Okay, slightly less depressed.

[icarus]

The grades I've got are the grades I've got, and nothing can change them now. So there's no point worrying about it.

My main concern is that the I've been so tired and strung-out these last few weeks that a lot of what I've studied hasn't 'gone in.' I really haven't learned very much.

The machine-gun style of tutoring is the problem. I spoke with the head of tutoring and she says, yeah, it's intense upstairs. She has people run screaming into the streets after two days. It's a problem that we only have a half hour per student, but she says that they've no choice, there's just such a high demand for tutors. I'm taking her up on her suggestion to not even try to get through an entire essay in a half-hour. She says, "Oh, they want you to go through the whole thing, but you can't do that."

Oh. I have been.

Good.

If I reduce my hours and hold the line with the students, show them their main issues but they have to finish out the essay, I may survive next quarter.

Comments

[chrissie-m.livejournal.com]

I also work in a university writing centre, tutoring students who often have ESL issues. We have the same problems with high demand but a budget that doesn't allow us to meet the demand, so half-hour appointments only. And it does make it so much easier if you don't try to get through the whole paper. After all, the kinds of errors that you're trying to teach them to spot and fix on their own are going to show up on pretty much every page, so if you just pick a couple of pages to use as a teaching example and then get them to show you what they've just learned on another page, you'll probably find it much less stressful.

'Holding the line' can be difficult because while some of the students are there to actually learn how to improve their work on their own, a lot are there because they see writing centres as an editing service rather than a teaching service. They want someone to do it for them instead, and it takes a lot of energy to get them out of that mindset and into one where they're willing to pick up the pencil and try it for themselves. But if you hold firm, and you know you have the backing of the director or senior tutors on that, then you'll probably find it less stressful. I've been doing this for about 8 years now, and I haven't lost my mind yet. Well, I did, but I found it again.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

This is a fabulous response, thank you.

After all, the kinds of errors that you're trying to teach them to spot and fix on their own are going to show up on pretty much every page

Absolutely. It's the same mistakes over and over again. What they need really is practice fixing these mistakes, a little drill, because what happens is that verbally they'll use the wrong tense and since most people can understand them, well, we let it slide. This translates to the paper and they don't realise that they've been using present tense inappropriately.

By that point it's a habit, and we need 21 pages of verb tense corrections to break it. :)

while some of the students are there to actually learn how to improve their work on their own, a lot are there because they see writing centres as an editing service rather than a teaching service.

I'm already pretty tough about not-editing. I make them tell me what the error is - but I'm about to get a lot tougher.

it takes a lot of energy to get them out of that mindset and into one where they're willing to pick up the pencil and try it for themselves.

Yes, the "but how do I know what's right tell me what to do" mindset. Especially those who've come out of very regimented school systems who have relatively passive personalities. Others have perfected the technique of the confused, helpless look and I know they know this. They're just afraid they don't.

I've been doing this for about 8 years now, and I haven't lost my mind yet. Well, I did, but I found it again.

*snerk* Did someone return, or do they have an official lost'n'found at the tutoring center?

8 years? From doing this all the way through grad school, or are you a tutoring coordinator or...?

Icarus

[geoviki.livejournal.com]

I remember this comment like a sticky note in the brain:

Do you know what they call the person who graduates at the bottom of their med school class?




Doctor.

Okay, so it's contrived, but seriously, I can only encourage you to catch what you can from the river of knowledge with your little teacup for all you're worth. From all the posts you've made, you're doing your utmost, and that's all that anyone can be expected to do!

So go you.