Carey - Blog Post 7

  

I think the emotional detachment that asynchronous tutoring allows offers advantages and disadvantages. I haven’t yet done document review or other forms of asynchronous writing tutoring, but from my experiences working as an editor at an online art magazine and editing writers who I knew personally versus those I’d never met, I know that it’s easier to give direct criticism to writers I’ve never met. If I’m friends with a writer, I’m more likely to offer extra praise and to word my criticism delicately. I feel the same way when I’m tutoring in person (or synchronously over Zoom/video chat) -- when I have an ongoing tutoring relationship with a student, I grow sensitive to their insecurities and weaknesses, and I’m very careful to protect their egos and to word my criticism delicately so as not to discourage them. I’ll catch myself saying things like “This looks good so far” even if it doesn’t. This often comes at the expense of directness -- if the writing has a lot of issues, I’ll pick and choose which to address so as not to overwhelm the student. This article had some useful advice for how to deal with that -- I liked the tip to preface comments with “As a reader” to avoid reinforcing the power dynamic between tutor/student or teacher/student.


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