Response to Addy's Blog Post on Athletes

I admit that I take personal offense when my peers make comments about athletes and that they are dumb or were only admitted to a school because they are good at their sport. I have two brothers who are collegiate baseball players. They are also incredibly smart. My twin brother is a student at Tulane and my younger brother is a student at Northwestern University. Not only are they just smart but they can both write very well.


Athletes being athletes has nothing to do with their academic ability or their ability to write. My reaction to the authors comment that athletes are "ill-equipped to handle the rigors of college level writing assignments" was absolute and complete frustration. That is such a naive assertion. Doesn't the author think that their difficulty with writing is that they just don't have a lot of time to dedicate to revising, revising, and revising?! Playing a sport in college, especially D1, is like having a full time job. I struggle enough only working 5 hours a week. Can you imagine getting all of your work done, impeccably of course, if you were practicing for 3 hours a day and traveling on the weekends. I don't think so.


A second point needs to be made. A lot of times athletes are born and raised in poor neighborhoods with poor school systems. For many athletes the only reason they are able to attend college is because they can shoot a basket or tackle like no one else can. (Might just add that I don't think there is anything wrong with that. All students contribute to the school in some way). Anyways, coming back to my second point-- athletes are not "ill-equipped" because they are athletes. They may be ill-equipped because they went to schools that did not prepare them well enough for college. It has NOTHING to do with there athletic ability.


I wrote on my preference sheet that I was interested in being a Writing Consultant for athletes and you probably see why. I really think that athletes are scrutinized for being athletes. They need a consult  who is able to understand what they are going through and help them to do the best they can.

Advertisement for Writing Center: DIGITAL STORY

It just dawned on me! Of course there needs to be a digital story posted on the Writing Center website that shows the audience just what the Writing Center is all about! Not only would it be a great way to answer student's questions about the Writing Center, but it will also be neat to use a unique technology to do so. I envision that the digital story could just be the story or one students experience with the Writing Center. It would start with the student signed up for the consultation, where the Writing Center is located, and what types of things are accomplished during a consultation. We talked a fair amount this semester about how many students do not know what exactly goes on in the Writing Center. Some think that it is a proofreading service--but that's not true.  The story could address that students can come in at all different stages of the writing process and we will be able to help them. I just think that this is a good idea because t would make the Writing Center experience much less mysterious. Students would have this example to make them feel more confident and less unsure about what to expect. I imagine that some students are deterred from visiting simply because they do not know what to expect!

Who wants to make another digital story?!?!

let's get to know other consultants

I am really looking forward to our final presentation/celebration. I haven't talked to many people about what their FAQ's will entail or if there are even any other group projects. I have really enjoyed our class and I think that everyone has a lot of valuable insight to offer. It seems like it's going to be a good time to get together, tie up loose ends and have a good time. I was thinking about how much I am going to miss everyone in our class and having great discussions about writing and how to help others. It occurred to me that there should be an opportunity for Writing Consultants to all come together and talk about their experiences. Maybe once a semester all the Consultants should come to have some sort or facilitated conversation--food and drink included obviously. I just think that we will all really be able to learn a lot from each other. Plus it will be a way for all of the consultants to get to know each other. After all, most us probably only know our class and few other Writing Consultants.

What do you guys thinks? Should we propose this?

Almost a Consultant!

It is hard to imagine that the semester is coming to an end! Wow! Where has the time gone? Now that all of my classes are over, I realize that I am going to really miss them. Sure I may miss the topics and discussions, but I think that I am going to really miss the people. I have really enjoyed the community that we developed. I really enjoyed meeting all of you and getting to know you all.

Now that the end of the semester is here I am looking ahead at next semester. I will be taking some good and exciting classes, but most of all I am looking forward to being a Writing Consultant. I have absolutely grown a real liking towards consulting. As I have mentioned before, rather than work with the high schools students I have been working with my brother and sister who are both first years in college. I really love working with them and I think that I will enjoy working with people I don't know as well. I enjoy meeting new people so I think this job will really play to my strengths.

How are you all feeling? I wrote previously about being a bit nervous about not providing someone with the help they need, but I'm also excited. What are your thoughts?

Am I ready?

At the beginning of the semester I was a bit nervous about becoming a Writing Consultant. I remember my one and only experience with a writing consultant.  I wrote the first draft of my paper and brought it to the consultant. She gave me some advise and I took it! Part of the assignment was to hand in both our drafts and the final copy. After getting it back, my professor told me that my draft was better than the final product. Well so much for going to the Writing Consultant! (I should also note that this was at my previous school). I remember being really upset. I think that my worst fear is having that happen to a student that I work with. I don't think that is likely to happen though. After taking this class I feel that I have learned a vast knowledge about how to help different people with different needs. A really important part of a consultation is also asking the student what he or see is hoping to develop. That way you can help the student with what they know they need help with but also make casual suggestions. 

Do any of you have any fears about being a writing consultant? How about strengths? A strength that I think I have is my ability to get along well with people. I really like meeting new people and helping people!

Trouble of Writing Centers

I am thinking about my final project of promoting the Writing Center. Certainly I want to address that there is a Writing Center and that there are resources for all students. Then I thought-- well what about all of the concerns and questions that people have about the Writing Center. We addressed some of these concern in class-- Will my teacher grade me harder if I go to the Writing Center? Will the tutors actually help me? Will they proofread my paper for me? I decided to look up what other Writing Centers may have trouble with and came across the article "College Composition and the work of the Writing Center" by Nancy Maloney Grimm. She addressed some similar themes-- what is the role of the writing consultants, what is the faculty opinion of  the writing center, are the tutors really qualified to help me??

All of these thoughts have led to me to think that we need to address these questions in out advertisements. We need people to know that the Writing Consultants take a course to become Writing Consultants, that most (all??) faculty support the Writing Center, and that Writing Consultants can help at any point of the writing process.

Check out the article: http://www.jstor.org/stable/358600

How about a rap?

I was doing a little research on writing center promotion and I came across what seemed to me like a really cool poem. It was formatted like a poem, short lines and dashes dispersed throughout, but as I read this "poem" I realized that it was just a formatting issue and was really just an essay. Then it dawned on me-- someone should right a poem to advertise for the writing center. It should describe what the writing center is all about, where it is located, how to make an appointment, etc. Then I thought--poems are kind of boring, but raps are exciting! If I had any musical talent or the ability to rap I was make make my final project a rap about the writing center. So for anyone out there who might has knack for rap I think you should write one! I know there must be someone who hasn't written there project proposal yet so please use the idea!

Collaboration

As I reflected on my consultation with Gyra the word collaboration repeatedly came to mind. I felt as though what we were doing truly a collaborative effort. She would make a comment about something that would spark a thought in my mind. The dialogue was back and forth back and forth and we developed new ideas or ways of phrasing ideas. With this in mind I decided to do a little more research on collaboration in Writing Centers. In an article by Murial Harris called Collaboration Is Not Collaboration Is 
Not Collaboration: Writing Center Tutorials vs. Peer-Response Groups I learned about the distinction made between what Writing Centers accomplish and what peer response sessions are like. She also differentiates between collaborative writing versus collaborative learning. On page 370 she says that collaborative writing is when multiple people work to create a piece of writing while collaborative learning is the process by which  writer and a reader work together to improve a piece of writing. While collaborative learning occurs within the Writing Center, peer response groups are often very informal and take place in the dorm, study rooms, or coffee shops. Harris thinks that students do not often understand the importance of having a serious review of their work rather then just having a friend proofread it. I think this is a really good point. While it is good to have a friend read your paper, it is always better to make the review part of your learning process by going to a consultant and having a serious session about your paper.


Check out the link to this arcticle.. it's pretty good! http://www.jstor.org/stable/358228?seq=1

response to Professor Dolson's comment

Professor Dolson commented on my blog about the success story I had with my brother. She asked: As you look back, what do you remember as key moments? Do you think you can learn from your success with your brother in a way that you can apply to working with strangers and friends?

To answer her first question, there are a few moments when I remember thinking to myself: "he is starting to get it!" I taught him a revising revising tool that I use to make sure that my points flow from paragraph to paragraph and with the second paper I helped him with he said, "I did what you taught me to make sure it all flows and I really think this paper does." It sure did! This is a moment where I was helping him to help himself. I gave him this tool and now he is able to do it and check on his own. I also think that I was able to help his clear up some of his ideas. Ironically, just last week we both had a paper due on John Rawl's. I really enjoyed helping him with that paper because I was able to talk to him about the content. How crazy is that??? Talking to my brother about the Original Position and the Veil of ignorance?!

With regards to the second question I think the most important thing that I have learned from helping my brother is that your demeanor can make a big difference in the consultation. You can imagine that with my brother I could have easily acted like a goofball with him or told him that his 3rd paragraph was ridiculous, but instead I take a professional outlook with him. When I think about what it would be like to work with a stranger I think it is really important not to act too formally with them. I am someone who is very comfortable with strangers. I love chit chat and finding connections. I think by establishing with a stranger that we are peers and can act as friends is better than acting sternly. It is all about finding that middle ground!

Valentine's Day Promotion

I am incredibly excited about this Valentine's Day promotion that Gyra, Rachel, and I are going to work on for our final project. We have already done some brainstorming and think that this could actually be something that be implemented if we take all of the right steps. Certainly there would be flyers posted all over campus (D-flyer included!), we could put notices in mailboxes, and table. Professor Dolson mentioned that something similar to this was done a Randolf Macon. We could contact their Writing Center and see how they work their promotion and also if they see an increase in students. I think this could be really great and super fun!

Boy's and Girl's Club

Davena was on top of her game at the Boy's and Girl's Club on Monday. She had her interview done and her story written out so we were ready to roll! Gyra and I helped her edit her narrative and add some imagery to set the scene. We told her that she did a great job, but to be honest I was not all that impressed. Before I continue I must admit that I have not had much experience working with children in the classroom so I do not know what most children her age are capable of, but her writing just did not seem to be at a 5th grade caliber. Her sentences we random. There was no sequenceing and the majority of the narrative was unrelated to the topic.She seemed really proud to have interviewed her Daddy and Uncle and tell us about them. Their pearl of wisdom was "Obey your parents". Nice job Dad--just sneak that in there! I imagine that most parents would have given a follow your dreams-type pearl of wisdom. Interesting...

Writing Consulting-cancelled!

Thursday at 3. An appointment is always made and always dropped. The last 3 weeks that I was supposed to go to the Writing Center to shadow I have either been texted ahead of time that the appointment was cancelled or waited fifteen minutes before deciding that no one was coming. I'm not too concerned that I haven't had many shadowings. I feel as if I have gotten a lot of experience working with others and helping them on projects whether that be at the Boys and Girls Club or with my brothers and sister. However, I haven't gotten a lot of variety. I am used to what my brothers and sister need help with. I have not yet worked with an ESL student or someone just has no idea what to do. Again, I'm not too worried though because I think I am a pretty personable person and will be able to help people in some way.

Proud

I have a brother who is a freshman and Northwestern University. Certainly we all know Northwestern is an excellent and challenging school. He plays on the baseball team there so he has a super busy schedule. Needless to say I am super proud of him and could boast forever, but I am writing this blog post today to share a story.

My brother has always done well in school, but to be honest he probably would not have been accepted to Northwestern if he couldn't play baseball so well. With that being said he was really anxious about the academic climate and if he would be able to handle the demanding workload. He was particularly nervous about all the reading and papers that he would have to write. I told him that I would help him all the way through and he could always send a paper my way for me to help him with. He will send me the paper, I'll go through it, and then we usually skype and we work together to make changes. I probably do this once a week I enjoy it because I love doing something for my brother, but also because I am getting a lot of practice as a writing consultant. Well last night he called to tell me that one of his teachers told him that his writing had improved so much in just ten weeks and that she was really impressed with his work. I congratulated him and told him how proud I was of him. He then told me how much he appreciated all my help and that I was the reason that he was improving. Then of course he told me I was the best sister in the world and that he couldn't wait to see me over Thanksgiving. I am just so proud of him!

ESL Conversation

I will begin this blog by saying that I feel mediocre in comparison to everyone else in our class because I can only speak English. I feel ridiculous because I can't remember the name of the woman who came in to speak to us about ESL students, but she asked us all what languages we spoke and as everyone replied with at least two languages, I inadequately replied with "just English". I thought about my inadequacy and tried to find a way to make myself feel better. I decided that I can speak "baseball". I am fluent in baseball. Not everyone understand a dropped third strike or a curve ball falling 12 to 6, but I do! I can have a conversation about baseball with any expert, but not everyone can. Gyra can speak to anyone in Spanish and I cannot. Likewise, she cannot speak to anyone in any depth about baseball. This thought made me feel a little better about myself. So for anyone else out there reading this who can only speak English.. think about what else you have knowledge about which other people may not!

I enjoyed watching the clip about ESL students and their experiences at UR. I had a "that is so true moment" when some one described his first encounter with someone asking him "what's up" as he was passing through campus. This ESL student stopped to tell him how his computer was broken and he was struggling to get that fixed. He realized that the student he was speaking to clearly wasn't that interested in what his problems were. Poor kid..

Reflection on Boys and Girls Club Experience

I had a wonderful time at the Boys and Girls Club yesterday. Gyra and I worked with a fifteen year old girl who was pretty excited about creating a digital story. I think all of the students are probably pretty excited because it is something that they chose today. The student that Gyra and I worked with is looking forward to her interview with a female police officer. I imagine that she will have several "pearls of wisdom" to share. She didn't seem to nervous about the interview or actually preparing the digital story. Similarly to the way I felt before starting the digital story, I had anxiety about how to actually put the story together. I reassured her that while it seemed mysterious now it would all come together in the end. I also told her that if I could do it--she could do it! I am looking forward to going back to help her put her presentation together. I think it will be a lot of fun to work with her again!

Before the Boys and Girls Club...

I am looking forward to meeting the students at the Boys and Girls Club and helping them create their very own digital stories. As I reflect on my own experience creating a digital story I think that the only way I got through it was patience. I found myself frustrated and confused as I created my own digital story--I imagine that it may be difficult to keep the the students attentive and actually teach them rather than do it for them. If I had to guess I would say that some students will be really excited about this project. They will know how they want it to look turn out, but others will not be fully engaged in what they are doing. If the student isn't already really excited about making a digital story I will show him or her some examples of digital story that we made in class. I think that will get him or her excited to get creative and try something new.

I do have one fear. What if I am unable to help my student as much as they need me? I was able to make my digital story because Gyra was able to show me how to use iMovie. I can use iMovie now, but I don't thinhk that is the program we will be using with the students. I hope that it will be similar to iMovie. However, I do feel very comfortable using Audacity. It was a piece of cake!

In all honesty I am mostly excited about meeting someone new. I love to meet new people are hear about their lives--especially children. I volunteer at CHAT and my favorite part is hearing the childrens stories--some sad and some inspiring. I think it will be a great afternoon!

Digital Stories

I was really impressed with the outcome of all of the digital stories. They were all well thought out and eloquently put together. Personally, I was incredible stressed out about the digital story. I am not someone who is naturally inclined to challenge myself with a technological project so having to do this was stressful for me. Luckily, my dear best friend Gyra was able to calm be down and assure me that I was capable of making a good digital story. I think my stress came from really not having a guideline of what to do. My suggestion for next semesters class would be to make a to do list for the digital story. It would look something like:

1. Interview a professor
2. Write a script
3. Make appointment at the TLC to record your audio using the program Audacity. Click on the following link to make an appointment (I for some reason had a very difficult time finding this link)
4. Use one of the following programs to create your digital story (PROGRAMS).

Disclaimer: This project may seem daunting know, but that is just because you are unfamiliar with it. It really is not as difficult as it seems.

I think there was a lot of hype about the digital story and way too much unnecessary stress and worry over it.

After all of my stress and worry over the digital story I am thinking that a digital story might make a wonderful homemade Christmas gift!

A Real Consultation

So I went to my shadowing yesterday and the person who I shadow says to me, "Allie, I am really sick. Would you mind covering this for me?" WHOA! She was asking me to do the real consultation. I was really really excited! I anxiously awaited the arrival of the grade student coming in with a paper for her human resources class. I was really excited to meet her. When she finally arrived she apologized for being a little late--obviously not a problem. I asked her about her class and she told me about her four children. It was nice to spend 5 minutes getting to know each other before we got started right into the think of her paper. When we finally started I asked her what the assignment was. She filled me in on the background information and I asked her what she was hoping to get out of the consultation. Luckily for me she has a few things in mind. Her teacher told her that she needed to work on summarizing the quotes with her own words. She also wanted to work on the organization of her paper. She felt that the paragraphs were a little scattered.

I felt really good about helping this woman. I definitely feel as if she walked away with a better understanding of what to do with her paper. She even asked me for my  e-mail address. Through this experience I realize that I am going to learn a lot on the job. Even just helping this one students makes me feel comfortable about becoming a writing consultant. I have compelte faith in my self that I will be able to help students in the future.

Blog Reflection Papers

I'm not going to lie; I thought that my blog reflection papers were going to be the epitamy of academic bullshit. (Is this a correct use of the semi colon--I think this blog might be a good place to try it out?!) I was thinking to myself  "a reflection of a reflection?! How much reflection can be done??" I was wrong. You can do a lot of reflecting. Even from the reflections that I wrote I feel as if I could go on and develop my thoughts further. This is like writing drafts and drafts and drafts of a paper. You take what you have written and developed an idea further. It is interesting to see where your thought will go in you just start to think about it further. After my writing my essay about removing grades from the classroom I am feeling empowered to take my idea to the Trustees! Okay, maybe not that empowered. I do think that there is something very legimate to be said for schools not assigning grades.

Teacher Interview

I interviewed Gil Hickman, a leadership studies professor, for the Digital Story project. She invited the Jepson Editor, Tammy Tripp, to sit in on our conversation. It was a really great conversation and I have a lot of substance to write about in my script. I was really struck by our chat about students and their focus on getting a good grade and pleasing the professor rather than learning how to write. Both Dr. Hickman and Tammy agreed that what students don't realize is that it is far more important to know be a good writer than to have a high GPA when it comes to getting a job and moving up the ladder. Neither of them have ever been asked to supply a college transcript when they applied for a job. What got them their interviews and ultimately their jobs was their ability to write and good recommendations.

How can we get this message through to students? Maybe the Writing Center should come out with a publication that have professors quoted on the importance of being able to write well. I think this might be something that will entice students to not only come to the Writing Center, but to also really take interest in learning the skill of writing.

My First Consultation Observation

My second attempt at observing a consultation was a success! 

The student came in for a sociology paper. The assignment was never explained to me because the student the Writing Consultant previously met with had the same assignment. What I gathered from the meeting was that she has to write a 5 page paper for a sociology class. She watched a film and how had to describe how certain sociology terms related to the film.

The consultation began with the Writing Colleague asked the student what she was writing about. She used sociology terms that neither the Writing Colleague nor myself understood so the Writing Colleague asked her to explain these terms. Once we were clear on the terms the Writing Colleague asked the student what she wanted to accomplish in their session. The student wanted to make sure that she had a solid and comprehensive thesis statement and that she was headed in the right direction. To work on the paper the Writing Colleague read out loud and asked questions as they came. She helped her develop her ideas in the intro paragraph and ultimately crafted a thorough thesis.

The most interesting part of the session was that the student expressed her concern with her very opinionated professor. She did not think that he professor would agree with her thesis and asked us about our experience with professors. She was extremely concerned about pleasing her professor and earning a good grade. 

Thus far..

So far I feel that I have done a fair job in the class. I have been blogging at least once a week, but  I should increase that to two times a week to earn more points. I still have to earn 40 points to reach our mid-semester goal of 80 points. Now that I know how to easily access the other blogs I will have a much easier time commenting. I'll be able to earn more points that way as well. I also have my peer consulting coming up next week. I will feel relieved when that is done!


As much as I am enjoying this experience I do feel that it can be a little overwhelming at times. I have never had a class that does not have exact due dates so that causes so stress and a constant feeling of being unsure about whether you have something to do or not. At this point I think that I am on track and know what I have to get done.

The one thing that I find frustrating is the Digital Story. I'm struggling to understand how the creating a digital story relates to our greater goal of studying to become excellent writing consultants. While it is an interesting project and and a tech savvy way to communicate I am not looking forward to creating this project. It will be interested to see how I feel after I have completed the project. Will what I gain from the experience match the stress and effort put into this technological advanced mean of communication?

Plagerism

What are we supposed to do as a Writing Colleague if we think that a student has plagerised on a paper? How do you approach the question? Even if it is unintential. It is possible that a student could even write a paper that is written with too much of an author's perspective and not enough of their own account of the analysis.

I imagine that if a student is dilligent enough to come into the Writing Center he or she is unlikely to have completely plagerised a paper. Who knows though--maybe they are taking it to us to see if it could pass as their own. this could be such a touchy subject to bring up. How do ask the question? "Uhm.. are you sure that you wrote this paper?" Awkward. I guess you would just have to suggest that they do more citing. Maybe propose "this sounds a lot like the author speaking. Maybe you should cite this?" I'm sure this happens from time to time. I'll be sure to ask the girl I shadow about it.

Speaking of the girl that I shadow... I went to shadow her last week and the girl that had signed up to meet with her cancelled her appointment. Although the appointment was cancellled I used that time to talk to her about her experience as a consultant. She said that the hardest thing about being a consultant is not knowing if you really helped someone or not.  For instance, she said that the student she helped before I came in wrote a paper on a topic that was foreign to her. It has to do with economics and trade. She has never studied that before and so she has a hard time trying to make sure that his paper was cohesive when really that whole thing was foreign to her. She did note that he was clear on what he needed help with so that ultimately gave her some guidance. She still left the meeting unsure of whether or not she helped him though. i guess it's the type of thing where you just have to do your best! Hopefully this week she will have an appointment!

Proofreading?!

I understand why Writing Consultants are not a proofreading service. If someone proofreads  student's papers time and time again the student will never learn how to proofreading for him or herself. However I do think that it might be possible that a student has not developed a skill in proofreading. Shouldn't we be able to help that student develop his or her skill? I think it would be appropriate to collaborate with a student to proofread a paper or two. After that a student should use the skills that you have given to him or her to proofread on their own.

Grammar can be tricky! If a student clearly needs help why not him him? It is possible that a paper can be very well thought out, well structured and have great flow, but it just has several grammar errors. That's distracting! Why not help? If a consultant has a tool box of knowledge shouldn't the consultant share? Isn't that what they are getting paid for. It is interesting that we would be refrained from sharing our knowledge.

I am really looking forward to shadowing a Writing Consultant next week. I think it will be fun to see what the environment is like and what kind of questions or concerns students come in with. I am also looking forward to meeting new people!  I think it will be a rewarding experience.

My sister got her good looks and smarts from me..

My sister is just so smart. She must have a great older sister who has influenced her in a profound way. Okay.. we'll maybe I shouldn't credit my sister's wonderfulness to me. But really... she is awesome.

Her first college writing assignment was assigned to her last week. She is in a really interested introductory English class called "Men in America". She was asked be write about how she first realized what gender was and how that has played a role in her life. She asked me to help her brainstorm with her when I visited her a last weekend at Wake Forest. Naturally I was hooked on her essay from the start.

When I first read her paper yesterday afternoon I was surprised and proud to see how well she developed her thougths and ideas since the time we first started to brainstorm a week ago. Needless to say I was impressed with my sisters work. I started by rereading the assignment and making sure that she addressed each component. She did address everything, but I thought she could ellaborate on one component. She agreed and told me that she had been toiling with that part of the paper and my reassurance was helpful.

The one thing that we both agreed that she needed help on was with her conclusion. She wasn't sure about was how to eloquently come to a close. She knew that recapping what she had already said would not be constructive, but found herself stuck with nothing else to say. I suggested that she leave the reader thinking more about the topic. Maybe bring up some additional questions that can be explored. We both thought that this work would really well for her topic. She hands in this rough draft on Tuesday. I am looking forward to hearing what her teacher has to say about it and then help her further on the final product.

You need to start over...

Last night Gyra and I helped out a friend writing an short essay for an application. His first draft was an incredibly standard and cliche essay for an application. I found it very difficult to give him strong and constructive advise without telling him "This really is not very good. You should probably start over". I think I handled it well by telling him to make it more about himself and to provide specifics about how the program will help him specifically-- not everyone attending. This experience got me thinking. How do you handle a terrible paper as a Writing Consultant? When someone has a terrible idea or thesis how do you give him or her advice about developing a stronger thesis without overwhelming the student? After Gyra and I gave our friend advice he felt daunted by the fact that he "basically had to start over". I imagine that it's important to try to find some positive aspects about the paper to help the student feel pleased about something that they have done.

I really enjoyed the compost metaphor in class today. I think the metaphor works well for all writers. If any writer spends too much time writing without having other people look at it the writing will be get stale. Someone needs to look at your work in order to help stimulate new growth and new ideas. 

I'm really looking forward to skyping with my sister to work on her first college paper. I'm bummed that I won't be meeting new people but I am looking forward to hearing about everyone's experience.

Collaboration

II found Andrea Lunsford's Collaboration, Control, and the Idea of a Writing Center to be rather thought provoking about the mission of the Univeristy of Richmond Writing Center and the role of a Writing Consultant. I have always believe that collaboration is a positive attribute to the learning process. Bouncing ideas off friends, having your sister proofread a paper, or hosting a group study session has always been beneficial to the greater outcome. In my experience with collaboration or group projects there is always a warning label. Teachers often assign group projects or advised students to work together. In my experience these instructions always come with a label--"use your judgement about how much help to give to you peers". It's always a vague warning. Never a precise guideline about what you can do to help one another.

So what exactly is the role of a Writing Consultant? Do professors have the same understanding of what a Writing Tutor is and what kind of help is given? Is the Richmond Writing Center a Storehouse? Are we providing instruction and skills? Or is it more of a Garrett Center? Are we trying to pull out the ideas and thoughts from the students inner thoughts? Or are we truly collaborating with students in a Burkean Parlor? (Seriously-- who came up with these names?) I am sure that all of these concerns and ideas will be addressed as the course unfolds, but these are just thoughts I had about this reading.

Also-- I was just remembering my first experience at a Writing Center at my first college. My professor advised us all to go to the Writing Center for a paper he had assigned. I made my appointment and went through my paper with the Tutor. I went back and made changes that we had discussed. I felt okay about my first college paper, but I wasn't incredibly proud of it. After getting it back I was devastated to see red ink all over it. As I got the end end of the paper the teacher left a note saying, " Your draft was much better--maybe you shouldn't go back to that specific Writing Tutor." Wouldn't you hate to be that Consultant? I was so upset that I had done what was told of me and ended up with a worse grade. I hope that never happens to someone I help!

No Grades in America

I have been thinking a lot about our discussion on why teachers assign writing assignments. People seem to think that writing is important for when we enter the real world--even though many of us will never write an analytical paper on a novel or journal article after college. (Or atleast I hope so?!). I understand that we may have to express ourselves or our ideas through writing. Maybe grammar on a resume or cover letter is pretty important, but what about after you land the job. If people are able to express themselves vocally why can't they just write as they would speak? I think it may be that our society has grown to be competitive perfectionists. Good writing is just another tool to help you land the job. If you can speak 3 languages and write professionally rather than colloquially you are going to get the job before someone who has fair writing skills and can only speak English. Yes-- this is also why UR requires its students to complete such an extensive language requirement.

So I realize that people able to string your thoughts together and write well is a skill that will set you apart from people who are also seeking jobs in the workforce, but why are they graded? What is the deal with grades? Shouldn't we have grades based on effort. Some people just aren't going to do things as well as others. Why comare them? Even if you have a final grade in a class shouldn't it be based on improvement thoughout the course? Especially with writing! All teachers want something different. Students are so focused on writing what their teacher will approve of rather than experimenting with their writing style. Few students are willing to go out on a limb and try something new or try to make a far-fetched connection. They are focused solely on earning an A and pleasing the professor. I think that teachers are afraid to instruct a class where grades weren't given. They fear that students won't take the class seriously or give their best effort. I disagree. I think that students would be excited to be able to try new things and write for themselves, not their teacher. I have no doubt that there would be positive feedback.

Let's be real though-- this is America. We are bred to be competitive and strive to the top.It would take a great movement for the American education system to become gradeless.

Academic Bullshit

I frequently find myself sitting in class struggling to analyze and decipher a text in hopes to find the secret code and think to myself, "is there any way that the author meant exactly what he said?" If a writer had something to say wouldn't he just write it down? Is it possible that he just wrote the story purely to entertain his audience? Eubanks and Schaeffer's A Kind Word for Bullshit: The Problem of Academic Writing was a reassurance to me-- thank goodness I am not the only person who thinks that scholarly writing is so often about how well you can turn what the author has written into something far-fetched.

I first had this thought in English class my freshman year of high school. We were reading The Old Man and The Sea by Ernest Hemingway and my teacher explained to us how this novel symbolized Jesus Christ and his suffering on the cross. "Don't you see it," he said. "Santiago is a fisherman--just like Jesus was. His hands are torn up--just like Jesus' were when nails were hammered into as he hung from the cross" I remember thinking "You have to be kidding me. He is a fisherman (like so many other people) and of course his hands were torn up-- he is a fisherman!". Essentially, I was calling bullshit.

Why can't a story just be a story? A piece of writing meant to entertain, not something that a reader needs to swim through in order to reach the "true" meaning of the story. I mean isn't it possible that Hemingway just wanted to entertain an audience by telling a story about a fisherman's troubles? If I were I writer there wouldn't be a secret meaning.