Frustrations at Service

          My overall experience at service was a good one. I like to think I gained some character through the times I spent there tutoring my two different learners. I must admit though, at times, I found myself frustrated with the program and saw it as a more of a stress than an opportunity to help others.

          I was confused as to the reason why we were asked to come into service when our learner wasn't going to show, or for that matter, why we couldn't leave service early if they never came. Spending all that time sitting there, most of the time doing nothing, can get really boring. I experienced several instances where my learners never called into service ahead of time to tell Mark or Scott that they weren't going to make it; so I would go to service with no work to do for myself because I would be under the impression that they would be there. That brings up another point, I think there definitely could have been better communication between Saint Joe's and the CFL. I found it hard to get into contact with Mark and Scott when I wasn't able to make it into service and it was a confusing process as to whom I should've been contacting when I wasn't going to make it. I think there should be better collaboration between Saint Joe's and the CFL for next years program to give the tutors a better understanding of what is to be expected from both organizations.

          I also must complain about the length of each session at the CFL. Three hours is just too long. I found that during many sessions with my learners they were tired and uninterested in the work we were doing. I felt like we were just going through the motions from 6:30 on and I was just pushing the work on the learner. Focusing on just math and reading for three hours straight can tire anyone out, especially me after having 3 hour and a half classes before I went to the CFL. I think that two hours would suffice for next years program. I think tutors and learners would find that manageable and long enough to keep them both interested in teaching and learning.

          I don't know if I can say I would take another service course again. I found it very time consuming and, as I said, a bit stressful. The workload really starts to pile on at the end of the semesters and having service every Wednesday from 4 to 7:45 makes it a lot more stressful to complete other assignments. I may reconsider if the time for these programs were shortened.