My first impression of the University Center for Writing-based Learning (UCWbL) at DePaul was that the community was great, and everyone was so friendly and supportive. That sentiment actually is what really encouraged me to apply for a position as a tutor. Anytime I asked anyone I knew who worked at the UCWbL they always spoke of the great work environment before anything else. As a freshman at the time, I didn’t have many college friends and I was looking forward to branching out and meeting new people, so I applied to work as a tutor.
I was over the moon when I got the job, and then I remembered that COVID-19 was in full swing, and quarantine was in effect. While I wouldn’t be able to get the full experience right away, I was still looking forward to my new job. Now that I have worked my first full year – almost at the time of writing at least – at the UCWbL, I can say I am pleasantly surprised at how well we were all able to communicate and connect even with the distance between us as tutors.
Expectations
Because I knew I was going into my first year on the job completely online, I wasn’t expecting the community to be as engaging as my friends made it out to be. I kind of figured I would just sit around at home and do my tutoring completely by myself except for when I reported to my WRD 395 class. I did not expect to really have much communication with my fellow tutors.
I have to admit that I was not as excited as I think I would have been had my first quarter been in person. While I was excited to actually have a job, my mind was not so much on the community aspect because I figured we just wouldn’t really talk to each other. I was also nervous because without the ability to be in-person with my peers and veteran UCWbLers, I wasn’t sure how well I would do at tutoring my first year.
Reality
Once I started the job, I was honestly surprised. For being completely remote, I found the communication within the “office” great. Everyone was ready and willing to help out new staffers whenever they had questions. No one ever made me feel as if I wasn’t able to ask for help. My mentor as well as my professor for WRD 395 (where we learn the theory behind being a tutor before actually practicing it) were great resources for me to turn to.
Having to take WRD 395 before “officially” becoming a tutor was very helpful because it gave me space to learn without the pressure of jumping right into appointments. It was also a space for me to get to know some other new faces so I wouldn’t feel alone in this online world. My group of virtual friends from WRD 395 were always helping each other out and making each other feel better when we didn’t know how to do something, or we just wanted to discuss what it was like starting to get into real appointments.
My friends from class still do virtual get-togethers every once in a while, to catch up and talk about how we are growing as tutors. I can’t wait to finally meet them in-person once we are able to go back to the physical office.
I also was able to join a team in Winter Quarter, which made me feel much more a part of the community than before. Being a member of the Outreach Team here has been such a fun part of my second and third quarters at the UCWbL. I’ve gotten to know a lot more people at the writing center and be a part of planning fun events for everyone.
Looking Ahead
Next year, I am hoping to be able to move back to in person tutoring as well as be able to meet and interact with my fellow tutors in the office. This year has been nothing short of interesting, and I think that starting my career at the UCWbL out in an unprecedented situation is only making me more excited to return to in person activities. While I have been able to get to know some of the other tutors, at least to some extent, I can only imagine how much better the community in when we are all able to be in the same room again.
I definitely did not get the same experience as a lot of tutors in terms of first year at the job and getting to know the dynamic of the community; however, I do not think my first year was a disappointment at all. Despite the challenges of an online work environment, my mentors and fellow tutors made me feel like a part of the team right from the start. I want to extend a huge thank you to everyone who made the transition into working at the UCWbL divinely easy and to everyone who made me feel at home even through the computer.