Tutoring a Twit

[Marqq]

Two of my roommates recently enrolled in an online degree program to grant them a BS in Special Education. They're both computer illiterate, so I was asked to help guide and teach them in the technological aspect of attaining their degrees. The two students are engaged. I believe the first, Mike, to be of near-average intelligence, and with enough motivation, capable of absorbing and applying the course material. I also believe, however, that Mike is only committing to this endeavor for the sake of aiding his fiancée while feigning a common interest (to strengthen their relationship). My second student, Holly, is at least moderately mentally challenged. She cannot read on her own, has a very low retention rate with verbal and visual presentation of material, and shows great difficulty grasping concepts.

 

I helped get Holly through their first course, an introductory course to online learning, by doing a lot (perhaps too much) of her proofreading, and a few times led her to the answers being elicited. I had reasoned that at least the proofreading was acceptable, because spelling, grammar and organization of ideas were not part of the course material. Their current course is in information literacy, wherein they'll learn to write a research paper on a subject of their choice. Research, unfortunately, calls for a great amount of reading, and the sources they'll learn to cite contain vocabulary and syntax that I've found to be too complex for Holly, and pushing the envelope for Mike (again, he's not challenged, but his reading comprehension is around the mid-high school level). I realize I could go through every possible source for them, rewriting it all at a level more appropriate for their abilities, but that is certainly beyond the scope of a tutor, isn't it?

 

I've been paid $120 for my work on their first course, which required my attention for approximately 8 hrs/wk for 7 weeks. This included making guided note-taking sheets for the readings, reading aloud to her, proofreading and concept discussion. I feel that I've certainly fulfilled any duty called for at the amount of pay I've received, even as a family friend. I enjoy the proofreading, as it's a compulsion of mine to eradicate any and all language errors within a reasonable proximity, and I'd be happy to help by discussing topics one or two hours per week for free. But, the note-taking sheets (which are necessary; spotting relevance is an elusive skill, apparently) and reading aloud/rewriting research articles is just obscenely far more than I had agreed to.

 

Holly wants to teach special needs children in kindergarten through third grade, but I believe this goal is beyond her abilities. I believe a person capable of teaching slow children needs to have compassion for the affliction, but not personal experience. Rather, I'd recommend a person with higher-than-average intelligence and a background in abnormal psychology, in addition to the patience of a saint.

 

Is it ethically irresponsible to continue to encourage Holly to reach beyond my measure of her abilities? (am I setting her up for a fall?)

Or am I just being lazy and selfish because of the amount of work and lack of pay?

 

Just on a side note, in order to receive financial aid and be accepted to a college, a student is required to show that they can benefit from the material. I don't know what she did to prove herself, except the fact that she is a high school graduate. If a person can't read at a high school level (she's not dyslexic, btw), how do they get a diploma?? Doesn't that certificate stand for anything? Education in this country really needs to change back to a system that measures a person's abilities instead of measuring effort alone. No Child Left Behind....oi...rant for a different thread....

[CaptainPanic]

My personal opinion: explain to Holly that she will need to be able to do this kind of work alone. You cannot be there to help her all the time.

 

Maybe she will understand that alone, she cannot do it. And that would be a good setup to discuss the continuation of the work.

 

I am no expert in personal relationships, so this is no expert advice. <-- that's a disclaimer.

[hypervalent_iodine]

I helped get Holly through their first course, an introductory course to online learning, by doing a lot (perhaps too much) of her proofreading, and a few times led her to the answers being elicited. I had reasoned that at least the proofreading was acceptable, because spelling, grammar and organization of ideas were not part of the course material. Their current course is in information literacy, wherein they'll learn to write a research paper on a subject of their choice. Research, unfortunately, calls for a great amount of reading, and the sources they'll learn to cite contain vocabulary and syntax that I've found to be too complex for Holly, and pushing the envelope for Mike (again, he's not challenged, but his reading comprehension is around the mid-high school level). I realize I could go through every possible source for them, rewriting it all at a level more appropriate for their abilities, but that is certainly beyond the scope of a tutor, isn't it?

 

Fulfilling the role of an effective tutor can sometimes be quite taxing. The entire point is to facilitate a proper understanding of the material and to do that you have to be able to identify where the gaps in their knowledge exist and target those gaps, often through a process of step-wise problem solving and a near constant use of the question, 'why?'. I often think it is better to get students to attempt to go through things before I give any detailed instruction as to how things should be done as it tends to engage their thinking a bit more.

 

To answer your question, I would say that perhaps you have been spoon-feeding her too much. If she doesn't understand how to read a given paper and the course she is doing demands comprehension at the levels presented therein, then she needs to be shown how to read it rather than having it read for her. I would suggest that it may be worth your while going through the process of simplifying sources by getting Holly and Mike to do it with you and setting them the task of rewriting one outside of your tutoring hours.

 

I've been paid $120 for my work on their first course, which required my attention for approximately 8 hrs/wk for 7 weeks. This included making guided note-taking sheets for the readings, reading aloud to her, proofreading and concept discussion. I feel that I've certainly fulfilled any duty called for at the amount of pay I've received, even as a family friend.

 

Yeah, no kidding. Where I am, that amount of tutoring would have earned me a neat $1680. And that's at my old private tutoring rate, which is considerably lower than what I get paid now.

 

Holly wants to teach special needs children in kindergarten through third grade, but I believe this goal is beyond her abilities. I believe a person capable of teaching slow children needs to have compassion for the affliction, but not personal experience. Rather, I'd recommend a person with higher-than-average intelligence and a background in abnormal psychology, in addition to the patience of a saint.

 

I tend to agree with this.

 

Is it ethically irresponsible to continue to encourage Holly to reach beyond my measure of her abilities? (am I setting her up for a fall?)

Or am I just being lazy and selfish because of the amount of work and lack of pay?

 

Given what you've said, I don't think laziness is an issue. If this is something that she really wants to do then I would keep encouraging her, but you will need to stress that she is going to need to put in a lot of work to come to terms with the course content and any employment she hopes to derive from it. With this in mind, I don't think it is ethically responsible of you to continue to do as much work on her behalf as you have been. My opinion is that you need to guide her to a point where she can do this work her self, if at all possible.

[Schrödinger's hat]

I agree with everything Hyper had to say, but thought I would add this:

 

If you truly think of her as a twit (rather than simply ignorant or insufficiently practised in the relevant skills), then I would say you are likely not the right person to be tutoring her. Proceeding to help her with the individual pieces of assessment rather than addressing the underlying problems (assuming they are addressable) of lack of general reading comprehension/critical reasoning skills is not doing anyone (including Holly, her class-mates, her potential future students, and her potential future employer) any good in the long term.

Assuming she is capable of learning (and you have the relevant interest/skills for teaching critical reasoning) then I would question whether the pay you are receiving for the task is fair (I would say no), or even if the time is sufficient.

 

My recommendation would be to discuss your concerns with Holly and see what transpires. If she is willing to put in large amounts of work on her own, it may not be an insurmountable obstacle.

Edited April 13, 2012 by Schrödinger's hat

[imatfaal]

Marqq - I would insist on working for free, this will make it much easier to walk away if the project is doing more harm (in terms of wasted time yours/theirs, and raising expectations that will be dashed) than good. I presume your situation isn't strictly contractual - but even so, I think you are on a win/win by doing it for free. If they are family friends you will probably be better off (pressies, favours, good will etc worth more that $120) and you preserve a voluntary nature to the whole thing.

[Joatmon]

The main difficulty, as I see it, is your friendship in this arrangement. If it was a situation concerning strangers you would treat this as a job, do your best, accept a fair amount of pay for your efforts and not be too concerned about the end result. I guess I am saying that whether Holly should, or should not proceed with the course is not really a decision for you to make. I don't think you should personally agonise about whether she is wasting her time (and yours). Although it may be difficult for you to avoid, giving her so much help that what she achieves is as much about your input than hers is (IMO) wrong. My advice would be to treat her as you would anyone else. If she can't make the grade she will soon come to realise this for herself. Alternatively the course assessment procedures will solve the problem for you. When this happens be a good friend and offer "a shoulder to cry on".

[Arete]

A component of my current position is mentoring PhD students from developing nations, who come on extended visits to our lab in order to carry out the molecular biology components of their PhD programs - both the benchwork and subsequent analysis. I'm yet to meet one who wasn't under-equipped in terms of education and in some cases extremely ... optimistic to how much work I/we will actually do for them.

 

The way I see it, they are being awarded a degree/a publication for having gained specific knowledge and done specific work. One day they will get a job /position where it is assumed that they have these skills/knowledge. So, by doing things for them and not imparting the skills and knowledge they are meant to have we are actually doing them and the field a disservice. Further - if we make a habit of producing graduates without the things that they are purported to have, we devalue the degree and the institutions which award them.

 

Telling someone that mentorship does not involve me doing things for them and that I will not be carrying out the tasks they expect me to can be a difficult discussion. I know there are some former collaborators who hold an open dislike for me after I have made the situation clear. With our lab, it's also a bit of a rock and a hard place as we rely on the developing nation lab for sample material, so an ongoing mutually beneficial collaboration is important for us too.

 

In your situation - a) you're obviously not being paid in accordance with the time you put in - I'd try to instill some form of hourly rate - or drop the financial connection if it is not important to you. b) Is she really going to be qualified to conduct the work her certificate will say she is able to do? If you push her through with too much hand holding, you're simply postponing the inevitable once she gains a position she is ill equipped to conduct. Strike a balance between hand holding and giving her enough rope - which I know from personal experience is easier said than done - good luck.

[ewmon]

I firmly believe that you owe it to potential students of hers that you do not earn her degree for her ... the same as her studying brain surgery.

 

I don't know about now, but "when I was in high school", I know for a fact that the kids in the lowest cohort in high school barely functioned above the institutionalization threshold, IQ~50 (one, for example, who graduated without knowing how to divide!), who received high school diplomas. Afterwards, I know of a few who eventually reached an acceptable level of incompetence in the workforce, thus giving them stable, although low-wage, employment. It's one thing if they're working in retail, manufacturing, etc, but it's a totally different story if they're working with minors — especially SPED kids. You owe it to the kids.

 

As for transferring the responsibility of learning onto onto her, you can simply tell her that she learned material in a previous course/semester/etc that she must apply to gain the new knowledge in the present course/semester/etc. If she wants more "help" from you, as you gave before, you can tell her that you were helping to introduce her to the material, but that she needs to work through it from now onward. If she continues to complain, you can tell her that, if she can't remember/use last semester's learning, she'll never be able to keep a job once she's graduated and you're (obviously) out of the picture.

[Marqq]

To answer your question, I would say that perhaps you have been spoon-feeding her too much. If she doesn't understand how to read a given paper and the course she is doing demands comprehension at the levels presented therein, then she needs to be shown how to read it rather than having it read for her. I would suggest that it may be worth your while going through the process of simplifying sources by getting Holly and Mike to do it with you and setting them the task of rewriting one outside of your tutoring hours.

...

Given what you've said, I don't think laziness is an issue. If this is something that she really wants to do then I would keep encouraging her, but you will need to stress that she is going to need to put in a lot of work to come to terms with the course content and any employment she hopes to derive from it. With this in mind, I don't think it is ethically responsible of you to continue to do as much work on her behalf as you have been. My opinion is that you need to guide her to a point where she can do this work her self, if at all possible.

Thank you! Showing her how to read it, setting them to the task of rewriting one-- excellent ideas. I've been working with the philosophy of choosing battles--picking one aspect to work on at a time--but I've been choosing the wrong aspect (course content and browser/WP navigation) due to time constraints. But we all go through the process of breaking down and grouping the concepts of complex sentences/paragraphs/essays into more workable schemata. It could be I've been avoiding teaching that process because she's got so much to learn in regards to it (my low achievement motivation). She's developed some strange habits parsing what she's reading; She'll try to read at a speaking pace and often spouts gibberish that only matches the first sounds of words in the sentence. That's the gap that needs filling--first priority! Again, thank you for making that clear to me.

 

If you truly think of her as a twit (rather than simply ignorant or insufficiently practised in the relevant skills), then I would say you are likely not the right person to be tutoring her.

I used the word 'twit' mostly for the wordplay, but in my hierarchy of cognitive assessments, it's generous. I don't mean it with any condescending judgmental connotation, as I tend to judge my acquaintances based on their overall good will rather than intellect (it's just easier that way). I must admit, though, it felt good to type it out just to vent some latent frustration toward the difficulty her cognitive failings have brought me. I justified the phrasing further by reasoning that it would get me more responses...sorry.

 

Alternatively the course assessment procedures will solve the problem for you. When this happens be a good friend and offer "a shoulder to cry on".

Isn't that what Mike's for?

[Joatmon]

Isn't that what Mike's for?

You console her your way and Mike can..............

Couldn't be a tiny bit jealous could you?

Edited April 13, 2012 by Joatmon

[Appolinaria]

Are you kidding me? Don't teach them squat. They're abusing you and using you like a slave. If she can't do the work, she doesn't deserve a degree. She's just sailed by being lazy and that's not your fault.

[MonDie]

I was tutoring for a very, very, very short time, but I did read half of a short book on tutoring. It emphasizes cooperating with the tutee in making a schedule for each session. The idea is that you can move on to a different topic if one is taking too much time.

Extrapolating from that, maybe you and her could make a long-term schedule so that she'll know what she has to learn in how much time. Tutors shouldn't make decisions for the tutees, they should help the tutees make decisions.

Edited April 19, 2012 by Mondays Assignment: Die

[questionposter]

There's virtually infinite ways to explains things, so out of infinity, you just have to find one thing or sequence "Holly" would understand.

[Marqq]

Well, just in case anyone was wondering how this turned out, here goes:

 

I took imatfaal's advice to work for free while advising her to get a tutor assigned through her school, so that she could see the difference between her expectations and the responsibilities of a professional tutor. Meanwhile, Holly received some harsh criticism from a classmate on a forum post, and when I pointed out the valid points in the criticism, she flew off the handle. I've been kicked out of her house and written off as a friend for my 'lack of faith' in her abilities. I still wrote a short instruction on how to break down words, sentences, and essays into more manageable chunks, for her to work on with her new personal tutor (she found another friend), along with the technical instructions her new tutor would need to help her navigate the online classroom. I've washed my hands of the situation, and I believe I've done what is necessary in terms of ensuring that I'm not contributing to or encouraging fraud in her education.

 

Thank you, everyone, for your advice and support.

[Schrödinger's hat]

It sounds like you handled that extremely well, as well as being extremely patient.

[MonDie]

There's a lot you can do with eight hours a week.

[imatfaal]

Thanks for letting us know how it panned out - it's a shame (but not your fault) it didn't work out better; you did the right thing and it still wasn't gonna lead to success. Good luck with your own studies in the meantime BTW!