1010 Common Core & Writing Center

Earlier this week, the TA's got our teaching assignments for next semester. Consequently, I've been thinking about next semester's teaching, and how what we have discussed in class, and how my experiences in the writing center, will play into how and what I teach.

 

I know that our curriculum will be set by the department with a Common Core in mind. I'm glad this will be in place, because professors and instructors both outside and inside the English department will know what students exiting 1010 have learned. This will also give me more breathing room to focus on how I teach, rather than fretting about the "what".  From my understanding, teachers will have the opportunity to create our own "contact zones", or as Dr. Rogers calls it, our own "hobby horse" as a focal point for learning. I'd like to hear how the other TAs are going to approach this.

 

Requiring 1010 students to go to the Writing Center seems to be a good idea. Students will have an excuse to use the center. People who are shy of seeking help, or even just another pair of eyes to look over a paper will have to come in to the Writing Center and discover all the great things that go on here.

One on One on One

Hello, Blog!

I’m not sure how to answer the blog prompt for this week.

I just got out of a meeting for the Verbal Equinox editors and I never knew how much goes into editing…for any type of published writing! It’s crazy!
Person 1: “There should be a comma after the verb.”
Person 2: “No, because the verb is the past present of the future tense.” (Just kidding, I know there is no such thing)
Person 3: “But it doesn’t sound right that way.”
Person 4: “I think that the author’s creative license being used there, so it’s ok.”

No one can agree and so we just end up agreeing to disagree and writing off a lot of grammatical fluff as the writer’s use and style. Actually, I love it. By discussing different issues we had with people’s writing, I felt like we were actually accomplishing something. Each of us had something to say and some people noticed different things that other people did not notice. Each opinion had to be backed up by some sort of evidence and each thought was accounted as valid.

All of this made me think about how cool it is that our school has a Writing Center and DELC that has a group of people from all kinds of different backgrounds and with all kinds of different areas of expertise. We each have our own unique personality and way that we look at things. For instance, the way I approach a paper may not be the same way that one of the other tutors approaches a paper. I think it’s great that when students come in multiple times and have sessions with more than one tutor, they get to see what they have written through a second and third pair of eyes, each with their own take on a paper.

This also brings up the thought of more than one person tutoring at a time. “One on one on one” tutoring could be interesting. I definitely can see the problems with it, (arguing, competitive marking, overwhelming the student, differentiated opinions over what is “right” and “wrong) but the idea in itself seems good because one could have two takes on the same paper. If twice as many people look at it, not only would the paper become more diverse and unique, but I believe the writer would learn to look at writing from several different viewpoints as well.

With all the difficulties that may arise from this “one on one on one” tutoring idea, perhaps it would just be better if the professors that require students to come into the Writing Center and DELC have them come in for at least two sessions per paper. I know that time is limited, but if students would get their butts into gear and just do their work ahead of time instead of at the last second, then maybe this would work (“Fat chance of that ever happening…” Yes, I am dreaming).

In the interest of the students and broadening their horizons (this is college after all), having more than one person look over one’s paper is a good idea. Whatever the challenges and controversies of the issue are, having a paper tutored by more than one person is beneficial both to the paper and the student.

 

 

 

Confessions of a (soon to be) Teacher

While I understand that this concern may only apply to five people in the course, I cannot help but say this is the thing foremost on my mind. When I first researched the TA position I now hold, I didn’t understand why they would require a semester in the Writing Center. Being that I’m in the middle of that position, I now completely understand why. I was ignorant to exactly what being a WC tutor was and how it would train me to become a composition teacher. I cannot begin to imagine how woefully unprepared I would have been had I not spent a semester in the WC.

I’ve known for several years that university teaching is where I wanted to end up. I knew that I loved English study and research; I also knew that university teaching is likely the path I would set upon. Now that I’m coming face-to-face with my potential future career, I can’t help but be concerned. Am I going to be a good teacher? Will students respond to my teaching techniques? Am I even qualified to command a classroom? These are all things that have been squatting in the back of my mind demanding my attention and consideration.

I must say that I am quite impressed by Weber State’s commitment to training their Teaching Assistants. I have had more than one professor tell me that, when they started TAing, they were tossed into a classroom on their first day and expected to perform as a seasoned professional. I appreciate that WSU recognizes that teaching is something that itself needs to be taught. Without the Tutoring Writers course – in tandem with the WC tutor position – I am unsure what kind of teacher I would make. Could I perform at the level needed to produce strong university level writers? Doubtful.

However, my biggest fear is that I may hate teaching. This is what I have been preparing for my entire college career. I decided in high school that I wanted to teach. I later decided that I loved the university atmosphere so much that I wanted to remain there for the rest of my professional life. I suppose I fear that it turns out like Math. Despite the common Humanities myth, I’m quite good at math. I’m a logical enough thinker that the mathematical system of equations and formulas makes perfect sense to me. However, I cannot stand math. The classes are boring and I find them lacking in passion and transcendental meaning. This is why I love English. It nourishes my mind and soul in a way that math never could. So, I suppose the tail end of this brain-dump expresses a fear that teaching may not fulfill me in the way I imagined. That being said, I hold out immense hope that it is everything I wanted it to be. That I can stand in front of the classroom and engage students into appreciating, nay enjoying, the writing and composition process.

So, that’s that. Also, as a California native, the snow is beautiful. I know that, come February, I’ll likely hate everything and spend my free time wishing I could be in the 75 degree weather of SoCal. But, for now, the snow is beautiful and the cold tolerable. 

DMV, Oh, How I Miss Thee

I really want to go home. That is what is on my mind.

I miss my culture. I miss the great seafood, pot roast from Bob Evans, real fried chicken and soul food, amazing Asian food, and my Aunt Pam’s chocolate mousse. I miss being able to feed any craving late in the night because most places do not close until after midnight. I miss the loud music, old school car’s trunks bumping with the oldest and latest hits, and musicians playing anything from go-go to jazz on the corners. I miss going to any store and finding Redskins gear to spurge on. I miss shopping in stores that have clothes that fit my style and curves. I miss Sunday morning, watching people march down the street to church in their best wears. I miss the bumper to bumper traffic coming or going home or to school. I miss going to the bars and night clubs in D.C., where I partied until three in the morning. I miss hearing the sirens that constantly passed my home, and the arguments of my crazy neighbors.

I miss my friends and family. I miss my wild best friend who is always down for a great time, especially, scoping for cute boys. I miss my baby sisters: Ti, who might as well be called grumpy Mulatto Smurf; Seych, my blond haired, blue eyed rock star (she is actually Black…and an anomaly); Squeak, my other blond haired, blue eyed friend who is just as Black as anyone I have ever met; and finally, Ash, who is my goofy girlfriend with supermodel legs and towers over all of us. And, let me not forget my brothers: Ky, the smartest, most argumentative person in the group besides me; my older brother, Mike, who produces the hottest music in the area with his older brother; Darnell, who tattooed the love of fast cars into my heart; and the twins Vic and Vince, who is in the Army stationed in Washington, and the other one is the quiet and (newly) party boy, respectively. I miss my moms, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Even though, we only get together for special occasions, the closeness and laughter never fades.

I miss my school and city. I miss being able to walk to the bus stop from my house or dorm, hop on the metro, and get to another place, or even state, in under an hour. I miss my school, Towson University. I miss seeing the black and gold everywhere. I miss having to take the bus to each building on campus because the school was so huge. I miss the friendly citizens of the DMV (D.C., Maryland, and Virginia), who would speak and ask how you were doing, even if they had never seen you a day in their life. I miss being able to get freebies and an extra helping of food just because you are “fam” to them.

I guess what I am trying to say is that I miss my home. I miss my Maryland. And, I cannot wait to take the road trip with my best friends in my old white Hyundai, “La Blanca Diabla,” after graduation this spring to get there.

Blog 3: Tutor vs. Tutee Expectations/Shelley Williams/Engl 3840/Fall 2013

I have less trouble managing divergent tutee vs. tutor expectations than I do sometimes understanding the instructor’s expectations, but to give a good example of when a tutee’s expectations are nor may ever conform to a tutor’s training to help said tutee, I offer the following.

Last spring semester (2013), I overheard a session while I was not at the time engaged with a tutee. I was baffled at the beyond fast-food light speed at which the tutee expected to garner aid. Initially I thought the student must have a paper due within the hour and clearly had no hopes nor expectations of massive (or maybe any) revision before that time and just wanted the tan sheet of proof of writing center visit. While the latter may be true, what I learned later from the tutor who helped this student was that this was always the tutee’s attitude—the tutee just did not value improving her writing enough to invest the effort to learn ways she could viably, visibly, and markedly (hopefully in grades as well) advance her skills. Since writing well was not a skill she valued, nor could ever see herself valuing it apparently, there was little convincing her that there was a better way or attitude with which she could approach her sessions with a tutor and leave both feeling better about the visit.

Had I ever had the unfortunate privilege or fortunate challenge as the case may be, of visiting with the student myself, I think I would have asked her point blank if or why she was in a hurry and could we not or why not, dig a little deeper into her writing. I would probably preface it with questions about her past grades, her satisfaction with them, her major, her goals, her plans and hopes. Based on all these, but in particular the latter, I would try to find instances and casually use them, of how and when, in her chosen major and hopefully future profession, good written communication would be, and always is, valued and appreciated by any employer and particularly important if one wishes to be self-employed.

That particular student really only wanted to deal with superficial concerns and not big picture things. It’s an interesting consideration for pondering at what point is our effort to improve the writing of our tutees considered by them not only intrusive, but perhaps personality modifying.  If we believe the oracle “I think, therefore I am” and that to write well is to be able to think well (at least as evident on paper), we are, in essence, modifying minds and therefore personalities. But we view this, as educators, as tutors, as students in the academy, as not only a worthy goal but part of the whole experience of academia.  Since the student in question did not see things the same way, I would have to find where her values did/do lie for being in school, and if only to pass the time, getting out with some intended end-game is where I’d have to go to pick this student up off the pavement of walking on the persons she is seeking an education from as she walks the halls of the academy she may not (or ever) value.  In the end, we can a lead student to written rhetorical tools, but we cannot make her pick them

Blog 1: Fears ‘n Such/Shelley Williams/Fall 2013/Engl 3840

Ultimately, I am most afraid of not learning enough in this course to make this course, my tutoring time and experience, fruitful in the long run. In other words, I’ve made this journey before at a writing center, tutoring, have taught composition, have an advanced degree but little to show for it as compared with others with the same degree. The tendency to compare oneself to peers in the same boat is a strong one; however, most times I find I cannot indulge in this pity-fest because I am in a boat of one.  I have lost touch with peers who went through a degree program at the same time as me, and I don’t suspect I’d want to report my mish mash of experience to them even if that were not the case. Telling my story to the collectors of information to a high school reunion was uncomfortable enough.

Bottom line: Will it have been worth it after all, when I am a pinned and wriggling insect on a wall at the end? Students, the professor of every course, this one included, and I, evaluate me in every present moment. Except we wouldn’t worry so much about what others are thinking of us if we knew how infrequently they think of us. But, it is fair to say analyzing and assessing/evaluating is part of academia and part of life. What worries or concerns me is whether, to be cliché, I’ll cut the mustard, yes, but also whether, even doing so sufficiently well, what gain this will win me in a long-term employment vein. Though I love learning for its own sake and with it, gleaning hopefully some wisdom, which I think is possible from every tutor/tutee exchange, I suppose I long for the old American dream even if tinged with the new American reality—i.e., if not a house, 2.5 children, a dog and/or cat, at least the ability to be self-sufficient again. As the old Jiffy Lube commercials used to say, “We don’t want to change the world, we just want to change your oil.” I’d settle for the latter, but I know in so saying I am indeed settling because I know that writing and writing well, has the power to change the world. The power of the pen is mightier than the sword. So far, my wielding of it and helping others wield it, has been more self-transforming than world changing, but the world is made up of individual souls, and so, I must be content with whatever I gain or give, in the course of this course and through my tutoring running this semester’s course.

Emotions and writing (blog five)

Perhaps thankfully, I have not yet had an outwardly emotional student come in to be tutored, nor have I had a particularly emotional paper come by. There seem to be intuitive reasons for the absence of much emotion in papers coming through the writing center's doors. First of all, students don't generally invest much emotion into the papers they're writing for classes (many of which are not classes they've chosen, but are taken to satisfy necessary credits) because they are papers based on assigned reading, and one is far less likely to have a very intimate response to a text which has been assigned. That's just my experience, of course; but again, it seems intuitively to preclude much emotion from finding its way into  the student's resulting work. Secondly, the student knows that she or he will be reading it with someone if they plan to take it to the writing center, and I would confidently guess that people are much more reserved emotionally when they will have someone -- right before them -- reading it out loud. What's more, I am probably less likely than others to be sensitive to emotionally charged papers, so even it were there, I may not "pick up on it," so to speak. Instead, I would deliberately try to view the paper in terms of effectiveness, emotion notwithstanding.

That stated, I have been met with emotion in writing I've looked over outside of class. One experience I think of was a friend's personal essay on gay marriage. I remember it being very difficult for me to critique; although I agreed with his position, I remember being uncomfortable with his characterizations of the opposing arguments. They were riddled with unfair ad hominem attacks, and I found his approach downright tasteless. This was something of an internal struggle for me: on one hand, I didn't want to offend him, or come across as an apologist for the contrary position. On the other hand, I felt like I had to be honest and let him know that I felt his tone really had a negative impact on the piece. He took it better than I thought he would. However, he didn't end up taking my advice -- which is kind of the thing about emotion, it unfortunately muddles rational discourse.

Blog 5: Over-emotionality in Tutees: Finding the “Ayes” in Their “I” Along with the Tears in Their Eyes/Shelley Williams

Always running the risk of being overly emotional or empathetic, I tend to get highly involved in each paper, no matter how gut- or heart-wrenching the topic. But, I lean toward using the emotionality to further engage the student by indicating that no one else can tell this story from their particular perspective but they themselves, and so they have a responsibility to themselves and to their audience to portray it as closely as they experienced it as possible (within reason if the paper has potentially offensive material; in which case tutors can steer towards more acceptable ways to get across the same idea in a more academically appropriate way).

It’s interesting, but though I can remember several times when students started reading their papers aloud and the material was very emotional and they began to choke up (at which point I have offered to read aloud for them or semi-silently), and though I usually remember the relative skill of a student to tell a story on the page, I cannot remember any specific scenarios or stories that have caused these tears. Every story is hopefully important enough to a student that it became the topic of their paper whether it elicits tears or not. Me forgetting, I hope means I am acting in the moment to what students are presenting (both on the page and with their emotionality) and then, like a teacher needs to, letting it go after the session has ended and noting progress should I see them again later.

Just like tutoring unfamiliar material, I always try to capitalize on my unfamiliarity with the story or the cause of the over-emotionality. Playing dumb has some real advantages at times, and this is one of those times. By this I do not mean a cold, “I don’t get it” approach, but some kind of response that demonstrates “I sense this experience must have been really hard for you. Here’s where you made that difficulty really clear, and here’s a place where there’s an opportunity for you to do that again, going further.”

That’s just an example of how I would ideally like to be sensitive and yet productive and not mired in the emotionality itself.  I do often follow up with students who have such papers, especially those who I believe can really make something profound of their papers, by saying that if I see them again, I’d love to hear how their paper was received (and graded). This is both encouraging for them as well as reinforcing or enlightening for me on whether I am being successful in my suggestions to them and whether or not students are being enabled to make good use of said suggestions.

As for how I might recommend to other tutors how to deal with overly emotional students, I would encourage them to use the emotionality and any empathy they may feel to always be channeled and focused back on the paper and to highlight where the paper is succeeding in capitalizing on the emotional nature of the topic or the tutee’s reaction to it as well as where the paper could be strengthened for even greater effect. I’d suggest letting students know that tear-jerking papers means the emotional appeal and/or way they are telling their story, is reaching the reader(s) and commanding attention, and that that is one of the things successful writing does. Embarrassment thereby is disallowed from entering the equation for producing a good result or from devolving into sidetracking off topic, potentially ensnaring the tutor, tutee or both, in an unneeded or inappropriate therapy or rant session.

Emotion & Impartiality

I don’t have any experience tutoring students who are emotionally distressed, but I have had some student essay topics that have a tendency to provoke certain emotions. Just today, I had two essays on Communication Behaviors that addressed somewhat controversial subjects.

 

The first essay was about the differences between rich and poor. The guy I was tutoring had had a conversation about this with his friend, who was economically disadvantaged in comparison to my tutee. I could tell he was uncomfortable with this subject, because before I read even a few sentences into the paper, he made a sheepish face and explained that he really didn’t like writing about his friend this way. He had some opinions on the poor that I disagreed with, but I kept my emotions and personal views to myself and tried to just focus on helping him improve what he had written.

 

The second essay was written by a tutee who had some bad experiences with the Mormon church during her childhood, but learned to think about people more three dimensionally after she had gotten to know a Mormon student in her class. I enjoyed the essay, especially since the tutee seemed to have become more open minded after the experience, but being LDS myself, it would have been so easy for me to slip into missionary mode and tell her some of my feelings about the church. I’m proud to say that I managed to remain objective and friendly, and focus purely on her writing and grammatical concerns. I allowed her various opinions to just wash over me. I forgot myself and my emotions, and I hope I can continue to assist students without any personal feelings getting in the way.

Emotion and writing.

With my limited experience as a tutor I have encountered a few emotional essays, pertaining to a significant event that happened in their life and how it changed/influenced them. When I think of the word emotional, I don’t necessarily think of an exaggerated form of emotion such as anger or sorrow. Emotion is not black and white. In regards to the essays I read, emotion reflected the feelings, good or bad, that they experienced as a reaction to the event. I enjoyed reading these essays because it showed the broad spectrum of emotion or feelings that we experience. Typically when we think of an emotional essay, we imagine exaggerated forms of either happiness or sadness. For example, a student brought in an essay describing her summer in Lake Powell. Not only did she describe the happiness that she experienced from the event, but the sense of gratitude, peace and love she felt. I love gaining insight into the human experience and how people learn from experiences. These personal narrative essays provided me a window into the lives of my peers. Additionally, it provided me with insight into the painful experiences that some people deal with in their lives. A couple of weeks ago I tutored a student who had an incredibly personal essay that talked about her father’s drug abuse which led to his incarceration. She talked about how painful this experience this was, and how it influenced her as a person. Typically, one could assume that she was bitter and resentful to her father. However, she talked about how after corresponding with her newly sober father led her to understand his behavior and appreciate him. Once again, this shows how multi-dimensional human emotion is. I enjoyed reading them, and tried my best to tutor the students paper without changing the personal qualities.  

"There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit at a typewriter and bleed" - Hemingway

So students get emotional. It happens. Sometimes, that emotion is positive: they love the topic they wrote about. This can be a problem, however. They become so invested in the subject that they are reluctant to change anything. Other students have negative emotions, either from the topic they're writing, the process of writing, or external factors present in their lives. These can be more difficult to deal with than those who are resistant to change from the investment in the topic. It requires the tutor to anticipate and preemptively strike against the negative effects or outward signs of the emotion. In my early tutoring career, this happened with a student I had worked with multiple times. Anywho, we were working for around 45 minutes on her paper, and I had to explain that she seemed to have missed the mark on the assignment. We discussed options for what she could do to push her paper closer to the target assignment, and as we finished up, she started crying. She said it wasn't my fault, and sat there in the writing center crying for a few minutes, then left (still crying). It was awkward and uncomfortable for me. I wasn't sure what to do. I made sure she felt like stopping, then let her deal with it herself. I don't know if I would handle the situation differently now. I think each one is a little different, and it depends on why the student is crying. However, if I notice a student may start getting emotional, I feel confident that I could offer to take a break and let them regain their composure.

Second That Emotion

Writing and emotion just seem to go together. Whether its the author getting misty-eyed about a topic, or an English 1010 student getting upset because she has to write "another stupid essay" or, perhaps, the reader feeling a tug on the heartstrings, much of the writing we see in the Writing Center has some sort of emotional component.

When students become emotional about their writing, I let them vent. When a student feels negatively about writing in general, sometimes all the student needs is someone to listen to them complain, wail, moan and curse the luck that has left them in a university class that requires writing (gasp). Other students may feel frustrated, overwhelmed, or scared that they can't live up to the writing task. In these instances, lots of support, hand-holding, and acknowledgment of the student's fears is helpful.

When a student becomes emotional about the topic of her paper, and not about the process of writing itself, I honor the student's emotion. I may not agree with the emotion, and I try not to get emotionally involved, but as a tutor I can always say, "I see how that could make you feel ________." Writing can be incredibly cathartic. Writing can also be brave. A student may be taking a stand against something she has held all her life to be true, and is afraid of this turn-about. Or, a student may write about a traumatic life experience, or event that has deeply impacted her life. Honoring and respecting emotion is an important part of earning the student's trust.

Likewise, I will tell a student if their topic reaches me on an emotional level. If the subject evokes an emotional response, I will let the student know. Writing is communication, and it is important to let the student know when that communication has elicited a strong response.

Emotions and Writing

Matthew Kunes


For the most part, I have not encountered many stressful emotional situations in my time as a writing tutor. I attribute that mainly to the lower volume of students the Davis Campus gets in terms of students needing to get their paper tutored. When I was first planning my writeup for the blog, I figured I'd bemoan my lack of experience in this area (for more bemoaning, see my previous posts).


That, in and of itself, is surprising, since it seems to me that writing and emotion have gone hand-in-hand ever since the more creative side of the discipline developed. I guess I'll just chalk it up to average student apathy, rather than a strange statistical improbability. It's hard to get emotional about a class or an assignment you don't care about.


Luckily, at least for the purposes of the blog, I had an experience just last Saturday that fit the bill perfectly.


I had a student who was doing yet another personal narrative, that needed a simple stamp of approval from me before she could turn it in. Unfortunately for her, and fortunately for me, the subject matter she chose was painfully sensitive to her: the day her adopted son was born. It did not help that the 4 year old in question was sitting right with us, acting innocent and childish for everyone to see.


I usually have the student read the paper aloud, so as to give me time to look over it, and give the student the same chance as well. At one point, however, the student literally could not proceed reading; such was the nature of her emotions provoked by the experience she related.


I tried to be as understanding as I could, asking if I could take over reading the paper aloud. She wasn't a complete wreck—don't get me wrong—but she wasn't in a state where she could continue, so she nodded. I tried my best to handle the situation delicately, and act as respectful as I could


Luckily for me, the paper was fairly well written. I didn't feel the need to rip it apart (however lovingly), and I'm not sure what I would have done had the paper needed it. I assured her that she had done a good job, while giving her some pointers on how to further improve her writing.


I suppose that I will have to face other emotional students in the future, and I hope I will be prepared for that. The frustration inherent in writing end-of-term papers is not something I am looking forward to facing.



I guess it will just take a certain amount of tact, patience, and empathy.

The Importance of Connecting Emotionally

I have had some very emotional tutoring sessions, and most of them were during the personal narrative writing prompt. Two stand out in my memory: one about a woman’s child passing away, and another about a husband battling cancer. I was intimidated by the subject matter at first, more so than if they had written about quantum physics. I was intimidated because these two women had written about something very personal and special to them, and here they were asking me to correct it.

To anyone who encounters a similar situation, I have a few pieces of advice for you. The first is to discard the formalities and connect emotionally with the student. Instead of trying to build up some barrier and keep the student “on the other side of the glass,” I let them know how their writing was making me feel. I allowed myself to take part in the emotion of their paper and shared sympathy for what was happening.

Being sympathetic in these situations is absolutely essential for a few reasons. First, students need to know that you’re a real person. You’re not a robot designed to correct commas and grammar while the real substance of their writing slips past you. Most of us are here because we love English and we love writing. Share that love with your students, and allow yourself to be emotionally moved.

The other reason why it is important to be sympathetic is that it can be difficult for students to take criticism about their writing if you’re ignoring the things they have done well. If you can feel what the writer felt in that moment of their life that they wrote about then they’ve done something right – even if their spelling is off. We need to let the student’s know that they have a unique voice, that we can feel what they felt, and that they are good writers. This builds their confidence in themselves as a writer and in you as a consumer, critic, and therefore an authority on writing.

It can also feel awkward for you as a tutor if you do not connect emotionally with the student, and that awkwardness will be palpable. It’s like being in a relationship where one partner is sharing their most personal memories while the other corrects them on their grammar. It’s easy to see in this example how the person sharing their experiences would be offended, but sometimes we don’t realize that our students will often feel the same way if we don’t let them know that we care about their story.  Again, not connecting will feel awkward for the tutor because the student will be defensive when a mistake is pointed out.

Finally, one of the simple tools I’ve used to help make corrections on very personal papers is the phrase “this distracts.” I tell the student what I love about t a line or paragraph, and then point to something that feels awkward and I say “This line distracts the reader from the point you’re trying to make.” Using this and similar lines tells the student that I care about their story, and want to make sure the end product is polished and comprehensible.

Connecting emotionally with the student is the best way to help them with their sensitive essays.

-          Samuel Bartholomew

To comment or not to comment...

                The only time (that readily comes to mind)I had to deal with an emotional writer was in an undergrad Shakespeare class. We were doing peer editing and I switched papers with a girl that wrote about Doll Tearsheet from Henry IV. It was a tirade against patriarchal society forcing women into prostitution (saying that even housewives were essentially prostitutes) that barely connected to the actual material with minimal outside resources. It was also a five page paper that contained about as many paragraphs. I was in a panic trying to figure out how to make comments without setting off a bomb. I stuck purely with structure stuff in my written notes to her, pointing to places that could become separate paragraphs and sentences that ran together. When we discussed it, she asked about content and how well her argument stuck together. I will admit to my shame that I softballed it and only mentioned that it could be strengthened with some more textual support. She was very appreciative for the comments, returned my paper with comments and that was that.

                It was hard for me to say “You didn’t have a thesis and ranted for five pages.” She wrote an emotional response paper that really did not fit the assignment. I wonder how the professor went about grading that one, which makes me wonder how I will go about those papers in the future. It is hard to know someone else’s circumstances, so there is a certain amount of soft treading when it comes to a paper like that. On the other hand, making sure the assignment is fulfilled is its whole point. I did her a disservice by not trying to help her with the assignment because I was worried about the response to any constructive criticism.

                I will try to keep this event in mind as I go on in this job. I have yet to deal with this in the writing center, but I know it will happen. I hope I will have more courage to make the comments necessary to help the writer get the best grade possible. That is, after all, the point of academic writing in this setting. A paper for 1010 is not meant to change the world or reveal universal hidden truths. It is about making sure the student can follow assignment instructions and put together a coherent paper that demonstrates that they have paid attention and thought about the material. If it happens to be a life altering work of epic proportions, then that’s fantastic! In reality, the best I hope for is a solid paper that gives everything that was asked for.

Gary Lindeburg- blog 5