What I Do When You Don't Come To Drop-Ins

Wednesday, September 23, 2015
by Brandon Petryna

Drop-in hours at the libraries are best spent helping students with their assignments. What I like most about being a tutor is that I am constantly reminded that I have an entire work term of no homework. I’m living in the world of education’s liminal space: sitting on the sidelines not being affected!

Person on sidelines of a sporting event cheering on the team.

When I’m not helping students, I’m doing other things like writing this blog post... Sometimes I try to keep it slightly more eventful. Let’s take a particularly slow day at DP, for example.

Here’s what I look like waiting

I can only sit like this for so long. Eventually, all of the energy that my body has been harbouring will demand to be freed.

And once I give in, there’s no going back.

Here are a few things that occur when students aren’t taking advantage of my “expertise.”

  1. I sit in the DP elevator and hit the Emergency Stop button. A lot.

     And that’s just inconvenient for everyone else.

  1. I have more time to commandeer all of the library coffee.
  1. I get creative with the printing paper.

But once all of that energy is used up, I must replenish in order to properly focus on helping students when they come to the drop-in. For lack of a better transition, my need to consume is why there’s a ban on hot foods in the DC library.

I would like to put all my superiors’ worries at ease: my antics are fictionalized, if not exaggerated a little. In reality, I help undergraduate and graduate students with all forms of writing. I can even help you with oral presentations! Check our website for drop-in details and prevent further tutor shenanigans!

Until my next transmission,

Brandon, Peer Tutor,

UW Writing Centre