussed
in class, tutors don’t have to be experts so I think as long as students are
patient enough to care about their work for an hour or so we will be able to
delve deeper into the knowledge they’ve already acquired that they may not be
initially be aware of. It is only that mental state that can produce good
writing because like Brooks explains, writing is a daunting process that takes
time and effort. I only hope that my enthusiasm for writing is contagious enough
that it will transfer to mentees.
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