What Not to Wear

            I write this blog concerned for the happiness of my tutors.  I definitely believe that if there is one thing that we must do as tutors, besides help them become better writers, is to make them feel comfortable when doing that.  And I don’t mean that we must all be “fake nice” or even forcibly sweet and cordial, I believe that we must be compassionate, easy-going, and visibly relaxed.

            Imagine: if a writer comes in, stressed already, and finds her tutor guzzling down a large Redeye, pants dirty and shirt on inside out, what does this say about this person, and sadly, on the writing center in general?  Besides the necessity to be calm, understanding, and helpful, there is so much more to the overall presentation of the tutor.  In Leigh Ryan and Lisa Zimmerelli’s book The Bedford Guide for Writing Tutors, they discuss the importance of the right kind of clothing: “be aware that your body language and clothing also express unspoken messages” (18).  If a tutor were to wear sloppy clothing, the student would not take the tutor seriously.  Alternatively, if the tutor were wearing a nice dress with pearls or a suit, the student could be overwhelmed, feel insecure of their clothing choice, and not focus on their own paper out of sheer discomfort.

            I express my belief that a tutor should be conscientious about what they’re wearing.  Of course I don’t want you to go out and buy a whole new wardrobe of simple tees and basic jeans with the want to “dress casually and comfortably,” but I would think to myself “how would this student perceive me?” while changing in the morning.

            It is the little things that make the student more comfortable, and why not focus on them?  The ending result is that the student leaves the writing center happy and motivated.