Tutoring @ TJ’s

The Good:

The GOOD in any tutor session comes from a positive learning experience for the client which has been fostered by a tutor who knows what he/she is doing. I’d say we’re all pretty good at this because we’ve taken and mastered the courses and the clients are motivated enough to make appointments and therefore motivated enough to engage in the positive learning experience. I’ve, thus far, had no bad or ugly in my tutor sessions because every client I’ve had has been very prepared and known what they want to improve or work on. And to me, intent is the most crucial trait of a good tutor session. That is, the client has the intent to learn and to accept the way I present my help. That’s not to say that it’s my way or no way, but that just as there are different learning styles there are also different teaching styles, and so long as there aren’t any huge differences between the two we can meld them to fulfill the intent. My best clients are usually repeat customers who want to keep improving upon similar skills–in this case exam study. I’ve found that I’m really able to help in this area because there are certain tricks to learning the information for the INB exams. It’s very helpful when you have a good textbook to teach with because when that’s the case the only thing you have to do is help them learn to use the book in the best way and let them start learning on their own with your help along the way…rather than be the book yourself.

The Bad:

As I said earlier, I really haven’t had any bad tutor sessions or sessions with much bad in them. Yet, there are things that can be improved upon. One thing that’s more bad than good would be the environment at TJs sometimes. It can get louder than I’d like at high traffic times, and that can distract my attention and make it hard to communicate. On the client’s end, the one thing that’s usually ‘bad’ is when they don’t know what they want to improve upon. It’s frustrating to try and figure that out for them. So the opposite, someone who knows exactly what they’re looking for help in, will be categorized under good–again, intent is the most important part to me. I’ve really only had one or two meetings where the client didn’t come with an agenda or well defined purpose. However, it’s possible to find what they need to work on, but it’s just not as “good” as when they already know.

The Ugly:

Really, there’s nothing worse than getting an ugly client. It’s terrible. I’m kidding! I’m debating whether or not I should delete that comment or not…nah. But, a part of tutoring I’d call ugly is simply schedule conflicts. It’s rare that it happens, but so far it’s happened to me three times. One time it was my fault, I had a meeting for an organization. Another time it was the client’s conflict, however they were sure to notify me in advance and we met later in the day and I brought a form with me. And the last incident was a result of Fox Day, and who’s complaining? It’s the best day of the year, and yeah things got pretty ugly on the beach. I don’t think schedule conflicts are a super huge problem with a compulsory need for an ultimate solution. It’s just one of those things that you play by ear when it comes up, the best result usually being a good reschedule. Those are my thoughts, and that’s that.

Fin - Buck Snyder