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Home > Academics > Student Learning Centers > Writing & Tutoring Center > What We Do

What We Do

The mission of the Writing & Tutoring Center is help you become a more successful learner, both in your classes and beyond your time at TCC. Learning is an on-going process, and our goal here is to help you develop skills and strategies along the way. Here are the goals and limitations of this center:

A Tutoring Session

Tutors WILL . . .

create and maintain a respectful, supportive and constructive learning environment,
ask you questions about the project or academic subject you are working on to clarify the instructor’s assignment,
provide you with feedback on your work and strategies for improving your understanding, study techniques, and writing skills,
when helping with writing projects, help you focus on the most important aspects of your writing assignments (such as purpose, thesis, organization, support, etc.), as well as help you identify grammatical errors,
admit when we don’t have the answers, but work hard to help you find them,
help you find the best tutor for your needs.

Tutors WON’T . . .

decide on your topics or subject matter,
“feed” you answers or do all the talking,
criticize your work,
use a tutoring session as a platform for personal beliefs and opinions,
proofread your work (that is, correct your mistakes for you),
answer for your instructors or discuss strengths and weaknesses of instructors,
discuss grades or take responsibility for grades,
help you create a “perfect” document or achieve “perfect” understanding of a concept,
do the work for you.

More specific do's and don'ts for writing students:

WHAT WE WILL DO:	WHAT WE WON'T DO:
YES, we will help you at any stage of the writing process: getting started, developing ideas, organizing, and reviewing. Bring writing assignments from any class, from biology to math, from nursing to art!	BUT, we won't edit or proofread your papers for you. That is, we won't correct errors in spelling, punctuation, sentence structure, and so on. However, we will point out mistakes and help you learn how to identify and correct them for yourself.
YES, we will read your work carefully and give helpful responses. In other words, we will be good readers.	BUT, revision takes time. Thus, please don't bring your paper in on the day it is due.
YES, we will help you identify problems in your writing and offer ways of solving them.	BUT, we will not write your paper for you.
YES, we will provide an unthreatening environment and constructive suggestions.	BUT, we won't criticize your writing; we will not discuss the strengths and weaknesses of your teachers nor discuss or estimate grades. A suggestion for improvement does not guarantee a certain grade.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Bring your assignment sheet from your instructor, as well as your textbook, source material, and any notes or drafts you might have written so far. Much confusion arises from misunderstood assignments.	Come with ideas about what you want to focus on in the tutoring session. However, come with an open mind as well. Often, the tutor will identify other areas to address in your paper.
Make an appointment in advance (call 253.566.6032 or stop by). If you can't, you are welcome to drop in, but be prepared to wait.	You are welcome to visit with quick questions, but you will need to wait for the next available tutor. Be prepared to spend up to a half-hour in the tutoring session. Sometimes a simple question can have a complex answer!

WE ARE TUTORS: our focus is on the student. We strive to help you establish successful strategies, to get to know your own learning and writing process better, and to guide you through the trials and tribulations of academic career. Learning IS a process. To improve, you must practice and be patient. Your tutor is just one stop on the path. Our goal is to help you take one step forward on this path!