RE: Unteachableness?

[writingctr@kean.ucs.mun.ca]

Oh, Jim, you've had some kicks in the gut this week, haven't you? I'm
sorry.

I've been thinking about whether or not some tutors are unteachable,
because three of the people I hired in the fall were very resistant
to learning student-centred methods. The short version of the story
is that I don't think they were unteachable. However, in very frank
discussions with me, discussions as unconfrontational as I knew how
to make them, two of the three decided that they weren't able to do
what I was asking them to do, at least not at this point in their
lives, and they resigned. Some people have a huge investment in the
traditional, hierarchical structure of organised instruction, and
feel they have a lot to lose by adopting student-centred approaches.
These two people who resigned decided that it would take too much
out of them to make the journey they'd need to, to become student-
centred. Maybe they'll go through their lives, continuing to support
and recreate hierarchies. I hope not, of course. Anyway, this wasn't
the time for them, and I respect the effort it took them to say so.
They weren't effective tutors, and the Centre will run more smoothly
without them. 

I hope your present crop of tutors are all enthusiastically student-
centred. I'm hiring replacements for those who resigned. Wish me luck.

Jacqueline Howse
Coordinator, Writing Centre
Memorial University of Newfoundland
writingctr@kean.ucs.mun.ca