Tutela a guiding influence

Well, tutors, the time has come for me to say goodbye. Originally, I applied for the job of Tutor Coordinator because I'd been a tutor, I enjoyed tutoring, and I deeply enjoyed working with students when I was a Rhetoric instructor.

Working with you clearly highlighted my year as TC -- every time I had 20 minutes or more to spend with tutors, up shot my energy level and my joy -- but I only got to see you once a month, if that. If I could have had about 400% more tutor contact time and a corresponding lightening of the paperwork load, well heck, I'd probably be TC for a good long time.

Now I'm back to my passion, teaching, both with Rhetoric sections and in my new department, social studies certification. I'll stick around as a tutor here and in Intercollegiate Athletics, just to keep up my skills and to understand better what kind of training NDIL might want to offer in the future. You know me, I won't be shy about offering my suggestions to James, Johnnie, and Roger!

In the meantime, let me reflect a bit. One of the things I'll miss most about NDIL and SSP is the continual contact with a widely diverse student population. In the classes I'm taking now, we're reading some great books regarding the true importance not only of diversity but of white anti-racist work, especially in education. I am grateful beyond words to the mentoring in this arena given me by NDIL Program Coordinator Dr. Johnnie Sims.

Johnnie, about whom I can't really say enough, always provides me with an example of someone deeply committed to educating herself and acting as an ally to others as well as an advocate for herself. We always tell new tutors to utilize our staff as resources, and I want to encourage you to get to know Johnnie as well as Roger Child, director of NDIL, Risa Johnson, the new Learning Coordinator (who has some amazing resources for tutors), and James Petersen, our new Tutor Coordinator.

I'm indebted to the Office of Support Service Programs for providing me with continuing education. With SSP support, I attended last November's Conference on Latino/as in Iowa, the featured speaker at the Sister Connection Conference in March, and the excellent Conference on White Privilege at Cornell College. In addition, I was able to participate in an excellent Diversity Dialogue last spring sponsored by the Office of Affirmative Action.

I'd say the most important idea I'd like to leave with tutors would be to move beyond what is required of you as a human -- move beyond basic courtesy, move beyond your comfort zone, move beyond reading about diverse populations and understanding people's stories only in courses. Educate yourself through experience, boundary-pushing, reading, and persistent open-minded curiosity. I know most of you already do and that's why working with you has been a continual source of delight.

I'll miss you all, but I look forward to seeing many of you fine human beings at tutor workshops -- only this time I'll be filling out those little blue forms right alongside you!

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Hello and welcome back tutors, friends, and colleagues. We hope that the new year is getting off to a good start for all of you. As you see in SUZI'SPACE, Suzi Steffen, our tutor coordinator, has left us (kind of). We wish her well as she returns to being mostly a student. We will all miss Suzi. We also want to welcome aboard several new additions to our office team.

The tutor coordinator position is being taken over by James Petersen. James is a native of Kansas and arrived in Iowa City by way of Alaska and Washington, DC. His background includes degrees in theology and communications. James also has interests and experience in performing arts, music, publishing, business and financial management. Somewhere along the way, James has developed fluency in Spanish and American Sign Language. You will want to get to know James as soon as possible since he will be setting up assignments of students for all tutors. Please help make his early experience with us smoother by staying in touch and keeping him informed of your status and any change in address/phone/e-mail.

(James is pictured at right.)

We also welcome Risa Johnson as our new Learning Coordinator/Counselor and Charity Vesey as our newest Academic Planning Counselor. Learn more about Risa and Charity in Peter Middleton's column "New Faces."

Who is Peter Middleton? You will learn more from and about Peter, since he is our new student editor for Tutela. Peter received his BA degree in English from Iowa and is now a graduate student in African American World Studies. Peter will be asking you for input on Tutela and I hope you will respond with something more than complaints. If Tutela is to serve your needs as tutors, you will have to help Peter with suggestions and, yes, contributions. Let Peter know when you have an idea for content. Feel free to share some of your experiences as tutors -- especially in those cases where you have been successful in dealing with difficult tutoring situations.

Finally, I want to issue a special "Welcome!" to all of our new tutors. We want you to know that you all play a very important role in the success of our program and certainly in the success of our many students. The good reputation of New Dimensions is built in large part on the integrity and dedication of our tutors. It is not an easy job but it can be very rewarding. You should also know that all of us in the office stand ready to help make your experience one of lasting value.

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The presence of new faces is a common experience for every start of new academic years. Support Service Programs has had two new wonderful resources join the staff of its programs and services. They are Charity Vesey in Academic Planning Services and Risa Johnson in New Dimensions in Learning.

Charity Vesey is a name all tutors should commit to memory because of her enthusiasm for students' success at Iowa. Ms. Vesey, a recent graduate of the University, is a new academic planning counselor. One of Charity's goals is to expand the understanding of SSP in the minds of students. She wants them to know that SSP offers many more valuable resources in addition to free tutoring. These may include assistance with nonacademic issues that could affect students' involvement and satisfaction. Charity Vesey wants you to readily refer students to her so that together she and the students can develop strategies for addressing whatever issues they may be facing. The Bettendorf native brings a wealth of personal experience to assist new students including a summer spent working in the American Embassy in Tokyo, Japan. Although she found the experience very rewarding, it made her appreciate Iowa City much more. Stop in and say hello. There is little doubt that after one meeting with Charity Vesey, you will feel more than comfortable suggesting your students do the same.

Another new face, just a few paces down the hall, is Risa Johnson. Risa is the Learning Coordinator/Counselor. Ms. Johnson comes to our office from Illinois State University where she just finished her MS in Curriculum and Instruction. Some of her current responsibilities are similar to the job duties and tasks she had in the Learning Center at Illinois State. She is looking forward to working with tutors in all aspects of the tutoring experience.

The combination of being new to campus and bringing work experience from a similar position makes Risa Johnson a promising and valuable addition to the staff of SSP. Working with students and tutors are high priorities of Ms. Johnson. She hopes to become a familiar face to both students and tutors in her efforts to provide effective services. In addition to advising students, Risa is busy updating the resource room in 304 Calvin Hall. There are many books and guides located there that will be a valuable resource to tutors in developing and implementing courses of action to assist students. The materials should be available to tutors soon.

Tutors are often expected to know everything and this can be a humbling expectation. With the assistance of Charity Vesey and Risa Johnson in addition to other staff in the Office of Support Service programs, students can find solutions to their questions and concerns.

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Welcome new tutors, and welcome back to those of you returning. We're glad you're here! While summer has wound down in the last few weeks, the energy level around campus has increased tremendously. As I write this, Free Stuff Day is going full speed. Everyone's excited, happy and full of life. It's a great time to be here.

We are interviewing tutors throughout much of the day for the next several weeks. We are very pleased with the quality of the applicants we are receiving. Everyone we've talked to has not only the content knowledge necessary for tutoring, but also those wonderful intangibles, a desire to see others succeed, a joy in passing on what they have received from others. Many of our tutors originally came to us as students seeking tutors. We love to see that; it means the process we've put in place is working. It's great to see this "second generation" develop.

As many of you know, I started this job only a few weeks ago, taking over the position from the ever-capable Suzi Steffen who is returning to school. As it turned out, due to a prior commitment, I had to be away for about a week -- this at the busiest, most difficult part of the year for our office. I want to thank Suzi not only for taking the time to train me and help me get acquainted with the job she has done so well, but also in filling in for me when I had to be away. This can't be easy considering that she is going back to school and will be teaching as well as tutoring for us here. She's made a difficult job look easy. Thanks, Suzi, and best of luck in the next phase of your career.

Coming up, we have tutor workshops beginning with The Basics of Organizing a Tutoring Session, Tuesday, September 11, 12:15-1:15 p.m., 341 IMU (Purdue Room) with NDIL staff. Watch your e-mail for details, and in the meantime, keep the noon hour on September 11 free. That is the first of eight workshops this semester designed to help you do your job and get the most out of tutoring. Your work is double-edged in that regard; it helps the student, and can be a great benefit to you as well. One of the most rewarding parts of the tutor coordinator's job is hearing the tales of how serving as a tutor has made a difference in the tutor's life.

So far we have about 125 requests for tutors. That's about normal for this time of year. We will serve well over about 300 students by the end of the academic year. This brings up the need for more tutors. We are always looking for tutors in the areas of math and science, particularly. Statistics and calculus are often some of our biggest areas of need. As an NDIL tutor, you can be a big help in getting the word out about what we do, how we do it, and what are our needs.

If you know someone who seems like they could be a good tutor, ask her or him about tutoring. It sounds too simple, but most people won't make that step! The truth is that even though you might not know the person well, even if you know them only from seeing them in one class, you may have noticed that they have the skills we look for in a tutor. Talk with them, then have them get in touch with us. We'll take it from there. Thanks, again, to all of you for making the commitment to assist your peers. I look forward to meeting you soon.

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Welcome back to another exciting year with New Dimensions in Learning. As the Learning Coordinator, you will be hearing from me in each edition of Tutela. We will use this opportunity to explore issues related to study skills, preview upcoming tutor training workshops, highlight various programs to which you can refer students, answer any questions that you may have, or simply consider some of the broader experiences of university life and tutoring. I welcome your comments and suggestions.

In this particular section, you are invited to reflect on your personal philosophy of tutoring. This is an important part of tutoring, but it is too often neglected. Your philosophy is reflected in the strategies you use within a session as well as your attitude in general. There are many elements to consider before you sit down in your first tutoring appointment of the semester. Please consider the following questions to help you begin to reflect on your philosophy of tutoring:

•How do you define intelligence?

• How do people learn?

• How is tutoring different from teaching?

• What goals do you maintain for every tutoring session?

• How do you perceive the students who use tutoring services?

• What do you feel is your role in their learning experience?

• How do you measure the success of tutoring sessions?

Reflecting on your tutoring philosophy provides you with an excellent opportunity for growth, as a tutor, student, and person. We encourage you to discuss your response with your fellow tutors during the first lunchtime training session on September 11, "The Basic Organization of a Tutoring Session."

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Page last modified October, 2001. Site maintained by University of Iowa Office of Support Service Programs.  Copyright © 2001 The University of Iowa. OSSP site developed by Ray Mescallado.