A big howdy to all the new bloggerians. The most valuable piece of advice about tutoring I've received? Duck and cover! OK just kidding, but I couldn't resist being a smart alek. I have to think back to when I was a quasi-peer tutor (I was working in a WC as a grad student), and the best bit of advice came from a student I was working with. I was talking a lot to the student and she said "Hang on a second. I need to think about this." What it boils down to is knowing when to shut up and let some write.