Learning Resource Center (LRC)
Tutoring Services

      This semester has been a great learning experience for me as a student, tutor, and ASG senator. I first learned about the LAP from the ASG senator in charge of representing the LAP within student government. She explained the benefits and the opportunities it creates and encouraged me to join the ranks of tutors that help students with class and homework assignments. At first I thoutht it would be an easy task that would also help me refresh my memory on the subjects that I would tutor. Well, being a tutor did just that and much, much more. It forced me to think in ways that I never had before. It made me realize that every student learns differently and as a tutor, what they need is a teammate. They need someone to provide moral support, a guide not an instructor. I have also learned the truth in the saying “give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day, teach him to fish and he will eat all his life,” in tutoring this is called the Socratic method. It states that it's easy just to give a student the answer though he will always be dependent upon you, but if you do not give the answer and guide the student to find it on his own he will be able to do so in the future without your assistance. That is the ultimate goal of the tutor, to take the student to the point where no more tutoring is needed.

      I have learned the power of study groups. When participating in a study group one is forced to see things in different ways and learn them as others students do and not only as one is used to learning them. I have also learned that there is no such thing as a stupid person, we are only surounded by people who are different than us, learn differently and study differently. Differences in nationalities and races make tutoring harder because it forces us to think differently and approach questions differently. This at times could be frustrating, but witout these differences what a boring world this would be.

      I have also gained great respect for the teaching profession, it is not easy and at times it is frustrating, though I have also seen that it is one of the most rewarding. There is nothing better than to hear a student say “I get it!”