Thomas Chapin, BIOL, GES, Writing Tutor (& plant whisperer)

Tue, 03 Oct 2017 11:08:12 -0400

Celebrate National Tutor Appreciation Week by getting to know a tutor!

Thomas Chapin

Tell us a little about yourself.

​I'm an Environmental Sciences (B.S.) major, and I aspire to be a Plant Ecologist. I grow a bunch of herbs and ethnobotanical plants (stevia, St. John's wort, etc.). I love to be outdoors and care for and study plants and animals.

Tell us about how you are involved on campus.

​Other than tutoring Writing, Environmental Science and Conservation (GES 120) , and Biology 141, I am part of the Garden Club and sometimes I show up to Astronomy Club meetings to talk about space. ​

How and why did you get involved in being a tutor?

​My instructor suggested that I become a writing tutor after I took English 100 with her. I took the training course and became one because I had always been an effective teacher and loved talking to people about things they are interested in.

What is your favorite thing about being a tutor?

​My favorite part about being a tutor is the happiness that I feel when someone comes to me lacking direction and passion for their paper and leaves with a newfound hope and interest in the subject matter. I love brainstorming with students to help them find what they find most interesting about a subject, then helping them to develop a question or thesis that explores and answers it.

Why should students utilize the tutoring?

​Tutoring is free and I've found things that could be improved upon in nearly every paper that I've seen. Why would someone pass up a better grade out of pride?​

What advice would you give students about how to prepare for a tutoring session?

​I would advise that they actually have background knowledge about the subject matter. If they don't know what else to write about, the answer is always to do more research and draw connections with new information. If you do not know something, at least know a reference where it can be found (and cite it).​

When and where can someone work with you through the Learning Resources Center?

​Though I only offer a few hours a week ​tutoring in the Writing Center (Tues, Thurs 1-2pm), I often pick up the hours of other tutors when they call out, and I am often doing homework at the writing center. Unfortunately, I'm fully booked tutoring Biology and GES 120, but I'm always available if anyone has questions about the subject matter.