Tutor Spotlight: Dustin Florence

Dustin started as a tutor at the Writing Center in August of this year. He is originally from Amarillo, but moved to Lubbock as a freshman in high school. In college, he earned a bachelor's degree in Liberal Arts. Dustin continued his education and earned his masters degree in English Literature while studying in Taiwan. He lived in Taiwan and a few other countries in East Asia for several years. He stayed there to teach English as a foreign language. He met his wife while teaching in Taiwan. While living there, Dustin travelled to many different countries. He said, “I’ve always been interested in the different food and cultures.” Dustin says he prefers to visit a country and stay for a while rather than just going for a quick visit. He has ridden an elephant while trekking through the mountains in Thailand. He said they were very docile and gentle. Dustin and his wife moved back to Lubbock six years ago. Dustin said they chose to come to Lubbock because it is where most of his family is living. After moving back, Dustin earned his masters degree in Applied Linguistics. Before becoming a tutor, he worked as a TA in the Applied Linguistics department.

Dustin said he wanted to become a tutor because of his background working in education. He said he had two requirements for a job: he wanted to be able to work with students one on one and he wanted to be at Texas Tech, so being a tutor seemed like the perfect fit. After studying for his masters here, he said he really loved the environment on campus and that it was one of the best times in his life; he was ready to come back.

Dustin said his favorite part about tutoring is the brainstorming sessions. “That’s when you can really see how a student is thinking and help them explore ways to expand their thinking… It’s like getting a window into the mind of the students.” He also loves being able to help students express their ideas more clearly.

Lastly, we asked Dustin, “If you were on a deserted island and could only bring 3 things, what would they be?” His answers were very wise and practical (and we are trying to convince him to be on the next season of Survivor). He said he would bring something sharp and metal, like a machete, so he could cut down trees etc. Next he said he wanted to bring something like flint to make a fire. And last but not least, Dustin said he would bring a very big book, such as the Complete Works of William Shakespeare, so he could keep reading it over and over without getting bored.