By William Kang
When I was in middle school, I spent most of my free time reading just about anything I could get my hands on. Once I started writing essays for class, I realized that my hobby of reading heavily benefited my writing skills. Even though I was never the best student, writing was the one thing that I genuinely enjoyed and cared about.
About ten years later, as an English major at UC Santa Barbara, I am happy to now be realizing my passion. An ordinary classroom has now become my training ground as I tutor writing for the Campus Learning Assistance Services (CLAS).
My title as a tutor does not imply that I am an expert or that I have complete mastery over all aspects of writing. Though my four years as an English major have given me invaluable experience as a tutor, the learning never stops. I’ve come to the realization that good writing—like good tutoring—is not a product, but rather a continuous process of growing and developing my skills.
CLAS has many resources for students who are working to take control of their education.
I try to communicate this mindset to all the students that I work with because tutoring writing is not simply looking at a student’s paper and marking everything wrong about it. The main goal is to support the writer and give them control over their own writing and education. In short, we aim to tutor the writer and not the writing. That is why I focus on creating an environment where a student is comfortable and willing to open a dialogue with me about their goals, concerns, and expectations.
One of the most memorable and rewarding moments for me as a tutor was working with a student who was taking his first writing class at UCSB. He was at first insecure about his writing and not very responsive to my questions or feedback. Still, he still showed a desire to improve his writing, as he made multiple visits throughout the weeks. I knew that I would have to dig deep to bring him out of his shell and engage in our sessions.
As I worked to slowly break down the wall between us, he told me that his high school did not make him feel prepared for writing in college. Because of this, he thought I would judge his papers since I was a tutor and probably a “better writer” than him. I assured him that my goal wasn’t to just point out all his mistakes, but to be a resource to help him with whatever he thinks he needs — that the sessions were more about him and less about me — and he left our meetings feeling more and more confident about his writing. He was talking more and became more expressive, both in person and on paper.
By the end of the quarter, he took initiative in our sessions. He would come in with questions and ideas already written out, in order to discuss his papers in depth. I could see the evolution that he went through as a writer and he told me later that he got an A in that class. We were both challenged in different ways and came out better in the end.
Being a tutor means inhabiting a reciprocal mindset where the tutor gains just as much as the tutee. My middle school self would be proud that I am still pursuing my writing path and helping others navigate theirs. And, I am currently working toward a minor in professional writing, so that I can continue the work that I am doing now in my future career.
William Kang is a fourth-year UC Santa Barbara student majoring in English and minoring in Writing.