While reading the article Nikki handed out last week for tutors at the Writing Center, I couldn't think straight. It was discussing the the avoidance of appropriation when working with ESL students; however, by the time I got half-way through it, I had already checked out. Lately, I've been getting really bogged down with school and my major as well. Because of this, I go back and forth questioning if I'm doing the right thing with my life. Meaning, should I become an English teacher or not? I feel like I'm trying my hardest but I'm not getting any where. I know that it takes time and patience but sometimes I feel in this major that I'm not qualified to teach students.
Travis is starting to teach now and Jenn is already out there. These two people alone, have put "teaching" into perspective for me lately. It's not that I don't have a desire to teach or help people. In fact, it is the farthest thing from that. Instead, I worry that I will stand in front of a classroom someday and when a student asks me a question regarding grammar or simply why something is the way it is, I won't have an answer for them. Or a straight forward and easy response at least. Anyway, while reading the article about ESL students my mind raced back and forth. Part of me thought of the different students that come into the Writing Center and walk away with some form of knowledge that I taught them and then the other side of me thinks, AHHHH!! What will you do when you're standing in front of twenty different faces asking a million questions? These are the sort of things that went through my head last night.
Like everyone else I hope, I only wanted to talk to someone who I knew would remind me of why I am here. Why I am pursuing this career that has always called out to me, but is a lot harder than many people see or give credit to. So in light of all of this I called my Mom. Hm. No laughing please! As I told her everything that was going through my mind, especially in regard to the not knowing everything someday, she replied, "Whitney, some of the best teachers are the ones that can admit that they don't know everything." And of course, this small but large statement seemed just like something she would say. So optimistic and such that I sort-of blew it off and said "yeah, yeah, yeah, I know, BUT..." And in reality, she's right. As I was telling her everything that was going through my mind...she acted just like a mirror (like what we are suppose to do in tutoring :).) and as funny as that is, she reminded me of why I am pursuing this lifestyle. Why I chose a long time ago to help people and try changing the world! I'm sure all of this sounds corny and quite honestly I can't believe I'm telling whomever (is that right, whomever? I don't know.) all of this, but since I have been slacking on writing these blogs...then hey, why not? HA!
Anyway, I guess I have a few last comments and concerns. To whoever is teaching already, were and/or are you concerned about the same things I am? Not knowing all the technical terms and such? Not being able to run with Grammar Snobs, Language Elitists, etc.? To whoever is not teaching yet and is possibly in the same boat that I am in, do you think I'm crazy? HA! Just joking, I hope you don't think I'm crazy...if so, eh! Whatever the responses are, it is nice to hear from others point of view. It is also nice to have someone around who can remind you of what you're doing and pick you back up out of the stressed-out nightmare and put you back on your feet. Yesterday, that person was my Mom. So thanks mom! You see, you can still help me even when I'm at college! :)
Good times are coming! I just have to be patient enough to actually prove myself! Until then, bring on my punctuation rules, ESL tutoring tactics, and whatever else!
Monday, February 25, 2008
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
A short reflection from the observer point of view
While observing Sarah and Phil in the tutoring session, I noticed a few things about myself. First of all, I did not feel nervous or under any pressure during the exercise, as I am sure Phil might have. Secondly, as a tutor outside of class, getting the chance to observe Phil, who is also a fellow tutor, was a great experience. One that was very different from when I was hired and expected to observe tutors that were not all rookie's. Back then, I observed five sessions (just like everyone else). However, at the time I did not have a lot of experience to base my judgement or knowledge of "how to" off of anything. Therefore, I do not know if I absorbed as many techniques, methods, and/or ways of tutoring as I did today.
It was nice to hear and watch Phil work and help Sarah because I took in more of what was going on and applied it to how I could approach things in my own tutoring sessions.
I hope this is not confusing because I am just trying to say that I learned a lot by observing Phil. I think he is a great tutor and he did do a few things that might be improved on. However, just like everyone else, he is still human and there will always be something to improve. Overall, I think I gained more from today's exercise than I did originally when I got hired as a tutor. Is that good or bad? I do not know. Hopefully, it comes off as a good thing. Besides, it's a learning process and I think that is what I am doing!
It was nice to hear and watch Phil work and help Sarah because I took in more of what was going on and applied it to how I could approach things in my own tutoring sessions.
I hope this is not confusing because I am just trying to say that I learned a lot by observing Phil. I think he is a great tutor and he did do a few things that might be improved on. However, just like everyone else, he is still human and there will always be something to improve. Overall, I think I gained more from today's exercise than I did originally when I got hired as a tutor. Is that good or bad? I do not know. Hopefully, it comes off as a good thing. Besides, it's a learning process and I think that is what I am doing!
Fake Tutoring Session (2/13/08)
In class today, we did an exercise where we put on (kind-of) a fake but real tutoring session. For my group, it was set up as follows:
Phil: Tutor
Sarah: Student (writer)
Kellye: Observer
Myself: Observer
First of all, I thought Phil did an excellent job tutoring Sarah. I think in the situation, it would be slightly awkward seeing as we all knew the session wasn't necessarily real; however, Phil was kind-of being put on the spot at the same time. Nevertheless, he did a great job of addressing what Sarah was wanting to look at and focus on, helping her develop thoughts more clearly, keeping the paper in Sarah's hands (meaning: making it stay her paper rather than becoming his), as well as many other things.
In regards to Sarah, I felt that she played the average student but she also brought her actual characteristics into the session as well. For instance, most of the time Sarah seemed sort-of "eh" about things but open to suggestions or help; which is normally something I have found coming from other students who come to the writing center. But I also liked that Sarah brought forth her real self into the equation as well. For instance, she brought up her analogy of the transactional model (?) :); which if anyone knows Sarah enough, they understand that she thinks mathematicaly in real life as well. What I'm getting at is that Sarah did a good job of pulling off the typical student attitude as well as bringing her natural self to the table. WHich, from a tutors stand point, by figuring out that a student thinks mathematically (like Sarah) it can be helpful when trying to teach them something or demonstrate english terms into math terms for them. I think Phil caught onto that characteristic of Sarah and utilized it in a couple of instances.
Below are some points I jotted down during the session that I thought Phil did a great job at:
- He let Sarah have time here and there to brainstorm and free write
- In the beginning of the session, he discussed Rhetoric with her and the components that make it what it is: Logos, Ethos, and Pathos. He explained in a very down to earth manner, including examples and references back to movies so that she might remember them better. I thought the examples were a great approach. Nicely done Phil!
- He pushed her thinking further by asking her questions and acting as a sound board (reiterating what she wrote and said in order to clarify and understand what she was trying to say or mean).
- Phil also did a great job of not letting her (Sarah) steal his words or ideas. For instance, he would mention something or ask her if this is what she meant and then when Sarah liked the idea or wording she would ask if she could use it or cite him. :) Very quickly, Phil would tell her it would be best to use her own words and after saying that, he would keep moving on with the original subject and not let her have time to write his ideas or whatnot down.
-Lastly, I think Phil was very good at keeping the paper in Sarah hands. Helping her and spoon feeding her are two very different things and as a tutor, Phil seemed to understand the difference very well.
Overall, there were things to be improved on here and there, but I do not think that Phil did a bad job at all. In fact, I was rather impressed with him and able to learn a lot from his actions and responses.
Phil: Tutor
Sarah: Student (writer)
Kellye: Observer
Myself: Observer
First of all, I thought Phil did an excellent job tutoring Sarah. I think in the situation, it would be slightly awkward seeing as we all knew the session wasn't necessarily real; however, Phil was kind-of being put on the spot at the same time. Nevertheless, he did a great job of addressing what Sarah was wanting to look at and focus on, helping her develop thoughts more clearly, keeping the paper in Sarah's hands (meaning: making it stay her paper rather than becoming his), as well as many other things.
In regards to Sarah, I felt that she played the average student but she also brought her actual characteristics into the session as well. For instance, most of the time Sarah seemed sort-of "eh" about things but open to suggestions or help; which is normally something I have found coming from other students who come to the writing center. But I also liked that Sarah brought forth her real self into the equation as well. For instance, she brought up her analogy of the transactional model (?) :); which if anyone knows Sarah enough, they understand that she thinks mathematicaly in real life as well. What I'm getting at is that Sarah did a good job of pulling off the typical student attitude as well as bringing her natural self to the table. WHich, from a tutors stand point, by figuring out that a student thinks mathematically (like Sarah) it can be helpful when trying to teach them something or demonstrate english terms into math terms for them. I think Phil caught onto that characteristic of Sarah and utilized it in a couple of instances.
Below are some points I jotted down during the session that I thought Phil did a great job at:
- He let Sarah have time here and there to brainstorm and free write
- In the beginning of the session, he discussed Rhetoric with her and the components that make it what it is: Logos, Ethos, and Pathos. He explained in a very down to earth manner, including examples and references back to movies so that she might remember them better. I thought the examples were a great approach. Nicely done Phil!
- He pushed her thinking further by asking her questions and acting as a sound board (reiterating what she wrote and said in order to clarify and understand what she was trying to say or mean).
- Phil also did a great job of not letting her (Sarah) steal his words or ideas. For instance, he would mention something or ask her if this is what she meant and then when Sarah liked the idea or wording she would ask if she could use it or cite him. :) Very quickly, Phil would tell her it would be best to use her own words and after saying that, he would keep moving on with the original subject and not let her have time to write his ideas or whatnot down.
-Lastly, I think Phil was very good at keeping the paper in Sarah hands. Helping her and spoon feeding her are two very different things and as a tutor, Phil seemed to understand the difference very well.
Overall, there were things to be improved on here and there, but I do not think that Phil did a bad job at all. In fact, I was rather impressed with him and able to learn a lot from his actions and responses.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Response to BG: Chapters 3 & 4
First of all, my apologizes for not writing as many blogs as I should have been in the past few weeks...I'm working on it! :)
The Bedford Guide for Writing Tutors (4th ed.), Chapters 3 & 4
From the very beginning of Chapter three, I felt that the text was informing us of many things we already know or do, partly by using common sense and courtesy in a tutoring session. However, when I got to chapter four, I felt the same thing but I also walked away with a little bit more valuable information. Chapter four seemed to provide more of an insight to techniques that could help me as a tutor understand the different types of students coming in, as well as teach students to recognize their own mistakes and not necessarily hold their hand the entire way.
The chapter started off by talking about brainstorming, one of the first things to do in order to help a writer get started in the writing process. This is probably one of my favorite parts. To me, it is a time that is open, free and ready for ideas to start coming together (kind-of like a game plan). It can be fun (most of the time)! Another thing they discuss in the book is freewriting. Something I have noticed with students and myself at times, is the difficulty in getting my thoughts out of my head and onto paper (or the computer). To help clients with this problem, I often tell them to just write without stopping. Do not worry about grammar, misspelled words, etc., just write your thoughts out and then come back later and break them up, fix them, or piece them together with common thoughts, etc. However, the book gave the example of darkening the screen of a computer, if that is what they (the students, clients) are working on. This is so that they cannot worry or get caught up on reviewing their work. I have mixed feelings about this though. Part of me feels this could be a great technique, but the other the part feels it could drive students crazy and not let them see anything that is remotely tangible. Nevertheless, the technique is something to consider.
When the writer (student, client) starts to actually write out their plan it is also important to make sure they have clarified who their audience is, what they are trying to address to that audience, and their goal for the paper. This will help with organization. As I read on throughout the chapter I stumbled upon many other useful or catchy techniques. For instance, I liked the idea mentioned in Chapter four of being a "naive reader" (47). Sometimes, by stepping away from the topic of a clients paper and sort-of playing an "unaware" persona, it allows the writer to explain things more in depth, take another look at what they wrote and how they explained it, as well as receive an outsiders point of view. Another thing I liked, which is something I already try practicing in sessions, is finding an error or problem, explaining it to the student, and then turning them lose (kind-of) to spot the same mistakes later. When done correctly, students can kind-of become their own personal tutors at times, finding their mistakes, and knowing how to handle them correctly for the future. WIth this technique, I have found that often times, students sort-of become excited (at times more than others) that they can recognize their own mistakes and quickly correct without being told to do so; however, it also puts a smile on my face because I feel like I was able to teach something that can help them. I dunno, it's an exciting thing among many other successes! The trick is to make them (the student, client, writer, etc.) remember it!
There were many other things I learned from the chapters but the ones above seemed like a few of the highlights! However, I will say that all of the examples of the different situations of writers and tutors was interesting as well! I thought it was funny that there were so many examples to try or act out! :) It's like improv (msp?)!!!
The Bedford Guide for Writing Tutors (4th ed.), Chapters 3 & 4
From the very beginning of Chapter three, I felt that the text was informing us of many things we already know or do, partly by using common sense and courtesy in a tutoring session. However, when I got to chapter four, I felt the same thing but I also walked away with a little bit more valuable information. Chapter four seemed to provide more of an insight to techniques that could help me as a tutor understand the different types of students coming in, as well as teach students to recognize their own mistakes and not necessarily hold their hand the entire way.
The chapter started off by talking about brainstorming, one of the first things to do in order to help a writer get started in the writing process. This is probably one of my favorite parts. To me, it is a time that is open, free and ready for ideas to start coming together (kind-of like a game plan). It can be fun (most of the time)! Another thing they discuss in the book is freewriting. Something I have noticed with students and myself at times, is the difficulty in getting my thoughts out of my head and onto paper (or the computer). To help clients with this problem, I often tell them to just write without stopping. Do not worry about grammar, misspelled words, etc., just write your thoughts out and then come back later and break them up, fix them, or piece them together with common thoughts, etc. However, the book gave the example of darkening the screen of a computer, if that is what they (the students, clients) are working on. This is so that they cannot worry or get caught up on reviewing their work. I have mixed feelings about this though. Part of me feels this could be a great technique, but the other the part feels it could drive students crazy and not let them see anything that is remotely tangible. Nevertheless, the technique is something to consider.
When the writer (student, client) starts to actually write out their plan it is also important to make sure they have clarified who their audience is, what they are trying to address to that audience, and their goal for the paper. This will help with organization. As I read on throughout the chapter I stumbled upon many other useful or catchy techniques. For instance, I liked the idea mentioned in Chapter four of being a "naive reader" (47). Sometimes, by stepping away from the topic of a clients paper and sort-of playing an "unaware" persona, it allows the writer to explain things more in depth, take another look at what they wrote and how they explained it, as well as receive an outsiders point of view. Another thing I liked, which is something I already try practicing in sessions, is finding an error or problem, explaining it to the student, and then turning them lose (kind-of) to spot the same mistakes later. When done correctly, students can kind-of become their own personal tutors at times, finding their mistakes, and knowing how to handle them correctly for the future. WIth this technique, I have found that often times, students sort-of become excited (at times more than others) that they can recognize their own mistakes and quickly correct without being told to do so; however, it also puts a smile on my face because I feel like I was able to teach something that can help them. I dunno, it's an exciting thing among many other successes! The trick is to make them (the student, client, writer, etc.) remember it!
There were many other things I learned from the chapters but the ones above seemed like a few of the highlights! However, I will say that all of the examples of the different situations of writers and tutors was interesting as well! I thought it was funny that there were so many examples to try or act out! :) It's like improv (msp?)!!!
Friday, February 8, 2008
** Prefixes and Suffixes
Everything you need to know about Prefixes and Suffixes:
Examples of Prefixes: a-, un-. co-, omni-, re-, sub-, pre-, bi-, mis-, dis-, inter-, anti-, pro-, non-, mono-, de-, hypo-, hyper-, mal-, retro-, trans-, poly-, ob-, ab-, semi-, equi-, epi-, over-, ab-, ad-, com-, ex-, in-.
Examples of Suffixes: -y, -est, -ence, -able, -ible, -ship, -ance, -al, -ish, -or, -er, -ment, -tial, -ist, -ism, -ency, -sion, -tion, -ness, -hood, -dom, -en, -ify, -ize, -ate, -worthy, -wide, -tic, -less, -tive, -ous, -ful, -tial, -ly, -tude.
Rules or guidelines:
- According to June Casagrande's book, Grammar Snobs Are Great Big Meanies, "when you're adding a prefix to create a word that is not in the dictionary, normally you should not use a hyphen. It's the opposite with suffixes: When you're using one to make a word not in the dictionary, most often you do add a hyphen."
HOWEVER there are a lot of exceptions!
For prefixes, use a hyphen when:
- "adding on to a capitalized word or a numeral: anti-American, pre-1950s,".
- "putting two vowels together: pro-occult, anti-illness"
- adding a prefix to an expression that's already hyphenated: "non-self-serving".
Prefixes need some sort of squiggle to connect them to multiword compounds:
Ex: Instead of writing "postCivil War", you would write "post-Civil War" or "non-self serving vs self-serving".
-using the prefix "co-": "Co-" is an oddball because unlike most prefixes it normally does require a hyphen. Exceptions include widely accepted words such as "coordinate," "coexist,"" etc.
-using the prefix "post-":...takes a hyphen except for some widely accepted words such as "postdate," "Postdoctoral,"" etc.
Suffixes:
Normally suffixes need hyphens. For example, "-free" as in "oil-free".
Exceptions to this:
- the suffix "-like": "ratlike," except for words ending in "l"- "weasel-like".
-"-borne":...tunaborne bacteria".
-"-wide": You'd say "officewide" and "countrywide"; make exceptions for long words or whenever skipping a hyphen creates confusion: "United States of America-wide".
(All information in quoted material is from June Casagrande's book, Grammar Snobs Are Great Big Meanies copyrighted 2006.)
Examples of Prefixes: a-, un-. co-, omni-, re-, sub-, pre-, bi-, mis-, dis-, inter-, anti-, pro-, non-, mono-, de-, hypo-, hyper-, mal-, retro-, trans-, poly-, ob-, ab-, semi-, equi-, epi-, over-, ab-, ad-, com-, ex-, in-.
Examples of Suffixes: -y, -est, -ence, -able, -ible, -ship, -ance, -al, -ish, -or, -er, -ment, -tial, -ist, -ism, -ency, -sion, -tion, -ness, -hood, -dom, -en, -ify, -ize, -ate, -worthy, -wide, -tic, -less, -tive, -ous, -ful, -tial, -ly, -tude.
Rules or guidelines:
- According to June Casagrande's book, Grammar Snobs Are Great Big Meanies, "when you're adding a prefix to create a word that is not in the dictionary, normally you should not use a hyphen. It's the opposite with suffixes: When you're using one to make a word not in the dictionary, most often you do add a hyphen."
HOWEVER there are a lot of exceptions!
For prefixes, use a hyphen when:
- "adding on to a capitalized word or a numeral: anti-American, pre-1950s,".
- "putting two vowels together: pro-occult, anti-illness"
- adding a prefix to an expression that's already hyphenated: "non-self-serving".
Prefixes need some sort of squiggle to connect them to multiword compounds:
Ex: Instead of writing "postCivil War", you would write "post-Civil War" or "non-self serving vs self-serving".
-using the prefix "co-": "Co-" is an oddball because unlike most prefixes it normally does require a hyphen. Exceptions include widely accepted words such as "coordinate," "coexist,"" etc.
-using the prefix "post-":...takes a hyphen except for some widely accepted words such as "postdate," "Postdoctoral,"" etc.
Suffixes:
Normally suffixes need hyphens. For example, "-free" as in "oil-free".
Exceptions to this:
- the suffix "-like": "ratlike," except for words ending in "l"- "weasel-like".
-"-borne":...tunaborne bacteria".
-"-wide": You'd say "officewide" and "countrywide"; make exceptions for long words or whenever skipping a hyphen creates confusion: "United States of America-wide".
(All information in quoted material is from June Casagrande's book, Grammar Snobs Are Great Big Meanies copyrighted 2006.)
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