Tutoring Triumph

The tutoring center where I currently work is most certainly an interesting place. It's a place that reflects the students who fill the numerous rooms; all looking to take an extra step in the direction of a better, more self-directed education. When students are packing the house, one would think there were an actual athletics competition happening in the tutoring center during peak room switching hours. However, when in the tutor's classrooms, the center undeniably becomes a more tranquil and productive learning environment.

Even the entrance to the tutoring center is interesting. If you enter through the tutoring center specified doors, you will find yourself first either traveling down a ramp or walking down a staircase before getting to the door. Once at the glass doors, you must enter a passcode. For me, it symbolizes the promise I make to myself, which is as follows: "I am going to do everything within my ethical power to better these young adults today."

After making the daily teaching oath, you find yourself at a set of stairs, which is twice the height of either that ramp or that staircase you just took downwards to get through those glass doors and into the building. This vertical hurdle is many different things to many different people. This theoretical and potential physical boundary and the meaning some people might attribute to it, might be simple to imagine based on the people who must tackle it; namely, a highly diverse group of student-athletes, tutors (myself included), & academic service staff. 

 I assure you the people who enter that tutoring center are so much more than their labeled (job vs. job? <-- WARNING: ELEPHANT) descriptions. Ignoring the elephant in the room (you can decide for yourself), I want to make sure I focus on and describe the student-athletes. A student-centered approach is what we have to maintain if we want to remain "Beyond Carrots and Sticks" à la Sandy Hatfield Clubb (Liberal Education. 98.4 (Fall 2012) p42.). If not "we risk being regarded merely as pack mules" (Pg. 47), a.k.a. revenue and win-loss record fiends. This is neither who we are, nor who we ever want to be. 

We march up to the call of education and settle ourselves in the inspirational quote filled rooms. The rooms where illiteracy across many disciplines goes to waste; where stress is defeated and where Progress-Towards-Degree becomes a degree. I'm proud of where I work. I'm happy to be able to be a part of some amazing, talented people's lives. Moreover, we in Student-Athlete Support Services are certainly able to answer the question "Who am I really in this for?" without hesitation and with conviction.

Here's to the Student-Athletes,

Rock Chalk!