Being Tutored

It's so nice to be tutored, I've decided. Each time I've sat down to work with Taylor, Cara, and Scott, I've received a lot of help with my papers. We discuss issues and make comments back and forth, and some amazing idea always arises that makes me think, "Why didn't I think of that!" In the past, I've done peer review sessions during class, but they haven't been very helpful. Perhaps they're so good in this class because of that fact that all of us are pretty good friends now, that we've all received some training about tutoring, or that we all have a passion for reading and writing; perhaps it's a mix of all of these. Whatever caused it, it's nice. One of the aspects I like about it is that we both help each other. Unlike traditional tutoring sessions in which one person is helped, both people really benefit in these settings. I wonder if this is what the basic nature of a writing circle or writing group is. Of course, perhaps a writing group is more based around someone reading to a group and then receiving mass feedback. I suppose that would be nice in some situations, but I'd imagine that I'd prefer the type of one-on-one work and feedback that comes from tutoring or peer-review sessions. Meeting with Dr. McKinney and Dr. Snyder recently have also been effective experiences for improving my papers and my skills as a writer. Neither of these teachers took authoritarian stances during our meetings; both meetings were essentially peer review sessions... in an office. As much as I've learned about how to tutor better during this semester, I've also learned how helpful it can be to be tutored. I think that there could almost be an entirely different class dedicated to discussing how to be an effective tutee. I could certainly use it.