Support for Tutor Writers

Why submit your writing?

It’s an exciting time for peer tutoring. As more secondary schools open peer tutoring centers and writing centers, the demand for information, strategies, and scholarship about this field is higher than ever before. In keeping with the mission of SSWCA, this journal seeks “to build community among secondary school writing and learning center directors, tutors, and partners; promote advocacy for peer-driven programs that transform schools by empowering student leaders; and support development and sharing of resources for new and existing centers across the United States.” Not only will your research contribute to this mission and build our community, but it will also give each contributor a chance to have their work read by our wider writing center community.

Tips for first-time tutor authors

If you’re a writing center tutor, you may be excited (and a little intimidated) by the prospect of writing an article for publication! There are a few things you need to know about how writing for publication differs from writing you do for school or for yourself:

  1. It can take a long time. Be prepared for coaching and feedback from the Tutor Strand Editor and your assigned Editorial Assistant, a college tutor who will work with you to prepare your article for publication.
  2. Revisions may be… significant. But you’ll get the support you need if you’re persistent through the process! We hope that on the other side of the process, you’ll feel proud of yourself and you’ll learn a lot about writing.

We recommend looking to previously-published tutor articles as mentor texts for your article. Editorial Assistants Ilse Eskelsen and Annika Peacock put together this annotated tutor article to point to some of the moves that published tutors used in their own writing. See if you can use this as a guide for your own writing and/or revision.

Annotated Larson & AuDownload

Adapting a SSWCA presentation into a JPTSS article

Annika and Ilse also created this slide deck with steps and strategies for tutors who are interested in adapting their SSWCA Presentation into a Tutor to Tutor article for the journal. Email us at jptss@gmail.com if you our support in your writing process!