Theory of Tutoring
Empowered by my undergraduate experience, work experience, relationship with peers, and advice from faculty members, I tutor with the explicit goal of making individuals more comfortable and excited about the writing process. To do so, I regularly push back against expectations regarding writing, offer differing perspectives, encourage unique voice and style, acknowledge individual constraints, and provide resources.
Expectations in Writing
A foundational aspect of working in a writing center is grappling with pre-existing expectations about writing; this could be in regards to formatting, goal, or language. Something I have focused on throughout my work tutoring in the UWC is pushing back on those expectations in a way that is comforting and reassuring. It is important to acknowledge that those expectations come from somewhere -- whether that be in the media, writing classes, or even their own writing ideals. In contrast, enabling and maintaining strict or unmovable views of writing discourages many people from engaging critically with their own texts and those of others. Overall, I work to manage pre-existing expectations and introduce the variety of forms writing can take!
Differing Perspectives
In a position to provide assistance and guidance, it is easy to become a yes-man, where one simply reinforces what writers already know and fails to offer differing perspectives or mindsets. In order to make visitors think critically about their own writing and become more comfortable with the entire process, I've found it is vital to encourage shifts in mindsets and approaches. Often, visitors run across issues that stem less from surface-level issues in sentence structure or grammar, but from their entire approach to assignments that has left them with a strict and rigid text. In offering differing perspectives and encouraging a different mindset, I hope to show the expansiveness of writing and inevitably offer a sense of confidence and comfort.
Voice & Style
In the pursuit of high-level scholarly writing, it is easy to get lost in traditional expectations for grammar, word choice, and style. In my tutoring work, I put forth a purposeful effort in maintaining the voice and style of writers, particularly those of diverse backgrounds. An important part of this process is introducing examples in which works that do not follow strict academic expectations have been successfully published and marked in the field. In this case, my pre-existing knowledge in a variety of fields enables me to regularly mention and cite such works.
Individual Constraints
While we'd like to view writing as an accessible practice, it is vital to acknowledge the constraints that may impact individuals and entire communities. This could be constraints based in expert resources, technology, and language. Accordingly, it is important to ask visitors open-ended questions that encourage them to share without pressuring or unsettling them. Afterwards, I aim to work with writers to either gain what they might have been missing or learn strategies to enable them to work around those constraints.
Provide Resources
The most vital but underrated aspect of my tutoring theory has to do with providing resources. While I would love to help writers with all concerns they might have, I do not know and cannot provide high-level guidance on everything. Accordingly, it is important that I empower the writers I tutor or consult to form critical questions and seek out resources that can make them perpetually comfortable with the writing process.