Tuesday, March 2, 2021
Monday, December 6, 2010
Write-a-Thons Work!!!
I apologize that it has been a while since I've posted. I must admit that I feel awkward dominating the blog with my posts, and so I held off for a little while.
Something great happened at the writing workshop in Weldin, though, and I wanted to share it with you all.
While I was helping a student with her essay, she actually turned to me to say how helpful the feedback was, and she wanted to know all about the writing center. It sounds like we've hooked another participant who might seek us out.
It was wonderful to hear, and it made me think that perhaps we could coordinate a little gypsy pack. We could schedule in-dorm write-a-thons that rotate through the dorms and spread the word of the writing center. It might be great P.R.
What do you think?
Jen
Something great happened at the writing workshop in Weldin, though, and I wanted to share it with you all.
While I was helping a student with her essay, she actually turned to me to say how helpful the feedback was, and she wanted to know all about the writing center. It sounds like we've hooked another participant who might seek us out.
It was wonderful to hear, and it made me think that perhaps we could coordinate a little gypsy pack. We could schedule in-dorm write-a-thons that rotate through the dorms and spread the word of the writing center. It might be great P.R.
What do you think?
Jen
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Tutor Jen vs. Teacher Jen
I always find it odd how different it is to be a teacher or a tutor. Sometimes, it feels like the same role. I've had a couple of sessions recently in which plagiarism came up, and I realized that my approach is entirely different when tutoring than it is with teaching.
When I teach, I try to inform my students about plagiarism thoroughly, devoting up to two class hours on discussing different types of plagiarism and ways to avoid them. I am stern and absolute, returning any work with any plagiarism until it is corrected, and I meet with students who are confused, to help them understand what must be addressed.
When I tutor, I know that the rules of plagiarism are the same, but what I do not know is how the instructor reviewed them, what the student should already know from the course, or how the instructor penalizes plagiarism. I'm not referring to stolen papers, but to plagiaphrasing, missing citations, and those other "accidental" plagiarisms that arise.
I find that, as a tutor, I am gentler. Rather than be intimidating about plagiarism and its consequences, I find myself giving polite cautionary suggestions. I do not know how many students take my advise when they revise their papers at home further.
Yet again, this is a rambling blog entry with no particular point, except that I am a little surprised at my own compartmentalization of roles, and I wonder if anyone else has noticed a divide like this in their own experiences.
When I teach, I try to inform my students about plagiarism thoroughly, devoting up to two class hours on discussing different types of plagiarism and ways to avoid them. I am stern and absolute, returning any work with any plagiarism until it is corrected, and I meet with students who are confused, to help them understand what must be addressed.
When I tutor, I know that the rules of plagiarism are the same, but what I do not know is how the instructor reviewed them, what the student should already know from the course, or how the instructor penalizes plagiarism. I'm not referring to stolen papers, but to plagiaphrasing, missing citations, and those other "accidental" plagiarisms that arise.
I find that, as a tutor, I am gentler. Rather than be intimidating about plagiarism and its consequences, I find myself giving polite cautionary suggestions. I do not know how many students take my advise when they revise their papers at home further.
Yet again, this is a rambling blog entry with no particular point, except that I am a little surprised at my own compartmentalization of roles, and I wonder if anyone else has noticed a divide like this in their own experiences.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Tutoring thoughts of the day
I am surprised by how many students come to the writing center wanting grammar help, when their papers are fairly grammatically correct. I guess grammar's just that scary to most people. Even those of us who get it right most of the time stress out over the though that someone will assess our accuracy.
Many of the students I've seen have said they wanted grammar help, and then we quickly move to structure and content, instead, usually because those are the kinds of questions they have.
I wonder if it would help to change up the blue sheets to some manner of multiple choice (with the always-helpful, open-ended "other" as a final option, of course), to remind students that we can work on structure, thesis statements, cohesion, etc. Would categories like "narrative," "informational," "comparative," "analytical," "persuasive," etc., help them get more specific when describing their essays?
Many of the students I've seen have said they wanted grammar help, and then we quickly move to structure and content, instead, usually because those are the kinds of questions they have.
I wonder if it would help to change up the blue sheets to some manner of multiple choice (with the always-helpful, open-ended "other" as a final option, of course), to remind students that we can work on structure, thesis statements, cohesion, etc. Would categories like "narrative," "informational," "comparative," "analytical," "persuasive," etc., help them get more specific when describing their essays?
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
College Level Writing Collaborative
Two weeks ago, I went to a meeting of the College Level Writing Collaborative that was hosted at JWU's Harborside Campus. The goal of these meetings is for both upper-level high school instructors, and college writing instructors to meet and discuss how they (cumulatively and separately) help students become college writers.
We split into groups to hold round-table conversations, and the group I was in quickly began discussing templates and formulas for writing. While most of the high school instructors were required to use some manner of formula for their teaching, (i.e. write a topic sentence; then write three sentences that raise three examples; then write a closing sentence for the paragraph), many of them were unsatisfied with such rigidity in their instruction.
When we work with college writers, we sometimes see this kind of formulaic writing that lacks an overall sense of presence: a purpose or cohesion to a piece as a whole. I will admit that I've often taken the easy out and blamed it on high school instruction... but this became tougher to do once I heard high school teachers voice the same concerns that I've had.
Templates help beginning writers get a foothold on a concept, but they (eventually) need to see a "bigger picture." I guess that where I'm going with this is that, in the writing center, we have a unique opportunity to converse with writers. We are there as peers, as fellow writers, and so students are more comfortable telling us when they've written a certain way because they think it's an immutable rule, or because they were aiming for an effect. I suppose the whole experience of the meeting is making me re-think college and high-school instruction, and the ways that students are taught. I wish I had more of a handle on where my thoughts are going so that I could make an overt "point" with all of this, but all I can do at this time is mull it over.
Would any of you like to be added to the list-serv for the College Level Writing Collaborative? I think it would be interesting to have more writing center voices in the mix; (there was one college writing center head at the last meeting). The collaborative is really a fascinating concept, and the conversations are productive.
We split into groups to hold round-table conversations, and the group I was in quickly began discussing templates and formulas for writing. While most of the high school instructors were required to use some manner of formula for their teaching, (i.e. write a topic sentence; then write three sentences that raise three examples; then write a closing sentence for the paragraph), many of them were unsatisfied with such rigidity in their instruction.
When we work with college writers, we sometimes see this kind of formulaic writing that lacks an overall sense of presence: a purpose or cohesion to a piece as a whole. I will admit that I've often taken the easy out and blamed it on high school instruction... but this became tougher to do once I heard high school teachers voice the same concerns that I've had.
Templates help beginning writers get a foothold on a concept, but they (eventually) need to see a "bigger picture." I guess that where I'm going with this is that, in the writing center, we have a unique opportunity to converse with writers. We are there as peers, as fellow writers, and so students are more comfortable telling us when they've written a certain way because they think it's an immutable rule, or because they were aiming for an effect. I suppose the whole experience of the meeting is making me re-think college and high-school instruction, and the ways that students are taught. I wish I had more of a handle on where my thoughts are going so that I could make an overt "point" with all of this, but all I can do at this time is mull it over.
Would any of you like to be added to the list-serv for the College Level Writing Collaborative? I think it would be interesting to have more writing center voices in the mix; (there was one college writing center head at the last meeting). The collaborative is really a fascinating concept, and the conversations are productive.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Diggin' It
This semester I have seen a tutee by the surveilled name of ‘Maggie’. It was really awesome to see a tutee like this be engaged like she was. As a freshman, she has been completely engaged with me in fixing and working on her papers! She has come into the WC with her rough drafts that are in process up to a week before the due date! I mean seriously, how often does that happen!? At least for me, I consistently have students come in who have a paper due the next day--or even worse—the day of their appointment. ☹ That adds a lot of pressure to the tutor in the meeting, but also there is a lot of pressure being put back on the student in a 11th hour situation like that.
So far in the semester, there have been a lot of motivated tutees and I have not been getting any students who come in just for extra credit. Also, there seems to be a good flow that I have been feeling even if I have 4 or 5 tutees in a row. Needless to say, things are going well! Just thought I would check in and spread the good vibes!
So far in the semester, there have been a lot of motivated tutees and I have not been getting any students who come in just for extra credit. Also, there seems to be a good flow that I have been feeling even if I have 4 or 5 tutees in a row. Needless to say, things are going well! Just thought I would check in and spread the good vibes!
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Harrington school bash: write-a-thon?
It looks like we're moving closer toward an end-of-semester event for Harrington School's first year students. I'm now in contact with a Residential Life staffer in Weldin Hall, where the Harrington living-learning community is located. Apparently, she has some resources to put on an event. So perhaps this could be some fun? I hope so.
Here's one idea I have been kicking around: a "write-a-thon." Everyone has trouble sitting down to draft papers and other assignments. So perhaps we could sponsor an event (with food) to get these students writing? After some opening remarks and some eating, we could set them to work, freewriting style. (Don't stop writing! If you have to stop, you must talk with a tutor!) Perhaps there could be prizes: for most words written, for most assignments fully drafted. It could be something like an athletic event for writers.
Comments? Guffaws? All feedback appreciated--
Here's one idea I have been kicking around: a "write-a-thon." Everyone has trouble sitting down to draft papers and other assignments. So perhaps we could sponsor an event (with food) to get these students writing? After some opening remarks and some eating, we could set them to work, freewriting style. (Don't stop writing! If you have to stop, you must talk with a tutor!) Perhaps there could be prizes: for most words written, for most assignments fully drafted. It could be something like an athletic event for writers.
Comments? Guffaws? All feedback appreciated--
Oh, the poster wall. . .
I really liked the idea of papering over the south wall of room 408 with posters, but I'm not sure how well its developing. In any case, I'm definitely tired of looking at that Korn poster. What should we do about the poster wall? Just tear them all down? Or do you all have more posters to contribute?
Thursday, September 30, 2010
I have been thinking about this fish tank in the writing center idea. I've freed up a 1-gallon bowl, and I've got enough extra plants, shrimp, and maybe even an extra tiny fish I could pop in there. What I don't have is an extra desk lamp. I was looking around the writing center, and I'm worried that the overhead lights alone won't be enough to keep the plants growing, and I was hoping to plant densely enough that I wouldn't need filtration (which would be hard to set up aesthetically in a 1-gallon bowl). Anyone have an extra desk lamp or reading light they could donate to this little project so that we can have a writing center fish mascot?
Getting more onto the topic of tutoring, there is definitely a difference when tutoring one of your own students. It is more difficult to encourage mutual participation when you are the one who gives the grades. My time on campus has been spreading a little thin, so I've been telling students they can also find me in the writing center, but I think I'll stop dropping those hints, and put more of a distinction between office visits and the writing center. I will keep encouraging both, but I'll stop mentioning that I'll be around the writing center now and again. Anyone have any tips for breaking down some of those teacherly barriers during writing center meetings?
Side Note: Did we ever find a way to mark some posts as visible to site participants only? I feel a little awkward discussing current tutees/students, even if I do stay abstract. I keep thinking that people will find posts that indirectly allude to them, and it makes me a little uncomfortable.
Getting more onto the topic of tutoring, there is definitely a difference when tutoring one of your own students. It is more difficult to encourage mutual participation when you are the one who gives the grades. My time on campus has been spreading a little thin, so I've been telling students they can also find me in the writing center, but I think I'll stop dropping those hints, and put more of a distinction between office visits and the writing center. I will keep encouraging both, but I'll stop mentioning that I'll be around the writing center now and again. Anyone have any tips for breaking down some of those teacherly barriers during writing center meetings?
Side Note: Did we ever find a way to mark some posts as visible to site participants only? I feel a little awkward discussing current tutees/students, even if I do stay abstract. I keep thinking that people will find posts that indirectly allude to them, and it makes me a little uncomfortable.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Starting the semester's tutoring
Monday was a great tutoring day. I was back to back, and the best part was that the students I met with had come in for very diverse reasons. I love that sessions can range from very directive help for a non-native speaker with great fluency to very holistic comments for a confident student whose draft is near completion.
Sometimes, we worry about how heterogeneous our students' are and how different their needs can be, but I think that's my favorite part of teaching/tutoring. Maybe I like the challenge, or maybe I just get bored easily, but the element of surprise and the constant change is one of the perks of our line of work as far as I'm concerned.
I wonder if other people feel this way. Am I "the odd man out," so to speak, for enjoying this aspect as much as I do? What does everyone else think about it?
Sometimes, we worry about how heterogeneous our students' are and how different their needs can be, but I think that's my favorite part of teaching/tutoring. Maybe I like the challenge, or maybe I just get bored easily, but the element of surprise and the constant change is one of the perks of our line of work as far as I'm concerned.
I wonder if other people feel this way. Am I "the odd man out," so to speak, for enjoying this aspect as much as I do? What does everyone else think about it?
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Graduate Writing Seminar this Friday, 12PM
I'll be moderating a panel presentation on graduate writing in the sciences this Friday (CBLS Atrium, 12-1 PM). Pizza will be provided.
URI researchers including Nancy Fey Yensen (Dean, HSS) and Scott McWilliams (Prof., CELS) will be talking about how they identify and communicate about "gaps" in research knowledge. Following the presentations, CELS graduate students and others will have the opportunity to ask questions of the panel.
This presentation begins a seminar series on graduate writing on the sciences. Seminars to follow will focus on writing literature reviews and working with references, among other topics.
I am thinking that this presentation will probably be useful for Writing Center tutors who would like to know more about science writing. I'd also like some tutors to attend to demonstrate the Writing Center's interest in supporting science writers.
URI researchers including Nancy Fey Yensen (Dean, HSS) and Scott McWilliams (Prof., CELS) will be talking about how they identify and communicate about "gaps" in research knowledge. Following the presentations, CELS graduate students and others will have the opportunity to ask questions of the panel.
This presentation begins a seminar series on graduate writing on the sciences. Seminars to follow will focus on writing literature reviews and working with references, among other topics.
I am thinking that this presentation will probably be useful for Writing Center tutors who would like to know more about science writing. I'd also like some tutors to attend to demonstrate the Writing Center's interest in supporting science writers.
Monday, September 20, 2010
its on!
So I just had to hop on and say how much fun it is to be tutoring again!
Unlike last year, I had tutees from my very first shift- both WRT 104 students working on narratives, both with full drafts. Is it something in the air this fall, or am a little mad to be perceiving everyone as just a little more excited and proactive? Even my own students have started using office hours, and I usually have to bribe and cajole them with eminent papers. I don't what it is, but its making my already sleep-deprived days feel more than bearable. Like :)
Anyway, hope you all have great first shifts, too, and looking forward to talking about North and Shamoon on Wednesday (two of my fav tutoring articles)!
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Facebook page? Banner?
Writing Centers always have publicity problems, since everyone assumes that they are "fix-it shops" or "comma garages." Editing services, in other words.
In the case of our Writing Center, we also struggle with not being noticed. It's not clear, in other words, whether students think about us very frequently. (If they do, what do they think about us?)
In our staff orientation last Saturday, I thought we had some good ideas for addressing some of our publicity problems. If we want students to notice us, a Facebook site might be a good way to help that happen. Also, the idea to staff a table in the union (with a big ol' banner) is a good idea, too.
On Saturday, I set up our WCenter Facebook site. Now we just need to design the thing! (By design, I mean layout and text as well as some bigger questions: how do we want to use this tool? Do we really want our pictures up on the site? Will we be friends with it?)
This coming week, we should also start thinking in earnest about staffing a table in the Union. What do we want to do there? How do we want to appear? Perhaps the sign shop can make us a giant version of our sticker to display? Where are those stickers anyway?
Comments? Ideas? Please have your say--
In the case of our Writing Center, we also struggle with not being noticed. It's not clear, in other words, whether students think about us very frequently. (If they do, what do they think about us?)
In our staff orientation last Saturday, I thought we had some good ideas for addressing some of our publicity problems. If we want students to notice us, a Facebook site might be a good way to help that happen. Also, the idea to staff a table in the union (with a big ol' banner) is a good idea, too.
On Saturday, I set up our WCenter Facebook site. Now we just need to design the thing! (By design, I mean layout and text as well as some bigger questions: how do we want to use this tool? Do we really want our pictures up on the site? Will we be friends with it?)
This coming week, we should also start thinking in earnest about staffing a table in the Union. What do we want to do there? How do we want to appear? Perhaps the sign shop can make us a giant version of our sticker to display? Where are those stickers anyway?
Comments? Ideas? Please have your say--
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
See you tomorrow--
Roosevelt's 4th floor is quiet now, but it won't be for too long. Looking forward to seeing you all tomorrow at our first 2010-2011 WCenter meeting--
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Observing Cathryn
I observed one Cathryn Molloy’s sessions. All semester it has been just the two of us on Fridays from ten to one. I always enjoy my time in the writing center with Cathryn. She always come in extremely perky and immediately makes me feel at home by asking if I want tea. She always wakes me up more than the coffee I am drinking.
Anyway, the session I observed was between her and a senior boy who was majoring Electrical Engineering. When she asked him what his paper was on her told her that it was about the economy. He informed her that his paper was “high stakes” and he needed her to do some intensive editing for him. He also told her to let him know if he needed to elaborate on any aspects of his paper. Cathryn explained that she would do her best because she did not have any background in the topic he was writing about.
Cathryn began reading his paper and immediately complimented him. She told him that he was brave to tackle such a complicated topic. After the compliment and positive reinforcement Cathryn began correcting his grammar. She told him to put a colon instead of a period and explained why he had to put the colon there; “a colon indicates a list.” Thus, she was teaching him how to utilize a colon for other papers as well; she was teaching not editing.
I observed how Cathryn phrased her sentences when tutoring to ensure that the student felt comfortable with her. For example, Cathryn used phrases like:
“Oh! this makes more sense to me”
“I think that’s what you meant here”
“this is interesting but I think you should clarify what you mean to the audience “
“Amazing”
“wow, so cool!”
“it’s really great how you give a term and define it!”
When the student’s session was over he seemed extremely happy with his session, a session that was filled with facilitative tutoring. This session exemplifies why Cathryn is an amazing tutor and teacher. Cathryn does more than just edit; she explains how and why the changes that are made are necessary. She also compliments the strong aspects of the paper, which makes the student more comfortable being critiqued on his or her weak moments.
I feel as if I am always subconsciously observing her sessions on Fridays. Cathryn is an outgoing, friendly, warm person. She is a natural born teacher and tutor. Her sessions appear effortless. I always feel inspired when I observe her and I am sure other tutors feel that same.
Anyway, the session I observed was between her and a senior boy who was majoring Electrical Engineering. When she asked him what his paper was on her told her that it was about the economy. He informed her that his paper was “high stakes” and he needed her to do some intensive editing for him. He also told her to let him know if he needed to elaborate on any aspects of his paper. Cathryn explained that she would do her best because she did not have any background in the topic he was writing about.
Cathryn began reading his paper and immediately complimented him. She told him that he was brave to tackle such a complicated topic. After the compliment and positive reinforcement Cathryn began correcting his grammar. She told him to put a colon instead of a period and explained why he had to put the colon there; “a colon indicates a list.” Thus, she was teaching him how to utilize a colon for other papers as well; she was teaching not editing.
I observed how Cathryn phrased her sentences when tutoring to ensure that the student felt comfortable with her. For example, Cathryn used phrases like:
“Oh! this makes more sense to me”
“I think that’s what you meant here”
“this is interesting but I think you should clarify what you mean to the audience “
“Amazing”
“wow, so cool!”
“it’s really great how you give a term and define it!”
When the student’s session was over he seemed extremely happy with his session, a session that was filled with facilitative tutoring. This session exemplifies why Cathryn is an amazing tutor and teacher. Cathryn does more than just edit; she explains how and why the changes that are made are necessary. She also compliments the strong aspects of the paper, which makes the student more comfortable being critiqued on his or her weak moments.
I feel as if I am always subconsciously observing her sessions on Fridays. Cathryn is an outgoing, friendly, warm person. She is a natural born teacher and tutor. Her sessions appear effortless. I always feel inspired when I observe her and I am sure other tutors feel that same.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Session observation
Last week I observed one of Meghan's sessions. Unfortunately for Meghan, it seemed to be such an agonizing session! The tutee just didn't seem to care at all, didn't voice any opinions, and was just completely indifferent and mostly silent. Meghan tried so hard to get him to talk! I admired how she used various methods and kept changing her tactic to try to get this tutee involved, but he just wasn't cooperating. Not that he was actively resistant -- he just didn't do anything.
He had an assignment to write a literary analysis paper and said that he didn't know where to start or how to write this kind of paper. He had brought the text he was supposed to analyze, so Meghan tried to get him involved by asking him questions about the text. She started with questions like "Why did you think the author decided to do that?" -- he didn't know -- and then she moved to more general questions like "Did you like this part?" -- and he still didn't know!
It seemed like Meghan was trying to come at the issue from so many different angles, trying to get the student engaged and trying to find something that would get him to express an opinion or even a little bit of interest, but he wasn't having it. She tried to move onto an even more general topic by asking him what books he liked, if there was anything he'd read in high school (he was a freshman) that interested him. He said he'd liked Brave New World, and Meghan asked him what he liked about it, what themes he saw in it. He said he didn't know... "I don't like to read."
At this point I was feeling so badly for Meghan because I think she's a great tutor and she was trying so hard to get this student involved! I felt like we were in Melville's "Bartleby the Scrivener" -- where Bartleby would say "I would prefer not to," this tutee said "I don't know."
Meghan moved on to give some suggestions to the student for how to start this kind of a paper, how to look for themes in a text. The student was a kinesiology major so Meghan even tried to apply literary analysis to his field, to get him interested, by saying that the sciences require logical thinking, which is also true of analyzing a text. Meghan showed the student how to access the reference databases to search for secondary sources, and encouraged him to read some scholarly essays about the text he had to analyze, to get ideas about what other people thought about this text. She encouraged him to come back to the writing center when he had a draft.
The student asked for a required visit slip and left. As he walked out I thought that I had possibly never seen a tutee so indifferent! Sure, I get some tutees who say they hate writing/reading, but at least they have an opinion. This student didn't want to express any opinions, really.
What to do with a tutee who is so completely ambivalent? I thought that Meghan's methods were great -- she tried really hard to find something that the student could connect to, something that would serve as a jumping-off point to get him talking. I feel that, in most cases, this would be a great method to use. It was unfortunate that this student wasn't responsive to it!
He had an assignment to write a literary analysis paper and said that he didn't know where to start or how to write this kind of paper. He had brought the text he was supposed to analyze, so Meghan tried to get him involved by asking him questions about the text. She started with questions like "Why did you think the author decided to do that?" -- he didn't know -- and then she moved to more general questions like "Did you like this part?" -- and he still didn't know!
It seemed like Meghan was trying to come at the issue from so many different angles, trying to get the student engaged and trying to find something that would get him to express an opinion or even a little bit of interest, but he wasn't having it. She tried to move onto an even more general topic by asking him what books he liked, if there was anything he'd read in high school (he was a freshman) that interested him. He said he'd liked Brave New World, and Meghan asked him what he liked about it, what themes he saw in it. He said he didn't know... "I don't like to read."
At this point I was feeling so badly for Meghan because I think she's a great tutor and she was trying so hard to get this student involved! I felt like we were in Melville's "Bartleby the Scrivener" -- where Bartleby would say "I would prefer not to," this tutee said "I don't know."
Meghan moved on to give some suggestions to the student for how to start this kind of a paper, how to look for themes in a text. The student was a kinesiology major so Meghan even tried to apply literary analysis to his field, to get him interested, by saying that the sciences require logical thinking, which is also true of analyzing a text. Meghan showed the student how to access the reference databases to search for secondary sources, and encouraged him to read some scholarly essays about the text he had to analyze, to get ideas about what other people thought about this text. She encouraged him to come back to the writing center when he had a draft.
The student asked for a required visit slip and left. As he walked out I thought that I had possibly never seen a tutee so indifferent! Sure, I get some tutees who say they hate writing/reading, but at least they have an opinion. This student didn't want to express any opinions, really.
What to do with a tutee who is so completely ambivalent? I thought that Meghan's methods were great -- she tried really hard to find something that the student could connect to, something that would serve as a jumping-off point to get him talking. I feel that, in most cases, this would be a great method to use. It was unfortunate that this student wasn't responsive to it!
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
A $20 Proposal
My last session of the day was filled with anxiety and plain old hyper-ness. For starters, my session before the last one went over about 5 minutes, and I rushed out to grab my next tutee, whom I will refer to as X. He was sprawled all over the waiting area like many tutees and the collection of all his possessions was like watching a juggling act. Turns out, that 5 minutes was excruciating for him and he almost left..part of me wishes that he had simply done so. X pushed the laptop towards me, thought thankfully not all the way in front of me, so at least he had that going for him. The assignment was unclear, he just directed me to sections of this large word doc at random; I am left with a pretty unclear vision of what he was even doing, but supposedly I really helped since that was a phrase that came out of his mouth every five minutes or so. I got a slightly creepy vibe from him from he very start, but on top of that, he was in a super hurry and was literally bouncing around, leaving me to feel like all I wanted to do was get him out of there. Unfortunately, it was also one of those instances where even though time is up, he just kept having one more question or one little section he wanted me to read. Why am I always a sucker for that "one more little thing"?
But the absolute best part of it all, after I finally answered all the little questions and could start packing up my own stuff, I was offered $20 to meet him in the library to go back over the whole thing with him later on. Hmmmm, let me think about that one. I said no if only because I couldn't handle anymore of his rush, rush, rush attitude. Though, after an hour has passed I do feel like I had a missed opportunity to take the money and reinvest it in some Indian food at the emporium for dinner, with enough left over to go get my eyebrows waxed.
In all seriousness, this offer did bring to mind all the times I've heard tutors talk about giving out their personal email addresses to tutees for further help and I can't help but wonder what types of extra burdens (maybe not so much burden, but ...) we place on ourselves because we feel connected to our tutees and really have this spirit of helpfulness. While it was easy to say no to X because I really just wanted to get away, those tutees who become a part of our community by coming in regularly are much harder to say no to.
But the absolute best part of it all, after I finally answered all the little questions and could start packing up my own stuff, I was offered $20 to meet him in the library to go back over the whole thing with him later on. Hmmmm, let me think about that one. I said no if only because I couldn't handle anymore of his rush, rush, rush attitude. Though, after an hour has passed I do feel like I had a missed opportunity to take the money and reinvest it in some Indian food at the emporium for dinner, with enough left over to go get my eyebrows waxed.
In all seriousness, this offer did bring to mind all the times I've heard tutors talk about giving out their personal email addresses to tutees for further help and I can't help but wonder what types of extra burdens (maybe not so much burden, but ...) we place on ourselves because we feel connected to our tutees and really have this spirit of helpfulness. While it was easy to say no to X because I really just wanted to get away, those tutees who become a part of our community by coming in regularly are much harder to say no to.
Friday, April 16, 2010
My Best Session of the Semester
On Tuesday, I had a student come in to work on a 10-minute English presentation. When we sat down and she began to talk about the assignment, her eyes welled up and she was on the verge of crying. Right then I knew I had to switch up my approach to something very laid back and confident.
We talked about the pressures of giving a presentation, and I gave her some tips on how I, a very shy student, overcame my fear of presentations. After that, we decided to start on the outline. I gave her the pen, but it didn't seem to be going as smooth as I expected, so I told her I would take notes while she went through a mock presentation.
It worked out great. She had notes to go off of in order to make her note cards, and she felt like she had a good understanding of the texts she was working with.
The best part is: I saw her yesterday, and she told me she received an "A".
We talked about the pressures of giving a presentation, and I gave her some tips on how I, a very shy student, overcame my fear of presentations. After that, we decided to start on the outline. I gave her the pen, but it didn't seem to be going as smooth as I expected, so I told her I would take notes while she went through a mock presentation.
It worked out great. She had notes to go off of in order to make her note cards, and she felt like she had a good understanding of the texts she was working with.
The best part is: I saw her yesterday, and she told me she received an "A".
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Observing Nikki
This past Tuesday Nikki and I were lucky enough to both have appointments at opposite times. While observing Nikki I noticed how energetic and friendly she was throughout the session. From the beginning the tutee, a freshman girl, was very quiet and unwilling to truly learn the points Nikki was making. However, Nikki was persistant and I really appreciated the tactics she was taking and being able to witness her tutoring take place. When the tutee walked in, Nikki sat down next to her but positioned her body so that they were face to face. She talked to the tutee as if they had been friends and used strategies that I use during my sessions as well. She makes the tutee read out loud and is very interactive with the paper. When Nikki asks questions, she gives the tutee plenty of time to think and revise on their own. There was one instance when the tutee didn't quite understand what the question was, Nikki casually rephrased the question and then went into further detail about the point she was trying to make. What I really liked about what Nikki did throughout the session was after the tutee had read a couple of sentences, Nikki would ask the tutee about it. This made the lethargic tutee have to participate and actually think about what she was putting into her essay. I thought this was extremely clever and effective for the tutee. Also, after the selected portion is read, Nikki summarizes what they just went over to make sure that the writer is getting across what is intended. Only making the tutee more involved in the session, whether she wanted to be or not. Overall, I thought the session was very successful and though the tutee could have been more willing Nikki handled herself, and the essay, with poise and enthusiasm, like any great tutor would.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Community and Food
The other day as I was walking to my car after yoga with a grumbling tummy, I found myself struck with memories from when I was an undergraduate student at SUNY Albany. I had been a part of the Women’s Studies Teaching Collective during my time there. As part of the Collective, I had the opportunity to aid in the development of an introductory course to feminisms (which we did as a group of 30) and then team teach the course (I taught with 2 other girls and we were overseen by a graduate student). It was a very unique experience not only because the department let undergrads teach other undergrads, but because so much of our time was spent building community. Our main source of community building was a series of monthly pot luck meetings outside of our regularly scheduled class periods. We rotated the location, sometimes meeting in someone’s apartment off campus, other times meeting in someone’s dorm room (this was reserved for those of us who lived in the larger apartment style dorms since the whole group of use with all of our various foods would never fit in a regular suite style room). The locations allowed us to relax and to get a glimpse of someone else’s real life , but I feel it was the food that really bonded us.
When we prepare food for others, we open up ourselves and offer a piece of us alongside a morsel. It is a gift of our time, our energy, and our affection. The dishes that appear at pot lucks can also tell a lot about the bringer/preparer. We tend to bring comfort foods, foods we are proud of, foods that remind us of our families and traditions. Even people who are too busy to make food, but who bring crackers and cheese or chips and dip expose a part of themselves – that they are busy and that these are the types of foods they gravitate towards, perhaps even as a comfort.
I can think of other instances as well that support a linkage between food and community. When my ex was working on Casey Farm, we would attend periodic pot lucks where all the local farmers, their families, and pets would bring veggies fresh from the pasture, meats that had grazed in their fields, oysters taken right out of the bay, and seasonal berries fresh picked only hours ago. There was the common element of the love of the Earth and the love of fresh foods, but it was the presenting of that food and the sharing of the meal that made conversation, music, and tomato tossing possible. And now, as a single lady looking to establish my own community in a state that is still very foreign to me, I’ve found a book club that comes complete with pot luck brunches once a month.
You may be asking by this point what the connection of food and community has to do with the Writing Center. Ideally, I would like to offer up the suggestion of a pot luck send off, a celebration of the time we have spent together and an offering of ourselves to the community we strive on a daily basis to shape and form. With such little time left and the chaos that the end of the semester brings, I’m not sure that it is even feasible to strive for such an event, so perhaps it is more of a suggestion for future orientations, as the community continues to grow and change, food can provide the catalyst to new conversations and opportunities.
But, as this idea has stewed, I also wanted to connect food and community to writing. In “Consuming Prose: The Delectable Rhetoric of Food Writing,” Lynn Bloom quotes food historian Massimo Montanari discussing food as a type of discourse:
"“Just as in verbal sentences, one or more protagonists,” the principal
foods, whether meat or grain dishes (equivalent to nouns), “are in the
center of the action,” accompanied—in their syntactic place—by appetizers,
side dishes, desserts.Condiments serve as the meal’s adjectives and adverbs.
“Food acquires full expressive capacity,” concludes Montanari, “thanks to the
rhetoric that in every language is its necessary complement. Rhetoric is the
adaptation of speech to the argument,to the effects one wants to arouse or
create. If the discourse is food, that means the way it is prepared, served,
and eaten”. "(Bloom 347)
So perhaps in preparing a dish for a pot luck, one is intrinsically creating a story about themselves. It may be an introduction of the self to a new community or it may be a reinforcement of who the individual is – especially when calling upon grandma’s famous apple pie recipe or traditional hot tamales!
You can take this as food for thought or let it marinate a bit as I did to come to a better grasp of what the presentation of food can mean for the presentation of self and the building of community. After all, when we define community as a group of people with some common interest or aspect, what greater commonality do we have than the need for food?
When we prepare food for others, we open up ourselves and offer a piece of us alongside a morsel. It is a gift of our time, our energy, and our affection. The dishes that appear at pot lucks can also tell a lot about the bringer/preparer. We tend to bring comfort foods, foods we are proud of, foods that remind us of our families and traditions. Even people who are too busy to make food, but who bring crackers and cheese or chips and dip expose a part of themselves – that they are busy and that these are the types of foods they gravitate towards, perhaps even as a comfort.
I can think of other instances as well that support a linkage between food and community. When my ex was working on Casey Farm, we would attend periodic pot lucks where all the local farmers, their families, and pets would bring veggies fresh from the pasture, meats that had grazed in their fields, oysters taken right out of the bay, and seasonal berries fresh picked only hours ago. There was the common element of the love of the Earth and the love of fresh foods, but it was the presenting of that food and the sharing of the meal that made conversation, music, and tomato tossing possible. And now, as a single lady looking to establish my own community in a state that is still very foreign to me, I’ve found a book club that comes complete with pot luck brunches once a month.
You may be asking by this point what the connection of food and community has to do with the Writing Center. Ideally, I would like to offer up the suggestion of a pot luck send off, a celebration of the time we have spent together and an offering of ourselves to the community we strive on a daily basis to shape and form. With such little time left and the chaos that the end of the semester brings, I’m not sure that it is even feasible to strive for such an event, so perhaps it is more of a suggestion for future orientations, as the community continues to grow and change, food can provide the catalyst to new conversations and opportunities.
But, as this idea has stewed, I also wanted to connect food and community to writing. In “Consuming Prose: The Delectable Rhetoric of Food Writing,” Lynn Bloom quotes food historian Massimo Montanari discussing food as a type of discourse:
"“Just as in verbal sentences, one or more protagonists,” the principal
foods, whether meat or grain dishes (equivalent to nouns), “are in the
center of the action,” accompanied—in their syntactic place—by appetizers,
side dishes, desserts.Condiments serve as the meal’s adjectives and adverbs.
“Food acquires full expressive capacity,” concludes Montanari, “thanks to the
rhetoric that in every language is its necessary complement. Rhetoric is the
adaptation of speech to the argument,to the effects one wants to arouse or
create. If the discourse is food, that means the way it is prepared, served,
and eaten”. "(Bloom 347)
So perhaps in preparing a dish for a pot luck, one is intrinsically creating a story about themselves. It may be an introduction of the self to a new community or it may be a reinforcement of who the individual is – especially when calling upon grandma’s famous apple pie recipe or traditional hot tamales!
You can take this as food for thought or let it marinate a bit as I did to come to a better grasp of what the presentation of food can mean for the presentation of self and the building of community. After all, when we define community as a group of people with some common interest or aspect, what greater commonality do we have than the need for food?
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