Our next Tutor of the Week is Sara Houser, an Elementary Education and English Language Arts senior seeking a minor endorsement in Teaching English as a Second Language.
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| Sara Houser |
"I started working as a tutor in the Writing Center almost three years ago, just after transferring to SVSU. Even before transferring here, I knew that I wanted to work in the Writing Center. I wanted to combine my two passions – teaching and writing – and I knew that this would be the best place to do so, even though I struggled with confidence in my own writing. Working here has allowed me to do this and so much more. Because of my experiences in the writing center, and my collaboration with students and faculty, I have become a better researcher, writer, listener, teacher, and individual, and I have become exponentially more confident in my writing and teaching abilities. I have been involved in research projects, presented my own research at a handful of conferences from the state to international level, facilitated a creative writing camp for middle and high schoolers, and have even presented workshops to prepare future educators for the College of Education Professional Readiness Exam during my time here. I have been challenged to become a better writer and thinker by my peers, both students and other tutors, and continue to push myself in this regard each minute I spend in the writing center. I have learned how to genuinely listen to the concerns of others, and use my passion for teaching to help them, and myself, grow.
"When I am not in the center, I am usually writing lessons for the third grade students I am working with this semester, planning my future classroom, or gathering materials for the elementary students I privately tutor. I spend most of my time ‘in the field’ teaching quirky third graders about mathematics and reading, or preparing for that fieldwork by writing lesson plans and reflections on my teaching practice. My goal is to teach elementary level English language learners here in Michigan after student teaching in the U.S and Costa Rica this upcoming fall. I am currently involved in the College of Education Leadership team, the student chapter of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, and Active Minds. In my free time, I like to play video games with my friends, exercise, and spend time walking my puppy Akira while daydreaming about my upcoming (but still quite far off) wedding."
