First Tutoring Session

7/18/2013 ENG101

Positive vs. Negative

Today I woke up feeling down and tired, not wanting to speak to anyone let alone tutor. I thought I would be praying for time to pass but surprisingly, I was rather upset when I heard we only had five minutes left in our session. I was prepared for the worst and was very nervous walking in but after hearing the professor say he had told them about this ahead of time, I felt more relaxed.

We all experienced what it is like tutoring two students at once. I find it to be more relaxing and less awkward because if one person does not feel like talking or runs out of things to say, you can turn to the other student. The only disadvantage to this was that I felt bad when one student did not have anything to do except listen to the other while they were speaking to me. They both had some ideas written down and knew more or less what side they were choosing. Their assignment is to choose whether being bicultural is confusing and challenging or strengthening and positive. The male student was undecided but by the end of the session, he chose what we called the "negative" side and the female chose the "positive" side of being bicultural since she could really relate to this position. I feel like time was very limited and unfortunately I made a huge mistake, I forgot to say my name and ask them for theirs. I was so nervous that I shook their hand but did not properly introduce myself. They both seemed very comfortable with me and the male student was high but very aware and efficient. The female spoke the most and she seemed to already know what she was doing. Their main concern was looking for sources at the LAGCC library or online library and I wanted to show them on my phone but I wasn't sure whether I was allowed to use it or not. I made two lists, one labeled positive and one labeled negative. I asked them what the advantages and disadvantages of being bicultural were and they we all wrote them down. They even looked at each other for help which was very nice to see. After we made the lists, I asked them to choose the most important three that they would want to focus on in their paper. They immediately knew which ones they thought were crucial to write about and we started writing their thesis. Both already knew how to start their thesis, they just needed help finishing it. I knew time was almost up so I wanted to at least help them with that. The male student asked me what kew words he could type in to get better sources, unfortunately I was not sure at the moment, not without actually doing it myself. I knew what the obvious terms were but  I want to help them narrow their research and choose information that specifically relates to their topic. Both students seemed to have powerful opinions and this will reflect in their paper.

At the end of the session, I asked them if I had helped at all and the female student stated that I should work at the writing center because I was better than most that work there. I was very flattered but I wish I had been able to help more. The male student said he had his thesis and would continue doing research at home. By next week they should have their first draft and their sources so hopefully I will have the same students and hopefully I will be able to help them a lot more.