9 Inspired to Tutor
Faiqa Khzir
First of all, I am very excited to be a part of this blog. It’s not every day that we get to share our thoughts and experiences on learning and teaching. I would like to start by introducing myself. I am a 3rd year biomedical engineering technology student and have worked as a tutor for the last 2 years approximately. I also work as a tour guide with Marketing and Recruitment department.
In addition to be a full-time student and managing two part-time jobs, I have also worked as student researcher, so you can tell that I have a lot of experience in almost every aspect of student life to share with you.
I started studying after a long time since I was too busy working all my teenage years. I started this diploma in the year 2016. Initially, I was struggling with almost all my courses. I knew already that I would have to work a little extra as compared to other regular students. Reason being I had so many other duties to handle as well, for example, taking care of a toddler and performing all those household duties plus I was out of school for so long that I almost forgot how to manage my time and my organization skills were rusty as well.
Luckily, I came across some amazing tutors who helped me get organized, developed self-confidence and, most importantly, they inspired me a be a tutor myself.
Tutoring has given me a lot of confidence that I didn’t know I had. It has polished my social skills as well as my teaching skills. I enjoy interacting with new students every day. Helping them learn is another thing that brings a lot of pleasure and satisfaction. Knowing that I made someone’s life a little easier is the best feeling that I get to experience daily now thanks to my students. I just love being a tutor.
My strategy is making my students comfortable by letting them know that we will both learn from this session as we go. Getting them organized is another thing that helps them learn better and understand the material delivered by their professors in class.
Some tips that I always share with my students is to review the material that was taught in class every day. Even if there aren’t any homework assignments that requires you to go through the material, I still emphasize the importance of reviewing course material regularly.
Faiqa Khzir is a 3rd year student in the Biomedical Engineering Technology program at St. Clair College and have been a tutor since September 2017. Khzir’s future goals include to study further after obtaining this diploma from St. Clair College. Khzir would like to get an engineering degree and then, as a final step, to work as an engineer in the medical field.
Photo credits: Photo by Alexis Brown on Unsplash
From the OE 9x9x25 Inspiration Gallery:
My strategy is making my students comfortable by letting them know that we will both learn from this session as we go. ~ Faiqa Khzir
Discussion Questions
- Khzir describes herself as different from regular students because of her out of school responsibilities. How do you relate to students who are different than you?
- What tips do you regularly share with students to help them study or be organzied?
- What skills have you gained from being a tutor?
Scenario
You are waiting for your student to arrive for their appointment, again. The student rushes in, plops down in a chair and opens their backpack. Papers, books, pencils fall out. The student rummages around in their bag and can’t find their notes or text for the course you will be working on … again. How do you respond?
Reflection Prompt
Write a list of ways you can be a role model to your students.