Preparing for Emotional Sessions

When a writer walks through the door, paper in hand, it's easy for the words on the page to become the focus of our attention. There's a clear intellectual task at hand--to quickly triage the "problems" of the paper and determine which ones to address and how best to tackle them. This can be exciting, challenging work. The problem is that writers don't visit merely for academic help. For some, deciding to "be tutored" is not simply scheduling time in a busy day before turning in a paper. It's an act of will that engages the stomach and the heart--the stomach, which is churning with uncertainly and fear, and the heart, which is hopeful that the paper conveys something true. Not all students, of course, bring their body parts to the session. For some, having a tutor look at their paper is just that--a checkbox on the list of tasks to complete an assignment. But what about for the others, the ones who drag their emotions through the door? Some emotions, of course, can enrich a session. An engaged writer can bring enthusiasm and energy to the paper, and both writer and tutor can feed off that excitement as they work together. But a tutor, especially a new one, can be thrown off balance when confronted with an emotionally distraught writer. We can't respond perfectly to every emotional situation, but we can mentally prepare. We can recall how we felt when struggling with our own writing, listen to the advice of other tutors and teachers, research the basics of handling emotional challenges, and discuss various approaches we might take. BEING EVALUATED