Novelty and Confidence
In Relentless Pursuit, Foote describes Kopps’ dogged determination in keeping Teach for America afloat. Committed to the cause, she put personal fears aside to raise donations for the organization. Right after admitting, “’I am scared to death’, she would walk through the door, deliver a compelling pitch, and, cool as a cucumber, conclude with ‘I’d love to see you come in at a million dollars’” (186). If only I were able to conceal my fear so easily. Reading Foote’s description, I was immediately reminded of my first tutoring session and the anxiety that accompanied it. Walking into the writing center, I saw a room of familiar faces from class and exhaled, “I have my first appointment, I’m so nervous!” To my deep, deep embarrassment, all of my fellow tutors’ eyes pointed me to my client, tucked away in the corner and clearly skeptical of my competence to help her with her paper.
Foote might say that I was caught somewhere between Anticipation and Disillusionment. Admitting my nerves and excitement to my peers, and inadvertently, to my client, I questioned my capability as a tutor. Like the novice TFA teachers, I entered into a cycle that inexperienced recruits must undergo. “There is Disillusionment, a phase of profound disenchantment when a new teachers question both their commitment and their competence. Rejuvenation eventually follows…Finally, as the school year winds down, there is Reflection, the final phase of the cycle, in which the teacher begins to envision what the second year in the classroom will look like” (Foote, 41).
After almost a full semester of working in the writing center, I am somewhere between Rejuvenation and Reflection. With more experience and a sense of comfort during my sessions, I have honed in on my skills as a tutor and look forward to implementing these skills in my second semester. Like the recruits for TFA, we as writing center tutors enter a unique dynamic in which we are challenged to go from zero to sixty in the matter of a single session. An ordinary student, I suddenly transformed into a source of credibility and authority in writing. Lacking any official credentials, how am I to help my peers with conviction? How exactly does the process of Rejuvenation come about?
That first session was not so successful. I failed to articulate my suggestions and lacked any sort of direction in my advice. I unmasked myself to the client as an inexperienced newbie that might have no idea what she was saying. As I imagined her skepticism grow, the confidence that I had in myself plummeted. M next session I knew I had to change not only the client’s perception of me, but also my self-perception. I planned the structure of my lesson so I would be equipped against whatever came my way. First, I would ask what the assignment was and review the client’s understanding of the prompt. Then, I would ask for a brief summary of their approach and/or thesis. Step by step, I plotted my strategy.
In my session report I wrote that this session’s client “mostly just needed a boost of confidence and to hear her written words spoken out loud.” Strangely enough, my needs ran directly parallel to my client’s. Bolstering confidence in my skills by preparing a strategy allowed me to tap into those skills and use them to help my client to the best of my ability. For novice educators and tutors, it seems that confidence is key. How can you expect a student to perceive you with credibility when you do not recognize that credibility within yourself?
Foote might say that I was caught somewhere between Anticipation and Disillusionment. Admitting my nerves and excitement to my peers, and inadvertently, to my client, I questioned my capability as a tutor. Like the novice TFA teachers, I entered into a cycle that inexperienced recruits must undergo. “There is Disillusionment, a phase of profound disenchantment when a new teachers question both their commitment and their competence. Rejuvenation eventually follows…Finally, as the school year winds down, there is Reflection, the final phase of the cycle, in which the teacher begins to envision what the second year in the classroom will look like” (Foote, 41).
After almost a full semester of working in the writing center, I am somewhere between Rejuvenation and Reflection. With more experience and a sense of comfort during my sessions, I have honed in on my skills as a tutor and look forward to implementing these skills in my second semester. Like the recruits for TFA, we as writing center tutors enter a unique dynamic in which we are challenged to go from zero to sixty in the matter of a single session. An ordinary student, I suddenly transformed into a source of credibility and authority in writing. Lacking any official credentials, how am I to help my peers with conviction? How exactly does the process of Rejuvenation come about?
That first session was not so successful. I failed to articulate my suggestions and lacked any sort of direction in my advice. I unmasked myself to the client as an inexperienced newbie that might have no idea what she was saying. As I imagined her skepticism grow, the confidence that I had in myself plummeted. M next session I knew I had to change not only the client’s perception of me, but also my self-perception. I planned the structure of my lesson so I would be equipped against whatever came my way. First, I would ask what the assignment was and review the client’s understanding of the prompt. Then, I would ask for a brief summary of their approach and/or thesis. Step by step, I plotted my strategy.
In my session report I wrote that this session’s client “mostly just needed a boost of confidence and to hear her written words spoken out loud.” Strangely enough, my needs ran directly parallel to my client’s. Bolstering confidence in my skills by preparing a strategy allowed me to tap into those skills and use them to help my client to the best of my ability. For novice educators and tutors, it seems that confidence is key. How can you expect a student to perceive you with credibility when you do not recognize that credibility within yourself?