Laura Tutko serves as one of two SSWCA Tutor Representatives and tutors in the Bulldog Writing Center at Stone Bridge High School. Laura presented on preparing and hosting workshops and co-facilitated the Tutor Leader Roundtable at CAPTA 2017.
In November of 2016, I attended my first CAPTA conference. The knowledge, passion, and excitement there was contagious and left me hopeful and inspired to become a better tutor.
My first step off the bus this year for CAPTA 2017 although cold, gave me butterflies of excitement for what the day had to offer. Once I walked in to the main building and grabbed my conference packet and presenter pin, I was so proud to see all of the hard work that the CAPTA Board had put into making our dreams come to fruition. Before the speeches started and the learning and sharing began, I was already amazed at all the attendees filing in through the door. I reminisced at how I was last year: nervous, excited, and unaware of how my life was going to be changed for the better.
Starting out with listening to the Keynote Presentation, I sensed the passion for writing and tutoring in the air. Jefferey Austin and Dr. Christine Modey beautifully uncovered the core purpose of tutoring through the Greek tale of Sisyphus in a fresh way: a version in which Sisyphus is happy. The purpose of tutoring is shown through a lack of irony, doing it out of passion rather than for a college application; the grace of hospitality, showing obligatory respect between host and guest; and the selfless gift of literacy, the heartbeat of schools. A simple statement that they made –“All of us are greater than one of us,” — set the tone for the rest of the day by unifying us in the mindset that each and every attendee was part of something greater in the world of writing.
Moving on to Session ‘A’, I attended “Questioning Questions” and “Who Should Hold the Pen?” There, I learned about the two types of questions: close and open-ended. This broadened my perspective to how much power each tutor holds in their words during each session. Just by adding a “Why?” to a close-ended question can build a tutee’s confidence, giving them more power in the direction of the tutoring session. In the second half of the session, I learned about directive versus non-directive tutoring. Through discussion, it was revealed that most, if not all, of the tutors use a mix of these approaches. Yet again, I found myself inspired by the sheer intelligence and willingness to learn that each tutor possessed.
Session ‘B’ was a milestone for me. I presented for the first time at the conference with my fellow tutor representative, Colleen. We spoke about creating proposals for next year’s conference and gave tips on how to make them stand out. Although it was undecided at the time, the theme of next year’s two-day conference will be “Process and Progress.” It will be great to see what the great minds of SSWCA members come up with!
For the first half of Session ‘C’, I learned about the importance of tutors giving honest, constructive criticism to one another because of the vast opportunity it gives for individual growth, and in turn, the growth of the writing center as a whole. Despite presenter’s anxiety, the attendees of this session were able to lift her up by asking meaningful, thoughtful questions. It was so heartwarming to feel a sense of family within that room and know that this organization is made up of people who build others up not only through tutoring, but through simple acts of kindness.
Afterwards I presented in the second half of Session ‘C’ with my fellow Stone Bridge tutor, Tara. We talked about our writing center’s Outreach program in which we give mini-lessons to English classes. It was thrilling to interact with the attendees of the session by providing some humor and a fun activity. I moved on to Session ‘D’ where I presented again with Colleen. This session was quite special because of it was the first Tutor Leader Roundtable held at the CAPTA Conference. Here, I saw the conference theme, “People, Passion, and Purpose,” truly come together. The attendees of the session had discussions about funding writing centers and what it means to be a tutor, as well as how specific problems could be solved in individual writing centers. After presenting questions, the tutors bounced ideas off of each other and involved everyone in the conversation. They shared stories of triumph and struggle and ideas for progress and the future. It was breathtakingly beautiful to witness the power of collaboration between passionate people each living with purpose. I learned how lucky I am to be able to represent such an intelligent group of students across the country who are willing to share their endless knowledge that they’ve gained from their experiences .
When it came to the end of the conference, I was so surprised at how fast it had gone by. I was able to interact with so many talented, accomplished individuals and gain priceless ideas of how my writing center can improve. I left the conference glowing, happy, and inspired for next year’s conference. To anyone that is thinking of attending, I can assure you that it will be an unforgettable experience especially since it will be the first SSWCA conference and it will be two days long! By adding more members and more time to the conference, it is destined to be a great opportunity to share your ideas and stories with others with the hope of progress in the world of tutoring.