Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What should I bring?

A: Bring whatever you have. This can include notes, outlines, rough drafts, final drafts, etc. Also, please bring the assignment sheet or prompt for your essay AND any comments that your teacher may have left you. We have computers (laptops and desktops) available for students to use.



Q: What actually happens during a consultation?

A: At the beginning of a session, the tutor will talk to you about your assignment. Keep in mind this is not a one-sided conversation: you must talk to your tutor in order for them to figure about the best way to help you! If you have anything specific in mind you want to work on, now would be the best time to tell your tutor. If you have not written anything yet, you and your tutor may discuss your ideas and choosing strategies to organize and develop them. If you have written something, you and your tutor will go through it. Your tutor will identify areas for improvement and discuss them with you. Our focus is to help you thoroughly respond to the prompt and fulfill, to the best of your ability, all aspects of the assignment. We will overview organization, structure, analysis, and any other areas of concern with you. Our secondary interest is grammar and mechanics. However, let us reiterate that these "lower-order" concerns (i.e style and rhetoric) are secondary to "higher-orderer" concerns (i.e overall organization and comprehension). Our sessions are collaborative and since we invest our time into helping you, we expect you to invest your undivided attention, focus, and can-do attitude. Please come prepared to take notes of your discussion.



Q: Can I choose the tutor I work with?

A: Yes! We want you to feel comfortable with whomever you are paired with. Please visit our staff page to find out more about the tutors you can work with. All of our tutors have different strengths, and some may be better equipped to respond to your tasks and interests. We will do our best to accomodate your requests, but there is no guarentee your request will always be honored. In the case that your tutor is sick, absent from school, or dealing with a last-minute emergency, we will have another tutor take your appointment. However, regardless of your tutoring match, please know that all of our tutors are aptly qualified and only wish to help you succeed. Check out Our Staff and find someone you like!



Q: Will the tutor read my paper ahead of time?

A: We do provide the option of attatching a document when you book your appointment. That said, while we encourage attatching your most recent draft when you schedule your appointment, we may not always get to it beforehand.



Q: Can I schedule my appointment the day before an assignment is due?

A: Of course! But keep in mind that it takes time to effectively edit a paper after receiving comments and we want you to have the time to thoroughly dissect your paper if you decide you need to. Try to schedule an appointment well before the assignment's due date.



Q: Can I become a tutor?

A: Absolutely!...next year. You must be enrolled in Honors Writing Instructors (with Ms. Elizabeth Cramarosso) in order to become a peer tutor in the Lane Tech Writing Center. For more information, check our Join Us page!



Q: Will I be able to leave my tutor feedback?

A: Yes! After your session we will ask you via email to fill out a brief survey. You may leave tutors comments there. Keep in mind, tutors will have their own post-consult form to fill out as well and will also be leaving comments for you (so please be respectful). However, if you did have a bad experience with your tutor (i.e he/she was blatantly rude, vulgar, disinterested, etc) please let us know as we take any misconduct very seriously.



Q: Can I bring my 120 page essay to the writing center?

A: Yes, you may bring any sized assignment to the Writing Center. Keep in mind, however, that time will limit the amount of material we get through per session. If you're coming to us with a hefty paper, perhaps identify the areas you'd like us to focus on before the session so we can make the most of your time or book multiple appointments!



Q: I'm a parent, can I get involved with the writing center?

A: While we don't allow parents to volunteer as tutors, we welcome any offers to help out! Whether you'd like to bring food to an event, promote the LTWC on social media, or offer a testimonial, we are open to anything! If you have an idea, please email our director, Elizabeth Cramarosso, at eacramarosso@cps.edu.



Q: How will my teacher know that I came to the writing center?

A: All tutors are required to fill out a Client Report form after each appointment. This report details what you and your tutor talked about, any improvements you made, and any comments/suggestions they have for you going forward. This report is then sent via email to your teacher, you, your tutor, and the director of the Writing Center. If your teacher did not recieve a form, this may be attributed to (1) a system glitch, (2) a mis-entered email when you scheduled your appointment, or (3) a mistake on your tutor's behalf. Ideally, tutors submit their Client Report forms at the end of the day, however tutors are students and humans and thus occassionally forget. We suggest waiting a day or two, and if you still haven't received a report, come swing by the Writing Center or email eacramarosso@cps.edu and we will personally sort it out for you!



Q: I am a home-bound student, can I still meet with a tutor?

A: Yes! Our systems do offer online appintments and we reserve them specifically for students who are unable to make it to school. Since some students took unneccesary advantage of these services, we had to remove them from our general bookings (meaning if you go to our scheduling page you won't be able to book an online appointment). However if you have special circumstances preventing you from coming into the writing center, please email our director, Elizabeth Cramarosso, at eacramarosso@cps.edu and she'll help you set up an appointment!