A note: This month, Clara will have the time sheets in our
inboxes on August 12th. These are due on August 14th (not
the 15th!) no later than 10:00 am.
So.
I’ve decided to acquire a new car. My current ride is a
Pontiac Grand Prix. Not a bad car . . . painted a pretty ruby red, fuzzy dice hanging
from the mirror, a glovebox full of disco CD’s, good powerful V6 . . . truly a fine
piece of Detroit engineering.
But it’s so . . . common. It doesn’t fill me with pride or a
sense of accomplishment. Now obviously many people will claim that a car isn’t
exactly something to engender pride. It’s a tool, a necessary part of life, a
burdensome expense. Those claims certainly have merit. But for me a car needs
to have a certain quirkiness, a sense of style, a certain je ne sais quoi.
So with a bit of luck this will be my new car!
::waits for laughter to subside::
There are a couple problems with this plan. First, this
beauty is located on an abandoned farm 20 miles down a dirt road in the middle of
nowhere in northern Montana. I doubt I can hook up a tandem axle trailer to my
trusty Pontiac and haul my new toy home, so simply getting it to Roseburg will
not be easy. Second, it looks like it has a couple of rust spots and a scratch or
two on it that need to be buffed out. Third and most importantly, I’m not
particularly handy when it comes to mechanical repairs and I might
need to replace a couple of pieces. Thus, this whole thing will be something of
a learning curve for me. Add to the mix that I’m a poor college student with no
money and no place to store my new wheels, and I’m looking at a serious uphill
slog for what, exactly? What would be my reward for such efforts? Would it be
worth it? If I decide that acquiring a 96 year old pickup is worth my time and
money, will that mean that I’ll be successful in restoring it and driving it? Who
knows. Success wouldn’t be easy. Parts
haven’t been made since the First World War, and there are only a few
dozen of these pickups left in the world today—almost none of them running.
Some would say I’m foolish to even consider such a plan. But if I want success,
the first thing I need to realize is that success is within my grasp should I
so desire.
Success isn’t easy. Those of us in the Success Center know
this all too well. We meet people who want to succeed at all costs, and put in
the effort to do so. We also meet people who are here for other reasons, people
who are here just doing the bare minimum to get by. For students with these
attitudes success will be little more than a dream. I returned to school
determined to succeed; obviously not everyone shares those goals.
What does success mean for us as tutors? Everyone who tutors
here in the Success Center is either a current or former UCC student and we
are, almost my definition, at the top of our curves: we couldn’t become tutors
if we weren’t. Therefore we have embraced success and reaped the benefits of
our hard work.
How do we engender success in our tutees? How can we pass
along what we have learned, what we have experienced, what we have gleaned through
our experiences?
The answer to that question is up to you. Students who come
through our doors seeking help are, more likely than not, looking for that
sense of success and accomplishment. Chances are, if they are here seeking help
then they have encountered an obstacle of some sort standing between them and
that accomplishment. There are times when
the homework load or the term paper or that looming test can seem like such a
huge obstacle. The rewards can seem distant and elusive. I think I’ve alluded
to this before: I have seen a student drop a class, and thus jeopardize their
entire college career, over their inability to complete a single math problem. What
can we do to give people facing these kinds of difficulties the confidence to
succeed when success looks like such a long, uphill battle? Again, I don’t have
that answer. You do. Everyone who reads this will approach the task of
inspiring students to succeed differently.
We all have our successes to be proud of. Our tutees want
their own successes; they want that feeling of accomplishment. Like rebuilding
an ancient pickup that is little more than a rusting frame, success in school
starts early and must be tackled vigorously no matter how daunting it looks. It
is our job to see our students tackle those efforts, and be there with them as
they do so.
—N.
As tutors, we should be encouraging students to see their success, even if it is just a slight progression. A positive attitude will help them see the obstacle as just a stepping stone, rather than a road block. If we focus on the negative, our attitude will be negative; however, when we focus on what we are doing right, we can see how this plays into the next step we are about to take with a positive attitude :)
ReplyDeleteFirst off, the student is on the right track if he or she comes into the Success Center for help. After all, for some this can be a scary experience or a barrier breaker just to ask for help. Then when they are here, they sit with tutor who has succeeded in the area of need thus enabling the student to feel like they made a good choice. Tutors of course need to encourage students and make them feel like they matter. On top of that they need to help them get past barriers of curriculum and/or confidence and on the track to success no matter what speed the student is going.
ReplyDeleteThat was a good analogy you used to describe success in college. I agree with what Wendy had to say. I believe the student is on the right track if they come into the Success Center seeking help. Some people are shy and believe that asking for help might be a weakness. Just overcoming that fear and accepting that fact that you need help from others is a huge step in the right direction.
ReplyDeleteI really like your approach to the truck. Success isnt something that just happens. You have to work at it. Making the choice of starting up (new truck or class) is only a small step. Once you make the step to ask for help (Success Center) or possibly asking for parts for your truck, you can begin the adventure to success! Once people walk into the Success Center, we want to make sure that they get as much help as they can. Sometimes I see students go to multiple tutors for various subjects. We want students to know that we are here to HELP! We want to see you succeed just as much as you do yourself.
ReplyDeleteThe best way to help these students is to look at the problem and help them through it---work through
ReplyDeletethe problem together. I have found that it's helpful for me to write out the math problem and work
it through myself so that I can help the tutees better. Also, encourage them to ask their professors
and counselors as well. Sometimes it's an academic issue, sometimes it's a deeper issue, and sometimes
it's both.
I also am patient and use plenty of praise as well, as well as lots of show and tell. Showing and telling them uses the eyes and ears, and if they see and hear the steps, they tend to understand it
better.
Also, if you and the books aren't helping, don't hesitate to run to the computer and pull up something.
Try to help the tutee as much as you can.
good ideas. The example You used is very unique and a good plan to go by to help others succeed.
ReplyDeleteI believe that by simply being here we are giving students a leg up. Many people in this world are lacking confidence. They need reassurance in order to move on, a safety blanket if you will. When given the chance to utilize this tool, this tool being our center, they are able to build the faith in their own work and pass classes they would have otherwise dropped. Sometimes all a person needs is an encouraging word.
ReplyDeleteThe example you chose to demonstrate the situation many come to is on point! Many people think that because there is such a large project or obstacle that they can not do it, and give up hope because they don't have the confidence. That's where we come in to support and motivate students and maybe even our own coworkers to do the best they can do, and not to hold back! If you put your mind to it, it can be done.
ReplyDeleteSometimes, I think as tutors we get caught up too much in showing off, or being too helpful. We need to remember to set our own egos aside and let our tutees get those ah-ha! Moments that only come when they get to the answer themselves :-) :-)
ReplyDeleteCan I help build the truck... :)
ReplyDeleteSuccess definitely is not easy but it is very rewarding! Thanks for the heads up Nathan, I will make sure to get my time sheets in by the end of my shift!
ReplyDelete