By Julianne Fullerton | Reporter
To aid the many Baylor students who have a foreign language requirement, the modern language and cultures department offers free tutoring and conversation hours. However, Krista Eades, a temporary lecturer in Spanish, said that as beneficial as these resources are, students often fail to take full advantage of them.
For the Spanish department in particular, tutoring and conversation hours — also known as charla — are run by graduate students who offer to help students who are struggling in their classes or simply need additional practice speaking the language. Both the tutoring and the conversation hours are held at various times in Burleson 101.
Kathryn Herd, a first-year graduate student who works in the tutoring center, said tutoring is tailored to the individualized needs of students, while conversation hours are more unstructured.
Herd said the purpose of tutoring and conversation hours is to help students build confidence in learning and speaking the language.
“Our goal is that students can have a space where they feel comfortable to come with their questions and practice speaking, ultimately improving their confidence and participation in class,” Herd said.
Jessica Sain, another first-year graduate student, said she wants students to know that tutoring and conversation hours are judgment-free zones and that asking questions is encouraged.
“Whenever I tutor, I do it in English and Spanish so the students are able to feel more comfortable knowing that they can translate from their first language,” Sain said. “It’s a good place for them to be able to make mistakes without being embarrassed.”
Professors in the Spanish department often encourage their students to utilize these resources on their own, even when extra credit is not offered.
Gloria Smith, temporary lecturer in Spanish, said tutoring and conversation hours are great resources for all students, especially those who might need more help or have specific questions or concerns.
“I have had students who have said they have really benefited from the tutoring and conversation hours,” Smith said. “I think they are a really good resource for students who need extra practice or need extra individual help.”
Smith said she was pleasantly surprised by the number of students who utilized the tutoring center last semester.
“I would love to see more students go on their own,” Smith said. “I have noticed that the students who have gone to tutoring and were struggling, I’ve seen them improve.”
Eades said tutoring and conversation hours are underutilized.
“I wish that more would use it because I think that everyone can get something out of it,” Eades said. “I’ve seen improvement in grades — drastic improvement — when they do take advantage of the tutoring resource.”
Beyond improving grades and test scores, Eades said the conversation hours in particular celebrate the community of learning a language.
“There is a value and pleasure in learning a second language, and I think the charla classes bring this out really well,” Eades said. “They just kind of celebrate the community that’s found in learning a language that isn’t necessarily your own.”
