Tutoring The Tutor by Gracia

Tutoring The Tutor by Gracia - May 2021 Scholarship Essay

This last year in the fall of 2020, I was granted a position to tutor the introduction to microbiology course at my university’s tutoring program. I made an A in the class when I took it a year prior, but had never considered myself as someone fit enough to tutor. I enthusiastically accepted the offer, and created my tutor schedule. Within the third week of classes, I had my first session. I was incredibly nervous, as I wasn’t confident how much material I remembered from when I was enrolled in the class. Throughout the session, I learned the curriculum had changed significantly, and the material I did memorize would not be enough to suffice teaching students.
I left my appointment flustered by how much I did not know on a class that was the basis of my major, and one I had made an A in. I began reviewing all of my old notes in the class, and making sure that I understood all the basic concepts. Before each tutor session I would reach out to my tutee and ask them to send me what they wanted to go over in our sessions. After I had that, I would spend hours researching the new course materials, ensuring I possessed the same amount of knowledge the professor would. I also prepared lesson plans and had interactive study session activates planned out. Finding the time to prepare myself to tutor was especially difficult, as I was already a full-time student, part time employee, and research assistant. I spent more time making sure I understood what I was tutoring, that I essentially became my own tutor for the class before my student’s.
This experience made me learn that I can never know everything, even when I think I do. Leaving the introduction to microbiology class with an A my sophomore year, I assumed I would be the perfect microbiologist. Tutoring, however made me realize I only learned a portion of the subject, one that happens to be constantly expanding. The challenge of tutoring is one I am grateful for, because I also took away from the experience that reteaching yourself things over and over again can only help, but never harm. I walked away from being a tutor, not only helping the kids I tutored from better grasping concepts, but also myself. In the end, I found out I could be a better tutor and student, if I became my own tutor first. I never would have made this realization if I had never accepted an offer I assumed I was not good enough for.