Articles by Emily S.

Both tutors and students (and maybe their parents) may wonder how to actually see student progress. In the case of English or ESL, there are subtle and indirect signs, but seldom anything stark or quantifiable. Therefore, I have to pay careful attention to notice when a student has actually "learned" something, such as new vocabulary, sentence structure, or how to read a complex article. Yet the signs are there.

Here are a few examples. One student who I helped with writing first showed me some essays written for various classes, which were frankly failing papers in my estimation. They were full of sentence errors, mechanical errors (spelling and punctuation), and generally failed to make a strong point. I helped her by showing her the types of errors, and having her make corrections and do other practice exercises in her weak points. At the end, I asked her to produce a new paper from scratch, and with essentially no help from me, she produced a decently-written three-page essay on her university experience. This was progress.

In another case, a student also working on writing had serious errors with her sentence structure, as a non-native speaker. I've worked with her to show and explain the basic rules, and give her practice. Now she is making far fewer errors, and is able to analyze and catch some of her own mistakes. This is another kind of progress.

Sometimes, a student may feel frustrated and not see any obvious improvement, any leaps of skills. But ask your tutor, who should be paying careful attention, and hopefully he/she can show you some clear examples of where your work has improved. Tutors, do the same: show your students examples of progress you observe whenever possible. Help them see how they have learned a particular skill or concept. Your students will appreciate you for it.

A student told me recently that she was only the third person in her family who ever went to college. She has recently finished her B.A. and will soon start an M.A. program, at the age of 50. I told her how proud I was of her achievement and perseverance. But what most impressed me was her answer when I asked, so what do you feel has changed about you now that you have been to college. She answered, now I know I shouldn't waste my time on meaningless activities, like watching silly TV shows. I know that reading is much more interesting and stimulating, and I even enjoy doing the research required to prepare my school writing assignments. If there was ever a reason to be educated, this is it. Education means you know better than to waste your mind and your life on empty pursuits, and you might even decide that tutoring to improve your skills or knowledge, to have better career options, is something worthwhile. This kind of new awareness in a student is what makes me want to be a tutor.