writing tutor

Congratulations on being hired by the writing center. College writing can be a very daunting task for incoming freshman. It is important that you be familiar with the various issues that freshman are confronted with. These issues can be emotional as well as technical. You as a tutor should prepare yourself to be able to deal with both. Transitioning to college level writing is always an emotional roller coaster. The students are going to face many misconceptions explained through, “So you’ve got a writing assignment. Now what?” by Corrine E. Hinton. Hington explains the transition that most incoming freshmen face when walking into a college level English class. Many of the first year students come into the class with many misconceptions that they have been taught to be right, many of which turn out to be completely wrong. For example, Hington explains how the five paragraph essay isn’t going to be the basis of all college level essays. He also explains how the first writing is always the hardest because you do not know what the professor is expecting, so you as the tutor have to make sure you break down all the misconceptions students have when first coming into class.
There is another article I want you to look at with the student, "what is 'academic writing?" By L.lennie Irvine. He uses a great courtroom analogy where he explains that college writing is based off supporting evidence like any other good courtroom cases.The students need to be able to understand how to support their claims as a writer. As a tutor you need to be able to use these skills when tutoring. Your job is to instill writing tactics that help the freshmen become better writers by being able to analyze how and what the topic is about, by breaking the topic down into many steps the student is able to put their ideas down into easier tactics. Irvine divides

writing assignments into three different categories of , “an open writing assignment, The Semi-Open Writing Assignment, and The Closed Writing Assignment.” As long as the students understand the differences between these three different writing assignments they should have a clear understanding of what to look for.
Many of the students are going to believe that they aren't a real writer because they are only taking one college writing class . But that is not the case , Sarah Allen describes this feeling in her article,"the inspired writer vs the real writer" she comes to an conclusion that even the best writers struggle in their own writings. She explains how sometimes writers may become writers because of their certain upbringings. In order to become real writer they don't have to follow a certain structure. Once the students realize this they are able to be a real writer. She explains the whole writing process as ,"a way to figure out the little things." Once again the students do not have to go through a whole process . Writing is an emotional process they will feel discouraged but they aren't necessarily wrong. She talks about how she imitates other writers, to become a better writer. She doesn't mean she plagiarizes but follows the structures ,"formulas",of other writers. Which the students can use in class, or even in any college level essay. She explains how in writing you have to think about an audience and following that how you display them.
You as a college tutor have to show the student how to write, analyze, and enforce the writer. Sarah Allen started off as an “Inspired writer” and eventually became a real writer, with everything writing takes practice. The students need to understand how to point out the key terms of either a writing assignment or of a source they wish to use and make sure they are using them to their advantage. Teaching students to follow technical instructions rather than emotional

ones helps them to engage in communication with peers,and allows for a repetitive process to instill itself. It also allows it to analyze their audience as a student enabling the student to write at a more college level and helps them transition to college level writing classes,topics, and will help them in the outside word.
Now that you have been familiar with the various issues that incoming freshman are confronted with, it is important to use all of the tactics presented before you in order to build growth within the students confidence as well as writing ability. We have hit on issues that can be emotional as well as technical. It is expected that you perform the tactics at the best of your abilities.

Irvin, Lennie L. "What Is “Academic” Writing?" (n.d.): n. pag. Writing Spaces : Readings on Writing. Volume 1. 2010. Web. 30 Sept. 2014.

Lowe, Charles, and Pavel Zemliansky. "So You've Got a Writing Assignment. Now What?" Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing. West Lafayette, IN: Parlor, 2010. 18-33. Web. 30 Sept. 2014.

Lowe, Charles, and Pavel Zemliansky. "The Inspired Writer vs. the Real Writer." Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing. West Lafayette, IN: Parlor, 2010. 34-44. Print.