Amanda Smith
Lantern Staff
Most students attending Butler’s El Dorado campus would recognize Professor of Chemistry Robert Carlson whether it be from his classes, lunch or just from encountering his outgoing personality around campus. Carlson has been teaching at Butler for 30 years and in his time, he has always put his students first.
One thing that students may not know about Carlson is that, for the last 15 years, he has provided a tutoring service for his students. Formerly called “Magical, Mythical Fridays,” his service now takes place throughout the week on the Andover campus and has adopted a new name, “Carlson’s Corner,” which can be seen on the side of his wagon he pulls around with supplies.
“It’s all about students’ success,” Carlson said. “If you can help students get through a class…that’s what we’re here for.”
Carlson sees around five students per session, and he tends to see the most before exams–typical of cramming students. While he believes there is a stigma with accepting help through tutoring, he believes that if students see the advantage of accepting help, they will be more willing to do so.
“You’re not going to come to tutoring unless you feel there is an advantage when it comes to test time,” Carlson said. “If I can demonstrate to you that there is an advantage, then more people will show up to tutoring. Then it does not become that stigma.”
His sessions take place Tuesday and Thursday from 3 to 4 p.m. and also on some Wednesdays and Fridays. Students should check his board to see if, and when, he is available on those days.
One student who has found Carlson to be helpful is medical laboratory science major Jessica Boutwell. Boutwell went to Carlson for tutoring after struggling with her Chemistry 2 class.
“He has a way of breaking things down into their simplest forms without making you feel like an idiot,” Bautwell said. “He’s not overly technical and uses plain language. He’s the only reason I passed Chemistry 2. I could not have done it without him.”
