Opinion column: Classroom instruction and tutoring prove essential to students

Alice McGuire

Deputy Editor

Going to class is a bit like going to a Broadway show while stopping by a tutoring center feels more akin to paying a trip to the Mayo Clinic. For those of you who are young, the Mayo Clinic is a bit like searching “everything hurts Reddit,” but actually getting to pay a visit to a world renowned specialist in real life.

In class, I can take my seat and enjoy the show, participate when warranted, and then–by the end–I’ve learned a good deal about a new subject as well as what it means to be a human among humans. Though the world is often chaotic and cruel, the classroom forever remains a structured, safe space in which it’s okay to ask for help and make mistakes.

When I stop by the tutoring centers, it’s like going to see a specialist  in that they are able to identify and address any problems that I’m having.

It is also similar in the sense that I wish to flee the premises as quickly as possible due to finding that sort of one-on-one instruction overwhelming and impossible to pay attention to in more than small doses even if it’s literally saving my life.

But every student is unique.

“I love the hands-on [instruction] that a tutor gives. I work better one-on-one, rather than being in a classroom.” said Christen McCanney, a WCC student in the physical therapist assistant program.

McCanney went on to explain that she was more of an online learner until getting into the “nitty gritty” of her program as she finds classroom environments distracting. She added that extensive one-on-one instruction has always been essential for her academic success. When asked how she might like to see classroom instruction improve, she said that she hoped to see more professors take the time to check in on their students individually.

Olivia Onye, a WCC student pursuing nursing, described classroom instruction as “a lot of talking at you” and necessitating more work on the part of the student to do their own research.

She finds tutoring to be a “more personal” way of “figuring out the concepts that you don’t understand and going over how you can understand it.” Onye has made regular use of tutors at least once or twice a week for the past year.

Ryan Summers, a WCC student pursuing animation and game design said he felt like there’s a more equal standard of expectations in a classroom, whereas “going from tutor to tutor, I felt like every person had a different expectation of, like, your level of understanding or cooperation.

“I’m a lot better in person, in a classroom setting, than with a tutor, definitely,” he said. Summers described himself as having had “a lot of tutors” during high school, but not so much now.

At the end of the day, what works best depends on the needs of the individual. Students should feel empowered to seek out which modes of education work best for them as well as to speak up about what is or is not working.

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