Tutoring with the Vampire

Abstract

Attending a tutoring session can be challenging for students. In addition to general anxiety, cultural norms and bad experiences may deter students from pursuing tutoring. Additionally, if the experience is unpleasant, students may not return despite the potential benefits. Anxiety is detrimental to learning, so an anxiety-ridden student will not receive a fulfilling learning experience. Therefore, part of a tutor’s responsibility is ensuring their tutee has a positive tutoring experience in a comfortable environment that fosters genuine learning. However, how does a tutor provide a positive experience?
“Tutoring with the Vampire” is a creative non-fiction short story highlighting how a tutor can create a good environment, looking at the benefits of breaking the ice, building rapport, and avoiding appropriation. The short story obeys the rule “show, don’t tell” as it strives to demonstrate that these are three beneficial things for tutors to consider while utilizing scholarly sources. In addition, the narrative prose shows the reader a positive tutoring experience, allowing the reader to envision the examples in a straightforward fashion.