Little Bug

In the cases of non-traditional students and students with learning disabilities, the ego has be put away. That little bug eyed multi-colored ball floating over your shoulder screaming, "But I've done this, and I can do this and why would you write like this?" has to shut it's mouth.

Sometimes it's hard to throw it out, but I think that in extreme cases of learning disabilities and even with some non-traditional students, the ego is the first thing to go. In a regular session, your ego might be what gets you through it, what helps you find the answers or helps with the answers the client is looking for. In that case, it comes in handy and is something to be proud of.

I'm not saying that the tutors expertise with the English language is something to throw out of the window, but the fact that you might want to compare how your English stacks up with the paper that you're reading is something a tutor has to abstain from doing. I know this because it's hard not to compare yourself with someone, even if you don't mean to, because us Americans can be self-righteous and self-centered, and I often find myself making tiny comparisons or sizing up a piece of writing based on how it compares to my own English. But now that I'm aware of it I'm in better control of it.

I've only had to deal with a couple non-traditional students so far in the Writer's Room, and they've all been equally as intelligent as me but I still helped them out. It had to do with me not trying to prove anything to either myself or the client. Instead, I willingly helped the person because what they could learn from me is equal to what I could learn from them.