I just returned from a marathon tutoring session that resulted in a tired, weary Vivek. I spent four hours tutoring, 1.5 hours driving, and 30 minutes checking my email on the phone (while tutoring). That doesn’t really add up.
I like tutoring. Its one of those rare vocations that allows you to satisfy the beast of instant gratification that dwells inside of you (or rather, me). I like explaining stuff to people and I love helping folks figure stuff out. After spending 10 minutes talking someone through a particular math problem, my students start getting it. Their eyes light up and all that stuff that indicates that they actually understand it happens. Its an instant boost of the ego (thats the only kind of ego boosting there is, isn’t it?)
I know if I don’t cut it as some kind of legal person, I can always be a math or science teacher. I could be one of those cool ones that talks about music and art and other things and somehow [insert to be determined method here] connect it back to what we’re talking about in class.
Anyway, I got into this work because I needed some $$. And what better way for someone that went to a fancy-ass college and whose about to get another fancy-ass degree to make money? I told a friend of mine that I was a tutor in math, science, and other subjects, and he told me I wasn’t getting paid enough, that he knew someone who got paid $200 per hour in NYC to tutor folks. I’m not paid that much, but I am getting some cash before I start incurring massive loads of debt. Plus it allows me the luxury to blahg.
But there is a political edge to all of this – I tutor rich people. For those in the know about Houston, I’ve tutored in West University, Bellaire, and other luxurious neighborhoods. They are usually white, with the occasional student of color thrown in the mix. Many of these students actually do not need tutoring – they just need more time to sit down and figure the stuff out by themselves. One time, I had a student who needed no help at all. I would walk in the door, put my stuff down, say hi to the kid’s mom (its invariably the student’s mothers I interact with and get paid by, usually the fathers are nowhere to be found), and then he would do his problems with me beside him, looking at his work. I would do the occasional “make sure you do X” or “that doesn’t follow Y” but my presence there was mostly unnecessary.
And being who I am, my name does throw some people off. Twice, I’ve called someone back who has called the agency I work with to inquire about their tutoring needs and have gotten questionable results. Despite the agency telling them that I graduated from such and such school and am planning to go to such and such law school, they seem to have a hard time calling me back. The transcript of one such call is as follows:
V: Hi, my name is Vivek Mittal – I am a tutor from XYZ, is [usually the mom] there?
Person: Um, no, she’s not here. Can I take a message?
V: [thinking, oh thats weird, V was told she would be there] Well, this is regarding tutoring Calculus for her son.
Person: Well, leave a message and she will call you back.
V: OK. [V proceeds to leave message]
V does not receive call. V asks XYZ to call. XYZ calls.
XYZ: Hi, this is XYZ, Vivek, one of our tutors, contacted you regarding tutoring…
Person: [mild hostility stinks up the phone line] We have his number so we’ll call him back when we’re ready…
Its true. It happened. I think once people hear my name, they get scared. When my tutoring company calls people back, they often ask where I went to school, where I am heading to school, and more than once, whether I can speak English well.
I can only laugh when I hear such things.
