I posted this under science because I see it occurring most under this subject. Many of the tutors here are very rude and useless at times. Honestly, if kids are on the internet seeking help for questions on their homework or whatever, they aren't going to suddenly know the answer because some tutor was rude to them or told them to Google it up. Also, Wikipedia is not a reliable source sometimes because people can change it all the time. In fact, most schools and teachers advise against it. All of you tutors on here can reply or do what they want but I have searched through the archives and I have found some very rude and/or unprofessional replies. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of very helpful and useful replies as well, but there were enough impolite replies to warrant this complaint.
4 answers
The object of education is not just to pass the test and get the grade, it is to learn about the world we live in so that we might better understand it and be better able to be good citizens, as well as prepare for a career. Just giving the answers to the students accomplishes neither of those goals.
Students sometimes pose their questions in a manner that I cannot understand because of poor writing on the student's part. I will tell them that I cannot understand the question and ask that they rephrase it. I've told some that the question makes no sense. If that's rude, it's truthful and one would hope the student might be encouraged to restate the question in a manner that can be understood. I ask that they be specific about what confuses them. That's not being rude, it is encouraging the student to organize their thoughts so that I might better help them.
Encouraging students to read their texts or assigned materials is also not rude when the answers should, clearly, be in materials the student obviously has not read. Directing students to a website is not being unhelpful, it is asking that the student read something so as to learn. Sometimes I have recommended that a student enter key words in his/her search engine and see what comes up. That is not rude, it is trying to teach students to know how to find answers for themselves, a skill that might be useful throughout life.
If tutor responses sometimes seem terse, they may be. It's difficult to have a long discussion in brief remarks. When a student seems obviously confused about a question, you will find long threads of back-and-forth with the tutor until the student seems to have a good grasp of the subject matter.
I do sometimes recommend Wikipedia, especially as an introduction to a topic. Wikipedia should not be used as a primary source for a research paper, but as an introduction to a topic, I do find it useful. Wikipedia entries also contain links to primary sources, which may be clicked on. I, myself, was taught from middle-school onward not to use encyclopedias as sources in writing papers, be it World Book or any other. But to find a fact or to introduce a topic (provide an overview) they can be useful.
Your comments are very negative but provide no positive advice on how you think we might better serve students. If you have such advice, please feel free to offer it. In the meantime, I will continue to advise students to READ, READ, READ in order to learn. I WILL NOT give them the answers.
I'll plead guilty to being "mean" and "rude." If encouraging students to read and think earns me this designation, then so be it!