II Maddie Meylor II
Tutoring is a collaboration between student and tutor, a partnership to assist students in the learning process. I have drawn great parallels between my tutoring to my history as a ballet dancer. When a ballet dancer partners, it resembles the tutoring collaboration. The ballerina needs the help of her male partner, who lifts and turns her; however, most of the actual work is the responsibility of the ballerina herself. She must be able to turn, jump, hold her core, and perform all of the ballet technique on her own. Her partner is just there to help her jumps get higher, assist her to turn more rotations, and lift her in the positions. The ballerina is beautiful on her own, but her partner serves to elevate that beauty.
This is the sort of partnership I want to facilitate with students. I am the partner that helps the student, while the student does the jumping. The student must be able to work and interact in the session—they must be open to learning. The tutor is the supporter, there to showcase the star dancer, the student. Tutoring allows students to get assistance in a way that will help them develop self sufficiency. As the tutor, I am there to help them realize how independent and skilled they are themselves. Just as the ballerina is independent, only getting assistance to further her existing ballet technique, the students are likewise capable on their own. I am the partner that makes them feel more comfortable in their ability.
There were many times in my ballet career that I saw connections to tutoring. In my junior year of high school, I had a partner who helped me take on my first principal role in the ballet Giselle. Although I knew that I was technically capable of this enormous performance, the prospect of taking on such a conquest terrified me. Knowing that I had my partner onstage grounded me. I trusted he was there to help me stay on balance and finish my turns; I knew he was always there, making sure I looked good onstage. My partner would give me feedback on how to improve my performance and partnering, all the while respecting my artistic integrity, and the way I approached the dance. He would work with me to figure out the best techniques to make it easier for me. All aspects of having someone on stage with me gave me confidence. This support and confidence is exactly the feeling I want to instill in the students I tutor. I want students to be confident in their own abilities, but also to know I am their partner in the dance of writing.
I have seen this partnership paralleled many times in the students I work with. I once worked with a student, Hilarion, who was experiencing serious issues with the basics of writing. Basic sentence structure, formatting, critical reading – it was all difficult for him. Working together took substantial energy from both of us. I partnered Hilarion through the twists and turns of phrase. Eventually he had an ‘a-ha!’ moment and said, “Maybe I’m not dumb.” In this moment, Hilarion had figured out that he could succeed on his own, but it just took him time and confidence. I worked with him to figure out the best way for him to learn the material. While it came naturally for me to skim and annotate, Hilarion needed to read slowly line by line; while I needed to free write my first draft, Hilarion needed a step by step plan in place to be successful. I didn’t force my own learning style on Hilarion, I helped him to realize his own independence and ability. Just as my partner gave me the feedback to be successful, all the while respecting my own artistic interpretation of my work, I helped Hilarion discover the most logical solutions to the challenges he faced, all the while factoring in his learning style. I was still there to assist him, but our time together taught this student that he could succeed on his own.
Students want to work hard, and they want to better themselves. They just need to know that someone has their back and is there to help them on their academic journey. Though every student is capable of performing on their own, sometimes they need a supportive figure to be there to catch their fall, or hold them in a turn gone wrong. For students, I am the partner and will always be there to help lift them and their writing. As their partner—as their tutor—I support them so they can see how capable they are of their own success.
Author Bio:
Maddie has been a tutor at the Brazosport College Writing Center for the past two years. Maddie started working as a writing tutor when she was still a dual credit, homeschool student. Having graduated May 2017, Maddie is now a full time honors student, as well as an alumni of Galveston Ballet. Her time as a company dancer there, performing the titles roles in productions like Giselle and Alice in Wonderland, inspires much of her creative writing. During what little downtime she has, Maddie writes book reviews on her blog http://maddie.tv.