Re: selecting tutors

[cleveren@garnet.acns.fsu.edu (Carrie Leverenz)]

Mickey--I'm remembering someone's suggestion regarding interviewing or
training new tutors, that you ask them to talk about or write about a time
when they had difficulty learning something, and then make an assessment
based on whether they can sympathize with students who are having difficulty
with their writing. Seems to me this line of questioning might be revealing
with your young potential tutor--can she imagine other's situations?  Can
she empathize?  Can she work with them in a way that focuses on their needs?
I'm planning to use the above mentioned prompt as a writing assignment when
I teach my first tutor training course this summer with grad student TAs.
Beginning TAs also often feel they need to prove how smart they are and need
help thinking of ways to focus on students rather than on their own fears of
appearing inadequate.

>Mickey --
>
>I have to agree with both Katie and Sonya, for different reasons, on this one.
>
>It might be worthwhile for you to chat with this young woman (ala Katie's
>suggestion) to get more information from her and to check your "gut sense"
>of her interactions with others.  However -- as I keep telling all the
>students interested in working here -- my bottom line philosophy is that a
>good tutor is one who has outstanding writing *and* interpersonal abilities
>(ala Sonya's response).
>
>Best of luck, and let us know how this turns out.
>
> -- Suzanne
>
>Suzanne M. Swiderski
>Director, The Writing Lab
>Loras College
>Dubuque, Iowa  52004-0178
>(319) 588-7402
><sswiders@loras.edu>
>
>***************************************************************
>
>At 09:53 AM 3/21/97 -0600, you wrote:
>>Muriel,
>>I would hate to be the voice of gloom, especially since I have not met her,
>>but I have had two such instances this year.  One was with a girl who in
>>class constantly spoke of her brilliance, but at first was all charity with
>>me.  I had to reassign her a few weeks ago because she became increasingly
>>arrogant and rude with me and students.  The other, with a boy of only 17,
>>but brilliant, showed me that smarts isn't all it takes.  He lacked
>>patience and maturity that are musts for us, because we have a lot of
>>inexperienced writers.
>>Are you still with me?  They were both wonderful writers and great in
>>class, but in the "real world" of tutoring, their immaturity and need to
>>feel like the smartest really hurt our group dynamics.  Does that help?
>>Well, anyway, another junior in early enrollment wanted in my class, and I
>>said NO this time.  I want life experience more than genius.  Is that
>>wrong????
>>
>>
>>>Help...I'd really appreciate hearing some thoughts on the following
>>>problem that just sprung up here. For our peer tutoring staff, there's
>>>a training course that students first have to enroll in for a
>>>semester, and we interview applicants to select the group that seems
>>>most appropriate. Part of the selection process is an interview in
>>>which I and several of the peer tutors meet with three or four
>>>applicants at a time. We chat with the applicants for a bit and then
>>>let them work as a group to talk about a paper they've been given in
>>>advance. We watch their group skills, listening skills, approaches to
>>>working with the student who wrote the paper, etc. After each group
>>>interview, the tutors and I talk about the group and do a first
>>>selection as to who from that group might be invited to enroll in the
>>>class. We almost always are in total agreement about the
>>>applicants...  until yesterday.....
>>>
>>>One of the applicants is 15 (!!!!!). During the group interview, we
>>>thought her comments were insightful, and she seemed attentive to
>>>others, interested in their contributions, listened well, etc. So,
>>>while some of us didn't know her age (and I was sitting there thinking
>>>that undergrads are getting to look like infants...and feeling very,
>>>very old), two of the peer tutors did (as they've been in classes with
>>>her). After the interview, as things were breaking up, the girl asked
>>>if peer tutors are paid, and when we said yes, she said that this
>>>might be a problem if she's selected as she is only 15. Several of us
>>>sort tried to swallow our amazement and deal with the question while
>>>the two peer tutors who knew her seemed really turned off by
>>>that.Afterwards, during our assessment, those two tutors said they're
>>>in classes with her and disgusted by her incessant need to let
>>>everyone know how brilliant she is, how she skipped 7th, 9th, 11th,
>>>and 12th grade, etc.
>>>
>>>OK, finally (if you're still with me), we had a major sticking
>>>point. Several of us think she could make it as a tutor (with
>>>reservations about how she'd work with older students), but the others
>>>are drawing on classroom experiences, noting that she was restraining
>>>herself in the interview. So, what would you do? Select her for the
>>>class? (Being in the class doesn't guarantee being selected for the
>>>peer tutoring staff, but it's a small class and one inappropriate
>>>person could disrupt the group dynamic...a lot.) Wait for her to grow
>>>up a bit? See the class as a place to help her mature and learn a bit
>>>about how to collaborate? Rely on her demonstrated skills in the
>>>interview and conclude that she might be a great tutor..after a
>>>semester in the class?
>>>
>>>Any advice would really be appreciated.
>>>--
>>>Mickey Harris
>>>harrism@omni.cc.purdue.edu
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>
Carrie Shively Leverenz
Director, Reading/Writing Center
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL 32306-1036
(904)644-5157
cleveren@garnet.acns.fsu.edu