Cake and Eat It, Too
Better essays or better writers? We could debate this one until the cows come home (I live on a farm and can say this), yet the two issues are so intertwined as to be inseparable. In striving to improve the essay we are in essence improving the writer and vise versa. If we are doing our job as tutors, that is.
Try to separate the writer from the essay and you’ll know what I’m talking about. Writing is an intensely personal and revealing medium. Through their words writers reveal (among other things) thought processes, knowledge, bias, humor, sensitivity, insecurity, fear, or a lack of any of the above. Each essay is in some way an expression of individuality deserving of care and respect. This is part of what makes our question so ethically complex.
I believe that when we look at an essay we can’t help but look at the writer behind it. Treat one and you invariably treat the other in some fashion. Each tutoring session, like each individual, is going to be different. So, when the student brings in an incoherent essay, my response would be based on a variety of factors including the student’s state of mind. Whether I address just this particular essay or the larger reasons behind what went wrong will vary student to student. Is the assignment due in ten minutes, or is there time to revise? Is the sensitive student more receptive to spelling than structure at this point? Is the student hostile toward advice or eager for help?
Students bring their writing to the Writing Center because they know it’s not perfect (OK, except for those who were forced to come). They look to us as having more experience or expertise with the writing process, and will, in theory, take our advice. As students work with a tutor to strengthen their essay, they are at the same time learning writing skills that will help them with future assignments. They can’t help it. Empowerment—it’s a beautiful thing.
As for the broadly offensive essay: We should never ignore it. Addressing the tone of the essay is just one way to diplomatically point out that words can and do hurt others. The student who writes using such language might already have some idea that this essay will cause a reaction. In this case, he or she will be watching and waiting for a response from the tutor. Our feedback should prepare students for what they will encounter in the classroom and in life.
It is also entirely possible that the student does not realize the language of the essay is offensive; in this case our reaction might spare them future embarrassment or animosity. Writers need to take responsibility for what they write. To ignore the offensive essay is to sanction it, while directly addressing it places the responsibility right where it belongs.
Try to separate the writer from the essay and you’ll know what I’m talking about. Writing is an intensely personal and revealing medium. Through their words writers reveal (among other things) thought processes, knowledge, bias, humor, sensitivity, insecurity, fear, or a lack of any of the above. Each essay is in some way an expression of individuality deserving of care and respect. This is part of what makes our question so ethically complex.
I believe that when we look at an essay we can’t help but look at the writer behind it. Treat one and you invariably treat the other in some fashion. Each tutoring session, like each individual, is going to be different. So, when the student brings in an incoherent essay, my response would be based on a variety of factors including the student’s state of mind. Whether I address just this particular essay or the larger reasons behind what went wrong will vary student to student. Is the assignment due in ten minutes, or is there time to revise? Is the sensitive student more receptive to spelling than structure at this point? Is the student hostile toward advice or eager for help?
Students bring their writing to the Writing Center because they know it’s not perfect (OK, except for those who were forced to come). They look to us as having more experience or expertise with the writing process, and will, in theory, take our advice. As students work with a tutor to strengthen their essay, they are at the same time learning writing skills that will help them with future assignments. They can’t help it. Empowerment—it’s a beautiful thing.
As for the broadly offensive essay: We should never ignore it. Addressing the tone of the essay is just one way to diplomatically point out that words can and do hurt others. The student who writes using such language might already have some idea that this essay will cause a reaction. In this case, he or she will be watching and waiting for a response from the tutor. Our feedback should prepare students for what they will encounter in the classroom and in life.
It is also entirely possible that the student does not realize the language of the essay is offensive; in this case our reaction might spare them future embarrassment or animosity. Writers need to take responsibility for what they write. To ignore the offensive essay is to sanction it, while directly addressing it places the responsibility right where it belongs.
posted by cheyney at 8:07 PM
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