Re: selecting tutors -Reply

[Jim Bell <jimb@unbc.edu>]

When my brother-in-law was recently laid off from his middle-management 
job with a big trucking firm, the Executive Placement course he took said 
that under normal interview procedures, businesses hire the best person 
half the time.

Even though we use a "non-normal" hiring procedure, a 45-minute grueling 
session, I am only confident that the people I hire have the potential 
(!) to be good tutors. For some reason, every semester, one or two tutors 
"do not get it." Although there are a multitude of reasons why the tutors 
cling to editing and lecturing, I think there are two major hurdles most 
tutors have to get over. First, they have to acknowledge that tutoring is 
a distinct way of interacting, and they do not know how to do it yet, and 
it is worthwhile learning how to do it. Second, they have to be able to 
risk, and grow, and learn, not being satisfied that they've mastered 
tutoring now. 

While this may seem painfully obvious, note that it does not say anything 
about being extroverted, a people person, a winning personality. While I 
know and acknowledge that there is a cultural difference here--the US 
places more emphasis on extroversion that Canada does--I am struck by the 
fact that, as students make very clear who they want to book appointments 
with, our most popular tutor had no bookings last week, and one of our 
least popular, most retiring tutors was almost booked solid. I was 
fortunate to hire the popular tutor--charming, well-known on campus, 
starring in the university's video, life of the party--but the students 
don't learn much from her. I debated long and hard hiring the unpopular 
tutor--such a severe introvert that Myers Briggs almost had to adjust 
their personality instrument, a data person interested in statistics--but 
she realized that she had to learn a new way of interacting with people, 
and she used her naturally reflective/distant approach to do a superb job 
of analyzing the problems students presented. When you listen to her 
conferences, the dominant impression is that serious work is getting done.

I'd let the young woman into the course, no questions asked

Jim Bell
Editor, Journal of College Reading and Learning		Ph. (250) 960-6365
Learning Skills Centre					Fax (250) 960-6330
University of Northern BC				email jimb@unbc.edu
3333 University Way
Prince George, BC
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