waxing sentimental about my job

Why the Writing Center is Awesome, pt. 1

To put into words all the ways that this Writing Center has affected me and my goals is a peculiar task, peculiar because I have never before attempted to evaluate the impact this place has left (and continues to leave) on my life. Without a single shred of doubt, I can say that working as a tutor has been a blessing to me:  Tutoring has forced me to become a better listener, i.e. an “active understander”; being a good listener has made me a better – more perceptive – critical thinker; and learning how to think critically has given me the capacity and the confidence to show others how to improve their writing. My daily tasks consist of reading student essays, leading and developing student workshops, as well as discussing language usage and sentence structure and argument clarity with students. Aside from improving my own writing, doing each of these tasks has provided me with a battery of valuable insights that – I am sure – will be instrumental in my becoming an effective educator in the future. In sum, working at the Writing Center satisfies my immediate needs, and it prepares me for future challenges:  Tutoring at the Writing Center grants me the privilege to work directly with a diverse group of students – helping them to better understand the rudiments and nuances of English – and, at the same time, it gives me the opportunity to practice the art of teaching, hands-on training, with students of all different ages and backgrounds. I see my time here at the Writing Center as an abundantly edifying training period, training for a lifetime of educating.