Observations 1 and 2 and First session as client

(Sorry this has taken so long Trixie, I've had the notes forever, but God help me, I'm the laziest person in the world)

Observation 1

This was my first ever observation and it was, not surprisingly, dealing with an ESL student. This was the first time I witnessed the conflict between the mantra that "we make better writers, not better papers" and the reality of dealing with ESL students that often request a more authoritarian tutoring.

The session was relatively simple, though the assignment was quite strange. The young woman was required to write about herself but do so by hand and on a single sheet of paper. Regardless, she requested help with her grammar. The tutor, despite what I had learned up to that time, took control of the writing and dealt directly with the grammar. While this isn't exactly what we are taught to do, I do not think this was necessarily the worst thing that could have been done. At each point the tutor described exactly why the grammar was incorrect, and made certain that the client understood why the changes were being made. While that may not have been the best approach, I think it could have been much worse.

Observation 2

The second session I observed was a bit more complicated, and much more interesting. Although he was an ESL student, he came in desiring help with higher order concerns. It was a strange session for me because the previous session I had observed dealt entirely with grammar and the meaning was difficult to ascertain. Here though, it was strange, because I understood completely what the writer was saying. His paper was set up perfectly as far as logical flow is concerned. Despite some grammar issues, I knew what he was writing about and what his argument was.

Again, what he truly needed help with was his grammar. Unfortunately the only way to teach him was by walking him through his paper and helping him come up with different ways of saying things. Ultimately, when this is required, it isn't a satisfying session. It is more enjoyable, I think, to help clients with their higher order concerns and it feels great when you are able to tell them, as the tutor was with this client, that their paper is logical and flows well.

Client Session

My session as a client offered a difficulty that I've faced a few times in my own sessions. That is, understanding what the writer is talking about. By that I mean the actual subject of the paper. My paper was about the French Revolution and was only a few pages long. The difficulty was that intended audience. The majority of papers by undergraduates in college are written for a generic audience who doesn't know a great deal about the subject. My Professor instructed me to write this paper to him, rather than an uninformed audience. We were to assume that the reader was already knowledgeable of the French Revolution.

I think this made it difficult for my tutor to deal with my paper at first. However, I think this was ultimately a good thing for the session. Because of this we were able to focus directly on the writing of the paper. Although this is difficult at first because I think we are inclined as tutors to try to get an understanding of the subject before we help consult.