February 4-15
This will be a relatively short post, as I continue to go through my time in the writing center twiddling my thumbs. That said, I do expect next week to pick up, as midterms approach and paper assignments are handed out by professors across campus. I would feel concerned that all this free time has dulled my ability as a tutor, but for two things: 1) we're usually advising on structure and other errors, which are easy to spot, and 2) Winter Break wasn't enough time for me to forget my usual methods of advising, so a couple weeks won't be any different.
Now, I believe in a previous post I discussed the merits and drawbacks of taking sessions outside of the writing center. I also said I would discuss this idea further in future posts, so I feel somewhat obligated to continue where I left off. To readdress the perceived problem, there are students who are nervous when discussing their work, and while we have small side rooms in the writing center, there is something to be said to the effect of being in a more neutral area. More than once, I have caught students agreeing to my every suggestion as if I were their professor, which (despite being understandable considering) might be missing the point a little. We want to have discussions on how to make writing better, but I think that too often people are "intimidated" by their surroundings - like going to see one's professor in their office hours (which might be further exasperated by the fact that I sit in a small room that looks like an office). On the other hand, if a consultant were to greet and receive a student at the writing center, and then ask them if they would prefer to work outside (say, in the courtyard), the student may be far more talkative, as the environment may be much more soothing. This is of course assuming that the weather is fair enough that both parties will want to be outside. I may continue this more in future posts if I continue to receive no other sessions to discuss.
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