I want to cover a few housekeeping issues before discussing
this week’s topic.
*****
·
As many of you know Brent Lewis has been holding
a writing lab in the Success Center. Its aim is to provide assistance to any
student who needs help with any writing assignment. Starting Monday, July 21st,
the writing lab will be held from 9:00am to 1:00 pm Monday-Thursday. This will
allow more students to utilize the service.
·
Also, the Success Center is pleased to welcome
another Success Assistant, Amy Lay. Amy spent several years at UCC as a student
and a tutor, graduating in 2013. She was one of the first Success Assistants—and
christened the Success Center with its name. Her wonderful personality, extensive
knowledge of Success Center policies, and deep commitment to the students of
UCC makes her an invaluable asset to our team. Take a moment to welcome her
back. She will be an indispensable addition to the center.
·
Those of you attended the staff meeting last
Thursday received information about Core Skills Mastery, or CSM. CSM is an
online program that helps students gain the skills and confidence needed to
enter the world of higher education. It is a free service UCC offers to anyone
interested in building these basic academic skills. Success Center staff is
encouraged to sign up and complete this program so they can glean a better
understanding of what is expected of a student enrolled in CSM. The website is
csmlearn.com, follow the registration steps on the right side of the screen.
Any questions can be addressed with Anthony Davis or Tyler Ramos, both of whom
are well-versed in the CSM program.
·
Two tutors will be leaving our team. Tyler Cheek
and Steven Niquette will both be moving on to bigger things. Steven has found
his dream job with the American Red Cross, and Tyler will be relocating east
for further education. Both these tutors have been an integral part of team and
will be missed. Please give them a hearty farewell and wish them the best on
their future adventures.
*****
Last week I discussed the issue of students who held
unreasonable expectations with regards to their assignments and the
expectations the school places on them. The responses to that post were well
thought-out and filled with personal experiences of tutors who have dealt with
difficult students. A big thank you to everyone who participated. Sharing
experiences and bouncing ideas and comments around is a wonderful way to help
each other deal with these difficult situations.
During last week's discussion Susie Day brought up a wonderful issue, namely
“what do we do with students who claim they require special treatment due to a
disability?” The answer is, to put it bluntly, nothing special. Of course, we
need to show compassion and understanding, but as far as our tutoring services
are concerned we provide the same services to all students.
If a student comes to the Success Center and asks for
special accommodations due to a disability, we are limited in what we can do. We
can always refer them to Danielle Haskett, Disabilities Coordinator. Her phone
numbers are 541-440-7655 or 541-440-4610 and her office is the Student Center.
In addition, any student with a disability is expected to stay in close contact
with their instructor and thus referring a student back to their instructor can
be the best course of action should a tutor feel that they cannot adequately
help a student. This is good advice for working with any student, disability or
not.
For more information, I’ve included two slideshows courtesy
of the UCC Disabilities Office (note: these are .pdf files). One is basic
information for students that may feel they need disability accommodations; the
other is instructions for faculty regarding UCC’s disability policies. Pay
special attention to page 3 and 4 of the faculty slideshow, as this explains
what accommodations a student with disabilities may expect.
For new students:
For faculty:
As suggested by Terrance, one very effective method of
dealing with any student who has unreasonable expectations (or is just ranting,
which happens a lot) is to simply ask them “what would you like me to do?” or
“how can I help you?” with an emphasis on I. This method of interaction puts
the onus on the student and requires them to explain exactly what their
expectations of us are. From there, the tutor can explain exactly what our role
is and what we can do to help.
For instance, if a student asks us to watch him or her work
every math problem in a given homework assignment, we can respond with some
variation of “I’m sorry, we don’t do that. However, I can work you through a
couple and then check on you periodically to make sure you haven’t run into a
wall”. This may anger a few students, but that’s ok. We need to be available
for all students who need our services, and playing favorites or committing a
significant amount of time to one student isn’t doable or fair. Remember that to
many students, the expectations placed on them really are unfair. We need to be
able to deal with those who hold these ideas with professionalism and
compassion.
I know we discussed our reactions to negative student
interactions last week, and this week I’d like everyone to voice their opinions
on our role as tutors. What do you feel our role in the Success Center is? What
is our purpose when it comes to the students of UCC?
“There are no facts, only interpretations.”
― Friedrich Nietzsche
I've been going through the CSM program so far (70% completion) and it's hard work. You really
ReplyDeletehave to stop and think, but I'm learning things about it that I would have never learned otherwise.
Our role is to help students academically, as well as to help when they have exhausted all other
means of help (such as advising). For some students, we might be the only ally that they have.
From my firsthand experiences as a UCC student in the past, having a counselor that was in my
corner made a world of difference. However, not everyone has that. So we need to be able to step
in to get them on the right track.
I think that the ultimate idea of the Success Center is not only to help create success, but to
create the groundwork for it, such as inspiration, CSM, and coaching.
I think the role the tutors play is being a helping guide they can go to 'here and there' not just become an answer sheet because then the student doesnt learn, they just write down the answers. Also it is gonna be a bummer seeing Tyler and Steven leave with me only being here a little over a month.!
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion tutors are a type of a role model helping students teach themselves. I will miss the two tutors who are leaving greatly. If anyone has their contact information I would like to have it. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteOur job as tutors is to help clarify the instructors teaching, help students understand how to find the information they are looking for. Also we help them develop the skills they need for the class.
ReplyDeleteIt is with a heavy heart that my last day will be this Wednesday; even though I have only been here since Winter term, this job has been an amazing experience--from which I have made some great friends. Do not think you have seen the last of me though, I am sure I will stop by a few times to say hi!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Tyler and Steven! I am sure you will both be awesome at whatever you are moving on to next! Wishing you guys the best :)
ReplyDeleteAs far as our roles as tutors in the Success Center, I think our main role is to really pay attention to detail and notice everything around us. And like Nathan said, to recognize that a student's feelings about being treated unfairly are indeed very real to them. Sometimes this can be easy to look past because we may feel that the student is just whining and complaining. We need to be willing to accept the fact that, although there are no intentions of being "unfair," the student's feelings about this matter are real. Once we can grasp an understanding of that, it is easier to take the next step and figure out what we can do to help.
Welcome back, Amy!
ReplyDeleteOur role as tutors is to help students succeed ... what that means as far as what we do is different for each student. Sometimes it means being that one person in their life who believes in them and boosts their self esteem. Sometimes it means being the mean person who refuses to just give out answers. Mostly, we're a safety net for students who need a little extra help in their classes for whatever reason.
Welcome Amy! I hope you find it easy to fit back into the center.
ReplyDeleteAnd on the flip side of that, goodbye Tyler and Steven, you will be missed by both your coworkers and the students that you work with.
I think our role as tutors is to help troubled students understand when their primary class is not enough for them. This is not to say we are here to teach them entirely what they are to be learning, but to fill in the holes that may be hindering them from moving forward.
Congratulations to Steven!! Finding your dream job is something that not a lot of people do. I hope you will be happy in your new career at the Red Cross.Congratulations to Tyler too.
ReplyDeleteI feel our role in the Success Center is to help students that need the help. Our purpose is to be stepping stones in a students education process.
Welcome back, Amy!
ReplyDeleteWelcome back Amy, hope we can meet in the near future! I have just started the CSM course myself and I am loving it so far! It is a great brain challenge and resource for everyone, students and tutors alike!
ReplyDeleteExcited to have Amy back, but sad to see Tyler and Steven go. I wish them both luck in their future endeavors. I am excited to learn more about the CSM program by doing it myself. Thanks for the suggestions on how we can help students help themselves.
ReplyDeleteWelcome back Amy! Steven and Tyler, congrats to you both!
ReplyDeleteI feel our role in the Success Center is to make sure the students know they matter to us. Not only that but to be there for them when they need a little help, and somewhere comfortable to come to when they need to relax and focus on themselves.