I was hoping to actually post this to the blog yesterday during my session, but I have been having a simply awful time trying to connect to the internet (anyone else having problems/issues with laptop connections?). It actually interfered with my last session a bit, as the tutee had all of his potential online sources for an argumentative essay saved in his bookmarks and it took him 10 minutes to be able to connect and access. This semester I have simply been plagued by technology problems!
So I have had a really great first week of tutoring! My first tutee of the semester came in with a draft of his literacy narrative for WRT 104 and it happened to be about a very positive experience he had with one of the writing tutors last year. Since he was lacking some vivid details, I took advantage of actually being in the space where his narrative occurred and pushed him to describe the WC, what resources we had, the feeling he gets from the physical space, and even the elevator ride up to reception. He looked at me like I was crazy for asking him what he heard in the center and tried to wiggle out of it with a gruff “nothing” but the clickety-clack of computer keys and the hum of our always present window fan just made me more persistent.
I also have had one repeat customer over the past 2 days. I always like return customers because you can actually establish a routine and get to know their individual process in that you can’t predict with newbies. I was also thinking about how return customers really play a role in the WC community. Sure, we are a community of tutors, of writers, of peers, but for those tutees who keep coming back to the center, such as the young man who wrote his literacy narrative about his first visit to the WC and this new repeat customer, we are also building a type of community. For some, we may just be a service (god-forbid an editing service!) but for those who keep coming back we are a part of their lives and a part of their support system here at URI.
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That is so great that a student is writing a literacy narrative about the Writing Center!
ReplyDeleteI like what you said about students making repeat visits to the center, especially if they come back to the same tutor. I feel like I always tell the students I work with to come back whenever they need to, but it always seems like no one really listens. When I came here a couple of times before I became a tutor, it was always just because a professor made me. I had no real intention of repeating the action, especially since one time I had a bad experience.
ReplyDeleteWhat can we do to get more students to come back multiple times? Cause it also seems like if we can get loyal "customers" of sorts, then they will tell their friends about us and so on. How can we make them really believe us that we're here to help?
I think I was in the writing center when you were trying to help the tutee describe sensory details about the writing center. I enjoyed listening to you because I hadn't had my first session yet and I was nervous. You handled it well, though, and I admire how you think so quickly on the spot in sessions!
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