Handbooks

So Krish Kassidy and I were all in the center a couple weeks ago and someone asked a question about MLA citations. we were arguing about the correct way to answer the question (mostly because none of us knew for sure) and we couldn't ask Stephanie because she was in a meeting. After a while, Kassidy became a genius and looked in the handbook and figured out the answer from that (I was right- HA Krish =]). But anyways, it just made me realize how easy it is to figure out any answer by looking it up. we have computers with the internet, other people who know that formatting style better, and handbooks at our disposal- and I've never used them before that argument. It got me thinking to say the least. Now, i look everything up even if i'm almost certain i'm right....ok not everything, but anything i'm not 100% about. It's not that i am questioning my knowledge of grammar rules, it's just verification on another level. i don't know why i've never really checked my answers before, but i think it's because i like thinking i'm smart and don't need to verify. I also think that, as a client, i would be discouraged if my tutor had to look something up. but then again, i would be extremely angry if they told me something that was incorrect. i always wonder about how clients feel when we do have to look things up or when we verbalize that we aren't familiar with that format or that assignment. I guess they can't be mad- it's their choice to come into the center, and it's their choice to take our suggestions or ignore them. sometimes i feel like its my personal responsibility to make sure they get a good grade, even though that's absolutely incorrect and unfair to us. that's not our job and i know that, but still...

thanks kassidy =]