Forming a relationship with students is one of the most important parts of tutoring, said Visiting Assistant Professor of Education Jonathan Gregg ’11 in a talk to the GOAL public and private school tutoring programs on Oct. 27.
“It is not wasted time if you are spending some time getting to know the student and getting to hear about their life,” Gregg said. “Education, as we conceive of it at Hillsdale College, is holistic. We’re interested not just in educating the head but in meeting the whole person.”
Seniors Brynn Elson and Rachel Warren, public and private school tutoring program leaders, hosted the event. Warren said she hoped it would give students in the GOAL tutoring program the opportunity to ask questions and learn how to be successful during their volunteer time.
“I had been hoping at some point this semester to do a tutoring info event because I realized that I communicate with these people and send them off to tutoring but don’t really equip them,” Warren said. “People don’t really ask questions, and I’m sure that they have them. I wanted to have some event for them to be able to go to if they wanted tangible advice.”
Gregg outlined five different goals to keep in mind when tutoring. He said tutors should ask questions of their students, and that tutors should be creative during tutoring sessions.
“If you’re consistently doing these things, they’re going to bear fruit,” Gregg said. “The more you can turn something into a conversation, the better it’s going to be.”
Sophomore Abby Fleming said she attended the event because she hopes to become a teacher.
“I am a classical education minor and want to teach, specifically in public school, so I wanted to attend the event to learn more about tutoring and to start thinking about what it looks like to be a tutor, teacher, or anything similar,” Fleming said. “I also have Professor Gregg for quadrivium and wanted to hear from him about education in-and-out of the classroom setting.”
At the end of the event, some students asked questions and shared stories about the difficult encounters they have had with tutoring. When Gregg responded to a student’s question about dealing with stubborn learners, Warren said it reminded her of her own tutoring experience.
“A couple of years ago, I tutored a student who was pretty belligerent,” Warren said. “Even though that was in the past and I’m not tutoring him any more, I thought Professor Gregg’s response was really good.”
Gregg encouraged the volunteers and aspiring teachers, reminding them that some of the most impactful moments can be when they feel like they aren’t succeeding as a tutor or teacher.
“This is tough,” Gregg said. “There’s no magic for tutoring. There’s no magic for teaching.”
