There are a lot of on campus jobs for college students, which makes it easy to have a part-time job and earn a little extra money, because you don't even have to leave school grounds. Although there are a variety of jobs including, desk assistants, resident assistants, office assistants, and more, I wanted to take the time to voice my appreciate for the job that I have on campus as a tutor.
I have learned so much from tutoring other students and it's such a wonderful feeling knowing that you've helped someone and that they've earned a better grade as a result. As a student, it can be frustrating when you don't understand something and it can be even more difficult to ask for help in the first place. What amazes me about every student that I've ever tutored is how brilliant every student truly is. Just because some of us have certain strengths and weaknesses doesn't mean that someone else has that same strength or weakness.
It's such an honor to be able to notice the change in a person's attitude from when he or she first walks into the session and then after that individual leaves. Usually, a student comes in feeling exhausted, annoyed, and unsure of what to do or how to do it, so if that same student leaves the session feeling even a little bit better about that essay that needs to be written or about that group project coming up, I know I've done my job and it puts a smile on my face.
Tutoring is honestly such a rewarding experience, especially because I understand (as most of us do) what it's like to struggle at something. For me, it was math, specifically Algebra 2, in my sophomore year of high school and tutoring didn't seem to help. No matter how much I studied or how much effort I put in, I just couldn't get it, so when I saw the interest session for tutoring on campus, I knew that I had to apply.
It's always so much fun having conversations with students about their thought processes, ideas, and opinions, because it really enables me to get to know each individual student. It's always an added benefit when we can talk about our majors and our interests, because it feels like I'm really making a difference. As I look back on my sophomore year of college, my tutoring job stands out as one of my favorite parts of my college experience.
When I tell most people that I'm a tutor, I usually get the typical, 'wow, I could never do more school work than I have to' response, but it's so much more than that. Not only do I get to help other students, but I get to help myself as well, because the practice of writing academic essays, especially, has become so much more engrained in my brain. In my opinion, it's a win-win situation for me and the student (I hope) and I look forward to continuing to tutor for both my junior and senior years of college.
Thank you to every student I've ever tutored. You may think I helped you, but you may not know that you helped me too. You opened my eyes to new ways of thinking, understanding, and listening and I am eternally grateful.
