The How and Why

This week’s readings and time in the Center have given me some further perspective on our work. I know that this model of writing center works--I've experienced it as a student. This week has helped me realize more about how and why it works. As a bonus, my time in the Center has me excited; between coffee cups, smart conversations, and some laughs, I always leave thinking, “This is a place I’d like to hang out more.” 

Of our readings, I think the ones that hit me the most were McCall’s piece, Bruffee’s piece, and our Kolln chapters. McCall’s piece added some context for me, and actually helped me build more on the ideas that last week’s readings generated for me. Using the terminology of consultant rather than tutor removes so much of the connotations and loaded language, just like calling our space a center rather than a lab removes connotations. I liked how McCall pointed out that tutors are for people perceived as failures, while consultants are for people seeking further success. 

In our class discussions, I’ve also noticed that Melissa, Clyde, and the WC veterans often refer to students not as “clients,” (the other end of the consultant language), but as “writers.” (I’m not sure yet whether this is on purpose or just a habit). I love that. It seems so empowering, especially since the term “writer” is something I’ve sometimes not even had the confidence to give myself. Telling people that they are writers is telling them they’ve already arrived, and we’re just there to help them work through their own unique ideas. 

Bruffee’s piece helped me contextualize my own writing a little bit. I’ve always loved E.M. Forster's quote, “How can I tell what I think until I see what I say?” I’ve found this true in my own life, especially since I tend to be an external processor. Turns out, from Bruffee’s piece, that I’m not alone in external and social processing of thoughts. This line hit me particularly as true: “If thought is internalized public and social talk, then writing is internalized talk made public and social again. If thought is internalized conversation, then writing is internalized conversation re-externalized” (210). I’ve experienced and therefore know that talking about writing works, and is immeasurably helpful in the writing process. Now, after reading Bruffee’s piece, I have some theoretical evidence to back that thought up, and some more concrete ideas of why and how it works. 

Kolln’s book has been excellent so far. In my Linguistics 305 class, I learned and appreciated that fact that linguists looked at grammar as descriptive rather than prescriptive. However, I had never seen that sentiment brought into the world of English or standardized grammar until reading Kolln’s introduction. The entire introduction to the book reinforces that idea that grammar works because it is shared, and therefore usage creates meaning. This is interestingly parallel to a lot of our readings--meaning is constructed socially, and our language with which we convey meaning is also constructed socially. I makes me geek out a little… I mean, that’s awesomely exciting. 

Finally, Melissa said to reflect a little on the class structure this week in our journals. At first, I had hoped we’d walk into class and get some step-by-step instructions of what a consultation looked like, a do and don’t list, or a detailed handbook. I was nervous about my first week in the Writing Center because of the fact that it didn’t look like that was coming up on the syllabus. When I realized that we were spending our first weeks observing and acclimating, though, I felt more confident. I still didn’t realize how helpful the readings would be for shaping that knowledge of what successful writing center work looks like. This week has driven that home for me--these readings are going to be a great ground work to lay the foundation of the practical, day-to-day knowledge that I’ll gain from observing and eventually consulting. I’m glad that we didn’t get bogged down with the minutia of running the Writing Center and paperwork and policies before delving into the philosophies, theories, and ideas behind writing center work.