Can You Teach Me How to Tutor? An Examination and Suggested Re-centering of UMBC’s ENGL 321 Tutoring Course

Abstract

Writing Center tutors often simultaneously take on the roles of tutor, friend, mentor, peer, therapist, cheerleader, and more. There is no set definition or guide for what Writing Center tutors do in each session. In this work, I illustrate the importance of fluidity and the acceptance of the “trickster,” which often present in the form of people or moments that bend what is traditionally expected within the tutoring space to help students feel comfortable and find a sense of purpose in their writing. This project engages the conversation around what writing education at the college and university level is meant to help students accomplish and, primarily, how to prepare student Writing Center tutors to work with their peers. As a former Writing Center tutor , I draw upon my own experience in both the UMBC Writing Center and English 321, the tutor training class this project offers a new lens through which to frame.