Writing Fellows Journal 4

David Colon

Writing Fellows

Professor Miller

9/28/18

After acting as “Difficult David,” I now have a better understanding of what it’s like being on the other side of tutoring, as the student. At the beginning of our mock session, I decided that I would attempt to be as difficult as possible; I decided that I would try to throw as many roadblocks towards Delaney as possible. Throughout the mock session, I could see Delaney try as hard as possible to offer advice and her own point of view towards helping me revise my paper. Not only did she have a positive attitude, but she tried refocusing the conversation on areas where I had questions and concerns; she tried making it known that she wasn’t an expert in the subject matter and that all she could help me with was the process of developing my ideas. This mindset was eye-opening for me in a way. Delaney’s take on tutoring showed me ways and mechanisms in centering conversations to show students that they have a responsibility to decide what goes in their individual papers.

Through our mock session, I also realized that I would probably encounter students that are difficult, students that just want me to correct their paper. Tutoring isn’t an easy process: it takes not only time, but an ability to have a conversation between two writers. Being able to participate in Friday’s class showed me another’s approach to dealing with difficult students. And at the same time, I felt what it was like to be difficult, to be in that spot where there’s frustration for not having the tutor be the one to totally fix and correct the paper at hand. Friday was a good practice session to both see and experience what it’s like to be in a difficult situation and how to handle that difficult situation effectively.