I’m an English tutor at my University. This summer I am the only English tutor in the center. I really, really enjoy my job. As a matter of fact, I’m considering becoming an English professor eventually.
Inspite of my fondness for the job, I am having a problem. There is a young man I meet with about 3 hours a week, we’ll call him K. I believe K is from Taiwan, but I’m not entirely sure because I haven’t asked him. However, the vast, vast majority of the non-native speakers I tutor are business students from Taiwan and China. K is just starting the MBA program.
The problem is?
K doesn’t really know how to speak or write English. When he comes in, he asks me to read the articles to him and explain to him what they mean. When I go over his essays and article summaries with him, I’m actually deciphering what he writes. It’s very hard for me to help him because he doesn’t understand at least 1/2 of what I tell him.
IMHO, he does not belong in the MBA program right now. Living in America may be the best way to learn English, but the MBA program is not the best time to learn the language.
My biggest problem is that I do not have the time or the qualifications to teach him English. I’m a tutor, not a professor. I meet with him an hour at a time.
Now he really wants me to teach him English. He told me he’s going to start coming in with his TPOL (I believe) book, and he wants me to go over grammar with him.
I do this with other students, but all my other students have a grasp on the language, so rather than teaching, I’m reviewing.
What should i do with this student? I want to help him, but I can’t help but feel extremely frustrated every time we meet. I actually dread our appointments because I feel helpless. Talking to his professor won’t help—her philosophy is to let them sink or swim on their own.
I fear that in his case, without my help, he will sink.
What should I do?
Meeting with him does help him, even if it doesn’t help him in his MBA studies. What you may wish to do is have another one of your students who speaks his language meet with you and him together. Initially, the translator can help with the frustration. He needs someone bilingual to help him over the initial stumbling blocks. You are correct that he will probably sink without you, which is why you need to get past your discomfort if you really wish to help him. If nothing else, the translator can convey your concerns to him, advising him to take extra language courses before continuing with his major courses.
Don’t give up on him. You could be someone truly integral to his life, someone he’ll always remember, and he could be just the inspiration you need to become a professor.
that’s a very gracious idea and post, shrew.
I’m not an English teacher, but I did tutor English composition while I was in graduate school. None of my students had language difficulties as severe as yours.
This student’s family probably saved for years to send him abroad for his education. It would be a real shame if that effort fails over something as simple as a language barrier.
If you truly believe that he’s biting off more than he can chew–and needs more assistance than your other commitments allow–then act quickly. Either his departmental administration or the international students office can help. Request a translator so that he can participate in the meeting. Recommend that they grant him a semester’s leave to take an intensive ESL class. He’ll learn much more from his courses when he returns.
Shrew and I agree this much: this young man will remember you for the rest of his life. Best wishes.
I taught ESL for 14 years.
He needs an intensive English course, and fast.
See if there is an adult night school nearby, or try to find a student at the university who is studying/studied ESL.
Maybe there is someone who wants to learn Chinese for English lessons?
Make sure this guy is only reading in English, listening to English radio stations and watching only English films and TV programs in his free time.
There is also a period of time in language learning where the student can understand others, but not communicate as well as they understand. If he is in this phase, he might be able to bring himself up to snuff faster than you would imagine. This is especially true for shy students who have little chance to practice and communicate with others. My guess is that you might be the only person who has made an attempt to communicate with this guy.
I understand your frustration, but if you can hold in there a little longer, you might be changing someone’s life. But if you can’t do it, please at least try to find someone who can.
Students usually have advisors assigned to them. It is the advisor’s job to help the student swim vs. sink, and I suggest you enlist the advisor’s assistance in getting this young man some intensive help, per DMark’s post above.
I’ve been in situations similar to yours, and I understand the frustration you feel… It’s a tough spot to be in, and you’re doing a good thing for this student in seeking alternative/additional help for him.
Has your university got an international student center of any sort, or better yet, an ESL help center? They’ve probably encountered this problem before, and can put him in touch with somebody who has the time and resources to work more intensely with him.
Who’s above you in the tutoring program? There may well be a support system for students who need more intensive help than you’re prepared to give, whether through the tutoring center or the other places that other’s have mentioned.
As someone who’s tutored, I know it’s really frustrating to be faced with problems that seem much too big for you to deal with, especially with time constraints. Best of luck!
Do you know if he has passed the TOEFL exam? A minimum score (600 I believe) is ususally required to be admitted to an American University. This is occassionally waived if the student is enrolled concurrently through an intensive English program. However, a passing score can be somewhat misleading as many international students simply study the exam.
Do you know if there is an ESL/EFL institute on campus or in the community? It may be quite small. I taught at one on a college campus for several years in California and most students did not know it was there. Check with the English or Linguistics Departments. If there is one, it may be in his best interest to do a semester with them before fully matriculating into a MBA program. They are usually quite good at evaluating a students language skills.
If there isn’t an institute locally, I would definitely follow Fretful Porpentine’s advice and check with the International Students office.
Having worked with many international students I know your frustration. The students are fully aware of their language limitations and are quick to latch onto a friendly face, it is infinitely more comfortable than seeking help elsewhere. In any case, the best of luck to you.
Assign him a lot of grammar-related homework. Grade it. Make him read an ESL-tutoring textbook, section by section. Give him little quizzes. That will push him to do a lot of learning on his free time, and put less strain on you in session.
Well, we had an appointment scheduled for today, and he didn’t come in. sigh
Thanks for the suggestions and the support everybody, there are several things that I’m going to try. He’s actually in a program that is designed specifically for foreign business students. I’m not entirely sure what, if any, ESL classes the program includes, but I do know is current class is Business Communications—they do a lot of reading and writing, from what I can tell. It’s almost like an English class, except instead of reading books, they read business articles.
I’m going to talk to my supervisor about it, again, and I’m going to see if he will be willing to take on extra grammar HW.