Tutela a guiding influence

Welcome (back) and hi everyone! I'm Suzi Steffen, the new Tutor Coordinator. Melissa Bonstead-Bruns, the ultra-capable previous Tutor Coordinator, now lives in another state -- but at least her new job is a fabulous one! Don't worry -- before Melissa left, she ran me through a training program that should win an award for organization, intelligence, and thoroughness. Besides the obstacle course, she put me through my paces with recruiting, hiring, paperwork, websites, etc. Thanks from my end to Melissa and the rest of the NDIL and SSP staff for their help in orienting me to the new job!

A little more about me: in December of 1994, I was graduated from the University of Missouri with a BA in Art History and a BA in History with Honors. That means I wrote a senior Honors thesis -- and was it ever worth the sleep deprivation, the numerous holes in my Star Trek: Deep Space 9 knowledge, and the carpal tunnel syndrome that resulted! Working on my thesis helped me discover new ideas and thoughts, new ways to research, and new ways to look at my ideas -- all invaluable for grad school, not to mention life.

In August 1995, I moved to Iowa City as a graduate student in art history. While studying 19th century French and British art, West African art, and late 20th century eco-feminist and environmental art -- if you can believe that! -- something happened that changed my life and catapulted me into the student services side of the UI. "What was that something?" you ask with excitement...

I became a Rhetoric instructor.

Oh yes, I hear you groaning. Even those who loved Rhetoric probably remember all the work. Three speeches and three papers with at least two drafts apiece, peer workshopping of papers and speeches, reading, field trip responses, written responses to readings, and the weekly reading journal. Thus, most of you may not consider teaching Rhetoric the most rewarding profession around; however, though the monetary rewards are slim, the delight of working with first-year students overtakes any difficulties or challenges along the way.

Sometime in the muddle of my first semester of teaching, I realized I actually adored my job. Later, I figured out why: I love students. I remembered the challenges, discoveries, depressions, and deeply rewarding relationships of life as an undergraduate, and I enjoyed watching the growth and discoveries of current students.

Let me give you but one of the many examples. Last fall, I taught the first semester in the basic two-semester Rhetoric course. At the end of our 15 weeks, I asked my students to write a paper describing an activity they relished -- a task that challenged them, occupied them fully, and rewarded their efforts. One student wrote about cooking, one wrote about football, and a few wrote about dancing. But the paper which made me rejoice was the one about school.

Yes, one of my students wrote about the joy that comes from understanding what you're doing and caring about your work. She wrote about how easy high school had been and how she'd almost slipped into the "going out every night" attitude of many first-semester college students. But somehow, she learned a different path. She learned to balance school and her social life; she learned that if she worked on her math problems, drafted her papers, and read her textbooks with attention to detail, she'd not only do better in class but she'd also have fun getting this education. And, though she'd gotten a C on her first speech, she ended the semester with an A in the course.

The feeling of accomplishment she expressed -- the sense of hard work rewarded with some advance, no matter how slight -- defines why I care about tutoring. Not everyone you tutor can -- or will need to -- dramatically improve a grade. Not every student will take the skills you've helped them develop and go on to ace any class in that subject. But, besides the money, you're earning the right to say, "I gave someone a chance to learn." And that's a lot, folks. That's a lot.

So congratulate yourselves! And if you're new, get ready for an exciting ride, one that just might change your life forever. See the rest of this Tutela issue for more ideas, brain teasers, and learning motivators!

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Hello tutors and friends! This summer has been a period of transitions for New Dimensions and the Office of Support Service Programs.

We have said farewell to two staff members this summer. As many tutors already know, our previous Tutor Coordinator, Melissa Bonstead-Bruns, moved to Wisconsin to begin a teaching position in the Department of Sociology at the University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire. Melissa has completed all the requirements for her Ph.D. degree and will be graduating in December.

Deanne Chung, who had been an Academic Planning Counselor since 1998, also said goodbye in July; her husband accepted a research position at DePaul University in Chicago. Deanne was fortunate enough to secure a position in Student Affairs at Chicago State University.

We miss both Melissa and Deanne and offer them our best wishes in their new jobs and new cities!

I'd like to extend a special "Welcome!" to new staff joining us this summer. We are very pleased to have Suzi Steffen on board as our new Tutor Coordinator and Erin McKee as student editor for Tutela.

While visiting the web site, take a look at the sections reserved for our tutors. For some of these pages you will need a password. If you are new to NDIL you will get your password at the New Tutor Orientation on August 19.

We want to express a big "CONGRATULATIONS!" to Terry Ishitani (our NDIL Learning Coordinator/Counselor) who graduated on July 28 with a Ph. D. degree. Terry's degree is in Education -- Planning, Policy and Leadership Studies. His dissertation is titled "An Application of Event History Modeling to Assessing Student Dropout Behavior: A National Data Approach." Please note that Terry's research won a dissertation grant award from the American Educational Research Association. His award is one of only 86 made since 1993!

I hope that this summer has gone well for all of you and that we will see most of you back here for the New Tutor Orientation and/or the big Fall Kick-Off event on August 19.

Roger Child, NDIL Director

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Hi fellow tutors, NDIL staff and those in the office waiting room! My name is Erin McKee, and I'm the new editor for Tutela. I'm a junior Journalism and English major, and this is my first year as a tutor. I'm relying on all of you to give me tutoring tips, and I'll do my best to give you an entertaining newsletter that offers useful advice for everyone.

From my previous job as an orientation adviser, I know that being a peer tutor can seem like a solo sport, but it truly is a team event: even though we all pummel our own horses, we need to support each other. Tutela is our forum to give each other advice and encouragement, and I look forward to publishing your thoughts on tutoring. I'm giving you fair warning now that I'll be soliciting articles and advice from all of you, so get ready to shine.

Tutela also acts as a monthly reminder to take advantage of all the good stuff in our Tutor Tool Kits and at the SSP/NDIL website, http://www.uiowa.edu/~ossp/. Many of the topics we cover in the newsletter are explained in greater detail in the Tool Kit and website, so please rely on Tutela to point you in the right direction and get your questions answered.

Tutela is a newsletter that likes to have fun, so we'll be continuing the brainteasers, and we have lots of clip art just waiting in the wings. We'll do our best to stretch your riddle-solving skills and make you smile.

Most importantly, we will work to make Tutela a newsletter that not only inspires us to be better tutors, but to be better prepared for life. We work as tutors for a variety of reasons, but often it is simply to share our skills with others. Since I know many of you are involved in service projects outside of your work, I'd like to invite you to write a short description of your service and influence in other areas -- just another opportunity to cheer in support of your team!

Let's put on our game faces and have a great start to the new school year. I look forward to meeting and working with all of you. Please send any questions, comments, suggestions or good vegetarian recipes to erin-mckee@uiowa.edu.

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• • Take a look at our website and contribute to the Tutor Bulletin Board! If you haven't gotten your password for this site yet, you can get it at New Tutor Training on August 19th. We want tutors to contribute questions, answers, ideas, problems, and thoughts about tutoring to this site. (Remember to keep students' names and identifying information to yourself, however!) Use the Tutoring Services link at the bottom of any of our web pages to get there or go directly to www.uiowa.edu/~ossp/ndil/tutoring/index.html. Visit often!

• • Read your Tutor Tool Kit! Yes, it's a resource for you, so check it out when you have questions about learning styles, first-session checklists, campus resources, diversity, learning disability information, and all kinds of other great info! Updates for the Tool Kit are underway now. Watch for a message about how to get your copy upgraded.

• • Don't forget to check your email regularly. Make sure we have your correct email address for the tutor listserv so that we can keep you up to date on upcoming events, important policy information, and tutoring needs. As you know, owning and checking an email account is required for your employment as a tutor -- and it's also a good way to keep in touch!

• • Once tutoring assignments have been made for the semester, make sure you do not go over the allotted hours of tutoring per week. If you feel as though your student would be better served with additional tutoring hours, check with Suzi, another member of the NDIL staff, or the student's counselor first.

• • Fill out your Tutoring Reports completely! Yes, it's true, we can't pay you without a completed Tutoring Report. Check your Tutor Tool Kit for examples of both "correct" and "incorrect" reports. Completing the report helps the student's counselor know what the student needs and how the student is progressing; helps the student know how she or he is doing; and finally, helps you with your paycheck! Feel free to contact Suzi with any questions. Running short on blank report forms? Go to our web site at www.uiowa.edu/~ossp/ndil/tutor/paperwork.html to print the form.(You will need your password and Acrobat Reader since this is a PDF file.)

 

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We're looking for readers of all kinds! This new area will regularly feature short book reviews written both by NDIL/SSP staff and by tutors. If you've been reading a book -- for class, for fun, because someone told you about it -- and you think others would enjoy it or learn from it, please send us a 50-100 word review. You'll have the chance to share your erudition or your sense of humor with all Tutela readers! Since Erin and I have the reins right now, we're going to start off with examples of Books That Rock Our World.

Suzi: Despite my illicit enjoyment of Harry Potter, I must recommend an entirely different young adult novel: The Phantom Tollbooth. This 1961 book, written by Norton Juster and gleefully illustrated by Jules Pfeiffer, exudes joy from every allusive page. Who could resist Division Soup, the Island of Conclusions, or the Princesses of Rhyme and Reason? Not I. The author and the illustrator wink a jolly invitation at the reader, as their delight in wordplay inspires a sense that they had just as much intelligent fun creating the book as you have reading it.

Erin: In her first novel, White Teeth, 24-year-old Zadie Smith cleverly weaves the lives of her oddball characters into a serious examination of faith, culture, gender, race and family. White Teeth is a 100%, pure cattle-prod novel, which means it prods you to think about all the big issues in life whether you want to or not. But it's not a guilt-inducing downer; instead, White Teeth is a hilarious novel with a point. Check it out!

 

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Be sure these two events are on your calendar:

1. Orientation and Workshop for New Tutors

Saturday, August 19th 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. in W401 Pappajohn Business Building

This event is for new tutors and recently hired tutors (spring or summer) who haven't yet attended a training and orientation. A group start-up session will follow for those tutors who have not yet gone through the 'start-up' process. Please contact the office if you are unsure whether this applies to you.

2. Support Service Programs Fall Kick-Off!

Immediately following the New Tutor Orientation and Workshop, we will head down to the riverbank by North Hall for the Support Service Programs Fall Kick-Off event! Free food, music, games, and lots of potential friends await you at the kick-off. If you're an experienced, already-oriented tutor, we want to see you there as well; come on down to the riverbank by North Hall from 4 to 7 p.m. on Saturday, August 19th!

 

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Page last modified August 2000. Site maintained by University of Iowa Office of Support Service Programs.  Copyright © 2000 The University of Iowa. OSSP site developed by Ray Mescallado.