I know that my brush is broad (it's a
bad habit of mine) --and that there are MANY competent tutors out
there--somewhere.?? I have heard about many at literacy conferences,
for example who have done wonders with their learners.? 



In my consulting work, though, I haven't encountered many who have had such
notable success with English language learners.? I am SURE the success
rate with native English speakers is MUCH higher.?? All of the tutors
I have made these observations about have received between 10-30 hours of
training.? It still has not met the tutors' needs to be able to be
successful with their ESL students.? The learner I described who had much
higher oral competence than his tutor or supervisor suspected was a referral
because he had not made "any" progress during several months of tutoring--by
the tutor's report.? 



The supervisor AND the tutor both told me there are students like this who
" won't be able to make any meaningful progress" and that the job of
the tutor therefore should be to? make the learners "feel comfortable
with who they are."? As what?? non-learners??? I find
this an unacceptable attitude.? 



What I am out to do here is to do two things:? 1) Go to bat for ESOL
learners who think they are going to get help when they are assigned a
volunteer tutor and then are blamed for not making progress because the
tutor--and the program that put the tutor in the position of working with
someone s/he was not prepared to work with-- led the learner to believe
effective help was available.? 



and 2) challenge the notion that we cannot expect too much of volunteer
tutors.? I think we can--and they will like it when they CAN do well in
teaching their learners.?? The tutors I have worked with are sort of
sadly grateful for any little thing that will help them do a little better for
their learners.? Wouldn't it be nice to have them better prepared from the
outset so that their willingness to take time to work with someone needing to
advance education in some way does not just end up being an exercise in
frustration for all concerned???



Robin? 












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