This last year has been unique. I was put in charge of the
Math Center, our tutoring lab. This meant that my duties were completely
devoted to helping students and overseeing student tutors. Having spent the
last 25 years in the classroom I wasn’t sure what to expect, but this year has
been a good one in some surprising ways.
It’s easy to say that I enjoyed a year’s break from grading.
The unexpected thing was how invested I was in the grades of students who came
into the Math Center on a regular basis. How happy I was when they did well,
how hard it was when they struggled. Usually, as the instructor of record you work
to be more dispassionate about how students are doing, but I didn’t feel the
need to do that this year.
In addition to these feelings about student’s grades, I
allowed myself to be involved with my students on a more personal level. I’ve
always liked getting to know my students, but this year there were about ten
students who would come into the lab several times a week, some of them every
day. With these students, I have learned about more than just their struggles
and successes with math; I’ve learned about them as individuals. One student
revealed their mental health struggles, while a couple of others shared how
they their struggles in coming back to school in their late forties, early
fifties. I learned about struggles with children and partners, job searches; so
much more than I would normally learn about students.
I was also reminded of something I loved when I was a tutor
in my undergraduate years, the going back and forth between different subjects.
Doing Pre-Algebra one minute, Statistics the next, some Calculus and then back
to Intermediate Algebra. Having to keep mentally on my toes, not knowing what
the next question will be. Sometimes there would be several students from the
same class all asking the same questions, and that would be nice because I
would be able to get into a groove, but I much prefer the mental challenge of
multiple subjects.
Overall this has been a refreshing and restful year. I’m
ready to get back into the classroom, but I don’t regret my year of tutoring. I’ve
heard from my students that they really appreciate the work I’ve done, and
really isn’t that the best reward any of us can have?
