Oh, the agony...

...and I'm not just talking about the Writing Center Christmas party. Okay, number one, I get ramen noodles. The funnest part was spilling Mark's drink onto his plate. What does that tell you? Bah Humbug.

Okay, i'm online and I read on espn.com that the Yankees have landed Randy Johnson. Ten minutes later I read that the deal is dead because one of the people doesn't want to leave where he's at. Just horrible. That's taking false hopes to a whole new level.

My question (that concerns the writing center...yes, i'm talking about the writing center in this blog) is whether we have to tutor during a given semester to maintain our status as tutors. I'd much rather tutor at night, but maybe I'll tutor one hour of one day to stay 'active'. Maybe I'll be like the Jimi Hendrix of tutors and be like the meteor that shot through the sky and was gone forever...okay, that's being a little bit melodramatic...not to mention the fact that Jimi Hendrix is a much better guitar player than I am/was a tutor.

Speaking of musicians, Mark was trying to tell me that the drummer from the Dave Matthews Band is the best in the world. Jimmy Chamberlain, drummer for the Smashing Pumpkins, is MUCH better than he. Who would you guys argue is the best? Gotsta be Chamberlain.

Anyway, I wish you all a Happy Kwanzaa and hope that I haven't corrupted you all too much..especially YOU Kyle. Sorry I called you a mix between the Waltons and the Brady Bunch. I'll see you all next semester....

...or will I?

TO BE CONTINUED......

Plagiarism

I ran across this really cool article “Annals of Culture: Something Borrowed” by Malcolm Gladwell in The New Yorker. It’s about plagiarism and how—just maybe—some people take the idea to an extreme, persecuting people for it to the point of ruining their career.
Now, his argument doesn’t come from a sympathetic stand point, nor is he advocating wholesale copying of other peoples texts; however, he is attempting to break open the single minded view that good writing, which does not plagiarize, stands on its own, free borrowing for others. As he puts it, “The final dishonesty of the plagiarism fundamentalists is to encourage us to pretend that these chains of influence and evolution do not exist, and that a writer’s words have a virgin birth and an eternal life.”
He is hitting on one of the fundamental ideas of Borgesian literary understanding: all of literature is one text. Any determined reading through English poetry, from Chaucer to Eliot, would surly back this statement up. When we read through and see repeated words and phrases, obvious borrowings of dramatic technique, etc., we wonder where the line is drawn—for example: the word “blank” has about three literary meanings all of which have been written upon by almost every major English poet. Or better yet, the evolution of Gods pronouncement, “I am that I am.”
This is interesting because the logical consequence is that when we speak of allusion, we should ask ourselves how far away we are from plagiarism. There is almost an imperceptible line between the two, and, as Gladwell points out, it is almost always a case of skillful writing. It is tempting to think of literary allusion as artful plagiarism, remembering, “The inventor knows how to borrow.”

Wet Paint...Yikes....and other thoughts

I think Wet Paint belongs in the 80s Heavy Metal genre. I guess it's tame compared to some of the songs from that era, but still, come on, Mark.

So we're no longer 'rookies'. It feels good in a way, but now we don't have any excuse for screwing up. It's kind of sad because I don't know if I should act uppity like some of the 'veteran' tutors from this semester, or whether we can keep it fun.

I feel like singing "Sailing On" from Saturday's Warrior, but number one, I don't know all the words; number two, I think Saturday's Warrior is kinda lame (sorry Kyle ;) ). Anyway, it seems to be the appropriate song for a change in your life. Maybe it won't be such a big change.

I love this weather! I think it's double great because there is still time to go out and play catch, AND those Christmas-lovers that just KILL for a white Christmas, well, all I can say is "Hah Hah!". Christmas is another day to me, anyway, but I get enjoyment when others do NOT.

Well, we're getting to NFL playoff time and the playoff picture is starting to take shape. The NFC is crazy, but we'll try to figure it out right here.

The AFC is much more cut and dried. The Patriots and Steelers will get first round byes, but I don't think that matters as much this year.

First Round
Ravens at Colts Colts win
Jets at Chargers Chargers win
Vikings at Seahawks Seahawks win
Panthers at Packers Packers win

Second Round
Colts at Steelers Colts win
Chargers at Patriots Chargers win
Packers at Falcons Falcons win
Panthers at Eagles Eagles win

Conference Championships
Chargers at Colts Colts win
Falcons at Eagles Eagles win

Super Bowl
Colts and Eagles Colts win, MVP, Edgerrin James

Okay, do I REALLY believe the Colts can win it all? Yes, I do.

Anyway, watch for my baseball predictions around February.

Have fun and a little vent

My advice to new tutors would be to have fun! If you show enthusiasm for not only writing, but for the student, this will rub off on the student and other tutors. In many of my tutoring sessions I have had students who are reserved at the beginning of the session, but by the end of it they are able to laugh at their own mistakes. It is so important, not only in tutoring, but in life, to be able to laugh at yourself!

It has been quite an experience to be a writing tutor, an experience that only those who have tutored before can relate to. One of the reasons why I like the blogs is because I am able to tell other tutors about my experiences. I try to tell my friends who have never tutored before about a certain tutoring session, but they are not able to fully understand what I have gone through because they have not been a tutor before.

I had a tutoring session today where I felt completely helpless. I had helped this particular student before and I thought that I did an ok job. It was 12:35 when I started getting her ready to go today and she told me about the grade she got on the last paper she brought it. Apparently her teacher marked her down on a lot of grammar issues and gave her 52%. She kept on saying that her teacher hates her and that is why she always gets low grades on her papers. Personally, I think the teacher is probably grading a little harsh, but the student is probably being harsh too saying that the teacher hates her.

I began the session, knowing that in the last session I helped her get 52%, a little hesitant. No pressure, right? The end of my shift was at 1:00, so I figured that we would be able to go over the important issues before I had to leave. By the time it was 1:00 we were only on the second paragraph. She had spent pretty much the entire session trying to rearrange one sentence that I didn’t believe even needed to be rearranged. She would ask for suggestions, but didn’t like any of the ones that I was giving her.

During the session I felt like she just wanted me to do all the work, but then when I tried to help and give her suggestions she would just throw them back in my face. She actually would violently slide her paper at me to read it. I just wanted to yell at her and say think about what you want to write, write it, and then come back and somebody else will help you.

I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t want to do the work for her, but at the same time I didn’t want to just stare at one sentence for 30 minutes. I felt relieved as soon as I was able to leave the session. And now it is nice to write about the experience. One good tutoring session can make up for three bad ones. Through this semester I have had plenty of good sessions that replace the bad. Thanks for listening!

I know I'm a bit late in posting this, but I would like to respond to the prompt about what I wish I'd known before I began working at the Writing Center as a tutor. When I learned I had been hired as a tutor at Weber State, I was overjoyed. However, I had no idea about the unusual yet meaningful journey that lay ahead of me.

Most of all, I wish I had realized how many different ways in which writing is regarded. I am constantly around friends who enjoy writing and sharing their thoughts and feelings with those around them. I knew I was going to be dealing with people who disliked writing to a certain extent, but I was shocked when most of the clients who wandered into the Writing Center seeking my help regarded writing as a chore rather than a pleasure. I wish I had been more aware of this atmosphere, because I feel I may have been more help to the passive writers that needed my help.

I also wish I had realized how psychologically involving tutoring sessions can be. Drugs, alcohol, and other types of substance abuse are emotional topics for me because of the effects they have had on the people I love. After I began working as a writing tutor, I found that the majority of students I assisted had written about some type of substance abuse. At first, I found it difficult to read about a student's struggles through drugs and alcohol because it reminded me of people in my own life. However, I soon discovered that I could learn through what the student had written about their experiences, and what they had been through. I found that this conducive to my empathy towards my loved ones and their issues.

Finally, I wish I had known what an incredible experience this would be. From working in the Writing Center for this past semester, I have made some great friends, had fun with writing,
and learned so much. I could not have imagined a more fun way to spend my Fall while doing something I love. Thanks, guys.