A Good Session!

A lot of people, including me, have been writing about problems they encounter while tutoring. I decided to use one of my posts to write about a session that made me feel good today! A girl made an appointment with me about a paper she wrote for ENG 110. Her paper was less than a page and a half, but it was supposed to be two to three pages. Looking at the paper, I expected her to be totally distraught. On the top of the paper was a big, fat F (I hate when teachers do that-- is it really necessary??). Instead of breaking down, the girl was being very open and receptive. She explained that she didn't have much English preparation in high school--that she only wrote 3 or 4 papers all throughout high school. She needed help organizing her thoughts into a cohesive paper. I explained how she could make her thesis more analytical (using literary devices) and how she could focus her discussion on just one passage in the novel rather than the entire novel. I loved the session because she seemed to understand what I was saying and was willing to put the work into fixing the paper. I wanted to go through the book with her to help her find a passage but she didn't bring the book with her. I invited her back in case she had any other questions. I think I also enjoyed the session as compared to all the WRT students that come in (especially with all the WRT 104 analysis papers last week, I feel like I didn't get through to a lot of students). It can be very frustrating for me to explain WRT concepts as opposed to literary concepts, I think because English classes are my favorite! When I'm interested in a subject, it is so much easier for me to help students.