Tutee: “I have never been able to write. This is hopeless.”
As a tutor if I hear this comment I throw up a red flag. This student has zero confidence with writing and I know that they truly do feel hopeless. Having worked with many students that are completely turned off by writing, I know that often it takes them being successful in writing to feel successful. I don't mean telling them that they are good when they aren't, I mean finding something that they are interested in and helping them to write. During a tutoring session walk through a simple explanation of the writing process (pre-write, rough draft, edits, final draft, edit again) with a topic that they already know about. Once they have a success in an area that they are more comfortable in, they will become more successful in areas where they are less comfortable. I don't believe that writing is truly what makes them uncomfortable, I believe it is the information they are writing about that causes them to become very reluctant. I also believe that if they have never before had a positive experience with writing that it will be much more difficult for them to overcome their fears without a positive experience even if it doesn't affect their grades.
I agree completely. I have helped my fellow classmates in English where they have absolutely no idea what to write about and dread the essay and I lead them in the direction to write something you're passionate about. I think that people expect writing to be dry and boring containing facts, etc. When in reality, it's nothing like that as long as you put your spin on it and let the words flow freely showcases your passion regarding your topic.
ReplyDeleteStudents who struggled with writing throughout school and received no help do tend to adopt a hopeless mentality. Helping a student to gain confidence in a area is a very tough job, especially when they feel that hopelessness of not ever being able to do it.
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