By Rachel Meinert
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I am a business major. I recognize myself as someone who likes to use numbers and data to problem solve. I have never been passionate about writing, but I do not mind it, and I consider myself to be a proficient writer. Once I have a topic or prompt, writing usually comes pretty naturally to me. I tend to understand the different rhetorical choices that my English classes have taught, and I understand how and why to use them. Although I do not have a love for writing, I do have an appreciation for it. I enjoy reading and analyzing authors’ rhetorical decisions. Additionally, I believe that lifelong learning and seeking guidance are the keys to success. For these reasons, I chose to pursue a position as a peer writing tutor. I began this journey by taking ENGL250 (a peer tutoring training course offered through Penn State Learning) where I quickly understood that English or education majors traditionally took this class. Since my future plans are not directly related to writing or teaching, I began to ponder how my role of a writing tutor really fits into my identity.
I have always enjoyed helping my classmates with homework, studying, or understanding concepts. Growing up in a faithful family, I have developed many values that I hold close to my heart. A strong sense of community lies among these – driven by the idea that we should always strive to lend a helping hand. I firmly believe that if you are good at something, and you understand the hows and whys, it is your duty to use your skills to guide others. I strongly value receiving and giving guidance. I think the best way for us to learn is from each other. I thrive when I can ask someone questions, bounce ideas off them, or listen to advice and suggestions. Similarly, I love seeing the look in someone’s eyes when I am able to explain something in a way that helps them understand or make a decision. In writing specifically, there are so many ways in which to communicate your ideas, it is often difficult to make a final decision. This is where I think the Writing Center makes a huge difference in writers’ growth. Speaking with other students about their rhetorical decisions from an audience perspective is huge in helping them make connections between how they want their work to be received versus what is actually being conveyed.
Initially, I struggled to make that connection between what the writer wanted to convey and what was actually written on the page. Through reading Jeff Brooks’s “Minimalist Tutoring: Making the Student Do All the Work,” I came to understand the idea that in order for me, as a tutor, to be able to make these connections, I must create conversation in the Writing Center – rather than simply fixing and editing. When I began utilizing minimalistic questions that Brooks alludes to in my tutoring sessions, I began to better understand what students were wanting to convey, and I was able to explain to them why their rhetorical choices were or were not working from an audience’s perspective. Similarly, Thomas Seghini’s “What Tutors Can Learn” is an article that we read in ENGL 250 that dives into the learning side of being a tutor. Seghini introduces a concept called “conscious communication,” which is explained by being “fully aware of what I am writing and how clearly I am conveying my message.” He goes on to explain how this consciousness can be obtained from tutoring. Having these conversations with students about writing process, audience, and rhetorical choices helps both the tutor and tutee develop personal skills such as collaboration and critical thinking. Connecting the writer’s thoughts and ideas to the written words is often difficult, and speaking them aloud as we do in the Writing Center allows us to make connections and find and fix gaps together.
I have learned that the key to being a tutor is to teach and learn simultaneously. In the article “Tutoring Writing as Career Development,” published in The Writing Lab Newsletter, Sue Dinitz and Jean Kiedaisch research and explain how being a writing tutor enhances interpersonal skills (empathizing, listening, asking good questions, giving constructive criticism, diplomacy, tact, and patience), as well as writing skills, mentoring skills, and thinking skills (problem solving, decision-making, creative, critical, and holistic thinking). They also explore the impact on writing tutors’ future careers – specifically professions that are not centered around writing or teaching. They describe “..seeing the connections past tutors have made between tutoring skills and professional success can broaden tutors’ ideas of their possible career paths and give them confidence to go into areas that seem, on the surface, to be unfamiliar territory.” This exploration of professional growth through peer tutoring helped me to understand specific ways in which writing tutoring actually does fit into my life. Anyone looking to enter the professional world will benefit from developing these interpersonal and thinking skills; especially when interviewing and networking with potential employers. Hiring an employee is similar to tutoring a writer: they are both like making an investment.
Before society can invest in them, the potential hire – or the writer – must invest in themself. This is why I always begin tutoring conversations with a compliment, and I continue to use assertive language throughout the session, to encourage self-confidence in the writers I am working with. Furthermore, leadership, decision-making, and communication skills stick out to me as critical in landing a job and excelling in it. I hope to one day be a strong enough leader to land a role as a manager or department head; where I will utilize these skills through finding effective ways to communicate between departments as well as to mentor others around me. Just as I hope that a company will invest in me when I graduate, I hope to continue investing and helping others that may be beginning their journey. Developing these abilities through writing tutoring will make a huge difference in my professional development and allow me to promote growth and lifelong learning in the workplace.
As a nontraditional tutor, I bring a uniqueness to the Writing Center. As someone more passionate about people than writing, I can use workplace communication skills to shift focus away from the difficulty of writing articulation. For example, in one of my practicum sessions, the writer’s written words did not seem to reflect what he was telling me he wanted to convey. So, I put my hand in front of the screen, I looked at the student, and I said, “Without thinking about the words on this page, tell me what you want your audience to take away from this paragraph.” We then had a verbal conversation that had nothing to do with the words he had already written. Following this conversation, he was able to look back at his paragraph, see the gaps, and fill in his ideas. As a tutor, you never know what tools will work for each tutee, which is why it is important to be open to thinking outside of the box.
Building even small connections and facilitating a learning environment each tutoring session is great in growing interpersonal skills. Listening to other perspectives and learning from my peers who have very different experiences allows me to be more empathetic and gives me a wider understanding of the world around me. Our society is always changing, and even when we are faced with the same or similar challenges (mental health, college stressors, exams, etc.) we all respond and are impacted differently. Written work allows us to share our experiences and introduce to each other new ways to combat struggles.
Through exploration and experience, I have come to realize that writing tutoring fits very well into my life. My role as a peer writing tutor aligns with my identity, my beliefs, and my goals. I enjoy engaging in mentor/mentee relationships. I strongly believe that when you have the necessary skills and understanding, you have a duty to use your abilities to invest in others. While I am still exploring professional career paths, I will continue to collect and develop tools that ultimately contribute to success. Sharing knowledge, communicating, and facilitating relationships open the door for long term personal and professional growth. As I complete ENGL 250, I am very pleased that I chose to pursue this path, and I look forward to my future as a peer writing tutor and lifelong mentor.
Works Cited
Brooks, Jeff. “Minimalist Tutoring: Making the Student Do All the Work.” The Writing Lab Newsletter, 1991, https://psu.instructure.com/courses/2306635/files/158191799?wrap=1.
Seghini , Thomas. What Tutors Can Learn, https://psu.instructure.com/courses/2306635/files/158683044?wrap=1.
Sue Dinitz, Sue, and Jean Kiedaisch. “Tutoring Writing as Career Development.” The Writing Lab Newsletter, vol. 34, no. 3, Nov. 2009, pp. 1–5, 34.3.pdf (colostate.edu).
About the Author
Rachel Meinert is a third-year student at Penn State University studying Supply Chain Management and Accounting. She began tutoring for the Penn State Writing Center in 2024. Her writing process has developed throughout the years and has begun to vary based on her purpose and goals. Her tutoring style focuses on a more hands off approach, to encourage the tutee’s voice to shine through their work. In her free time Rachel enjoys cooking, watching sports, and being active. She hopes to inspire other students to grow in their understanding and individuality of written work.