Maurice: Waterloo tutor

Certified Tutor

I hold a Master of Arts and Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from West Chester Univ. in West Chester, PA.
I have been a member of the adjunct faculties at several Community Colleges and Universities in the eastern Pennsylvania area. In that time, I taught Basic Writing, English Comp 1 and Business Writing mostly in the evening or sometimes on Saturdays or Sundays.
In addition, I have also tutored writing at the Tutoring Centers at the above Institutions as well as with several private tutoring organizations.
For some writers, there is a tremendous amount of anxiety associated with committing one's thoughts to paper; consequently, a major component of my teaching philosophy involves providing positive reinforcement to the writer. Writing can only be achieved by the physical process of translating thoughts to a readable format, which prove difficult or in some cases completely out of reach, for some writers. My first job is to create an "safe" environment for the writer to address the writing project.
Please note that I, as well as the student, are bound by the rules of Standard Written English. These is no escaping that; however, the "fear of the blank page" is real and must be addressed while familiarizing the writer with all of the tools he or she has available to "fill the page" such as prewriting, zero draft, editing, etc.
Please note that the process of producing any piece of "good" writing takes time, which many writers will not take into account when there is a writing project. For example, the college paper that is due in 1 hour and the writer is furiously writing it in the Student Center. This, in my opinion is a recipe for disaster!
So, Time, confidence in one's abilities, awareness of the bounds of Standard Written English, and utilizing all of the writer's tools available are the broad stroke items to think about and address with any writing project.