Ott Tutoring Philosophy
As a tutor I focus on the comfort level of the writer, the clarity of their work, and how they address their intended audience.
In life, many look to perform endeavors that give their life meaning, and it is not rare for these activities to involve helping others. Although it is typical to say, I enjoy helping others and my position as a tutor at Marquette’s Ott Memorial Writing Center gives me an opportunity to assist others through the interpersonal writing process.
My writing appointments begin with me attempting to guide the writer into a state of comfort within a situation that can be not comfortable at all. To share your writing is a way to share you, which is even tougher when this situation is oftentimes with a complete stranger (me). Aware of a writer’s potential writing insecurities, I value beginning a conference by warmly welcoming a writer and asking how he/she is doing. I do this because as a social being, I truly care about how people are doing and because this tends to help the writer ease into a situation where we can talk critically about their writing. Meeting new people and discussing your writing can be awkward, so I try my best to improve the natural consequences of this situation.
Once introductions and small talk are complete, typically the writer and I go over what the writer is most concerned about in regards to this specific piece of work. Based on the writer’s main concerns, I focus on what I can do to best help this individual with their writing. This conference is the writer’s conference; I am merely there to aid the writer in the right direction. Along with focusing on the writer’s concerns, I value a simple, albeit critical aspect of writing: clarity. Clearly conveying one’s intended message on the surface may seem easy, but from experience I have seen that it can be the toughest aspect of the writing process. During conferences, I consistently ask myself, “Is this statement clearly interpretable for a broad (or in some situations a specific) audience?” Most people who come to the Ott are very intelligent, but sometimes it is difficult to demonstrate this intellect through writing.
Finally, as a multidisciplinary tutor, I concentrate on whether the writer is appropriately speaking to his/her intended audience. If the writer’s audience is the professor, then I will ask the student for a rubric or an assignment sheet in order to discern what the professor desires for this piece of writing. In the case of a cover letter or personal statement, I will look to see if the writer demonstrates their intelligence and proves why they desire to be hired for this job or get enrolled into this specific school.
In conclusion, writing is a goal-oriented task and it is my job in conferences to help writers on a case-by-case basis. The focus of each meeting is a writer’s specific piece of writing, thus the writer’s concerns come first. As someone confident in helping others in a variety disciplines, I focus on versatile tactics in writing such as writing clearly for the appropriate audience in mind.