Variance--The Work We Performe

As I have been following the blog, tutoring, and watching others tutor, I have come to notice that the work we engage in a writing center is quite variant. I think Kate's post from this week really encapsulates this phenomena. For this post I'd like to touch on a couple of the sessions I've worked on:

• My First Session: A student arrives who wishes to feedback on creative writing project;
• My Second Session: A student arrives who wants to conduct research for a paper. The student has no experience using with Google, Helin, EbScho, or search engines.
  
• My Third Session: A student arrives who wants assistance with 1) APA References page, 2) In-text citations, 3) Abstracts, 4) Headings.

During S1, I repeatedly tried to focus the student on the text. What did he wish to accomplish? What did he want me to read in particular? Was there a part of the story or an idea that he wanted me to engage. Having some experience with creative writing myself, I know that these texts can be very tied to one's sense of self--we invest ourselves in these pieces of writing. (This is, I think true for all writing, but for some reason creative writing, at times, seems more emotionally loaded.) The student really didn't know what he wanted from me or what he hoped we would accomplish in the session. I came to realize that the student just wanted someone to read the story, and someone to be able to talk to about his ideas. He didn't want or need my insights: he wanted to share his. I think, ultimately, the session enabled him the time and space he desired to be with this text with an audience.

During S2, I found the student really positive and eager to learn. She told me that growing up she hadn't had a computer, and now her family had just gotten one, but she wasn't really sure how and what to do with one. This, for me, was a pretty eye opening experience. With our Iphone, Ipod, Blackberry, digi-net-text-infused lives it's pretty mindbogglingly to meeting someone who isn't familiar with computers. But it does crystallize the wide gap between those that have access to computers and developing computer literacy and those who don't. I explained a bit about Google scholar, how to access the URI library page, and left her at the controls to navigate through the process/internet while I walked her through the process. Then, I asked her to close out and try to do it independently. She successfully found sources, and then because she said she wasn't familiar with the library, and because I still had time to work with her, I offered to walk her over to the library and locate the book sources she was looking for. I think she was kind of surprised to have someone really want to help her and she was really happy that she came to learn how to use the computer (for research) almost independently. Just a little bit of steering advice from me, but she really did the work.

During S3, a student arrived with an APA paper she had written. She was really pretty anti-self about her abilities and very un-confident that she was "doing" APA correctly. We talked about styles, and conventions for a minute, and I tried to bolster her confidence that, in fact, she had done a very good job. Sure there were a few "technical errors" in the references page (a comma missing here a period missing there), but holistically speaking the page accomplished what its purpose and the APA structures were well followed. As we transitioned into working on her citations and the abstract, again, she had that "I'm doing it all wrong" attitude but after showing her what she had done right, I think she got to see that APA is pretty technical and that knowing every nuance isn't necessary. We worked together at finding the parenthetical citation models to follow, and while at times I felt like she was trying to "get me to do it for her" she ended up doing the work. I thought it was a pretty good session all in all, and we spend nearly an hour working together on the paper which was roughly 12 pages long.

'I have Flu-Like symptoms' says the tutee...

Dealing with a sick tutee is hard. Now that the swine flu has pretty much scared everyone, when someone comes into the Writing Center with a cough, box of tissues, nasal spray, and/or hand sanitizer your first reaction is to stay clear from he/she. It is our first intuition to move away from someone who's coughing or sneezing but, when in the Writing Center, moving away from a tutee can be offensive. Even though you are scared of the tutee's contagious cold/flu, we have to be kind and considerate of the tutee and his or her condition. After all, they came in for your help.

Today, I encountered a situation like this today. My tutee was sick and warned me from the start by stating he had 'flu like symptoms.' I wanted to line the table with Clorox wipes and place the hand sanitizer on the table but I thought that would scare the tutee away by not making him feel welcomed.(I am using sarcasm here--I'm not that mean) But what I decided to do was to make him feel comfortable and provided him with tissues, helped him with his work and distanced myself a little more than I usually do when working with a tutee. The session only lasted 15 minutes because he didn't feel well and just wanted to get an understanding of the assignment so after he left I cleaned.

The session was successful even though I was nervous the entire time. I thought, if I sanitize myself and the table we were working at--it will all be fine.

Open Mic Tonight

There is an Open Mic tonight!

When: Today, Monday October 5th from 8PM-Midnight

Where: The 193 Coffeehouse in the Memorial Union

Who: A number of poets, singers, songwriters and other URI students will be in attendance. I know last spring's graduate-level Academy of American Poets winner will be performing (and he is fabulous).

The 193 has delicious coffee and it is a really neat space. I, unfortunately, do not think I will be able to attend (bogged down with reading). I hope some of us attend and can let the rest of us know what it was like!

Happy tutoring, folks - see you Wednesday.

I can be a bad student too...

Whenever I professors or tutors talk about writing, they always seem to emphasize starting in advance, doing multiple drafts, lots of peer review...etc. And it's fine to say all that. But sometimes...like this weekend...I feel really hypocritical. I had to go to a wedding in Ohio over the weekend, so I got no homework done. I have an essay due today...yeah, it's not written. Is it completely horrible that I can't do what I tell other students to do, like start early and plan and write it way before it's due? I remember WRT 353, where several of the other tutors-in-training said they never write project until the day or night or even morning before it's due. How can we do that but say other things?

This has been on my mind for a while, especially whenever we talk about a community of practice. I often don't write unless it's for a class, and even then I'm really good at procrastinating. Could we perhaps use the community to encourage each other to break these habits? Just some of my thoughts...

WRT 106ers and the Annotated Bib

I've been attempting to lure my students into the writing center as we've been working on the annotated bibliography. The thing is, I am getting ready to leave for a conference (10/7-10/11) and I want to make sure that they know where they can turn for help when I am not physically here.

So, in order to prepare y'all in the event of my students actually getting off their butts and up to the 4th floor of Roosevelt, here are the basics: they need 8-10 usable sources for their research project in the final annotated bib; they have the option of using any citation style they deem fit (mostly MLA with a few APA and CSE, more on that in a minute); summaries of the sources are supposed to be about 200-250 words each (other instructors may give guides in sentences); and I'm already seeing issues with quote integration.

The other issue that I am having is that 2 of my students are choosing to use CSE documentation style. This is not one that I have ever used and so we've been looking at the book together and hashing things out. Is anyone in the center comfortable with CSE or has anyone ever even used CSE style before? I'm hoping maybe I can recommend a tutor for them to go to while I'm out of town.

A Personal First in the WCenter: A Teary-Eyed Tutee

I had plenty of jokes last semester about how I'd never be able to effectively handle a crying writer in the WCenter; yesterday's 3:00PM appointment proved me wrong. Wholly out of necessity (and a general sense of been-there-too-female-kinship) I confronted my fear of crying tutees.
I shipped out to reception to meet my tutee, a freshman girl working on her arguable claim paper. When I walked in, she was sitting very still with black-blue card in hand, staring at the floor - undoubtedly, something was up. Not wanting to make her uncomfortable, I introduced myself in my most up-beat voice and shook her hand. We walked back to the center, where she told me she was concerned her evidence wasn't strong enough (only personal accounts) to support her overall claim (URI should not cram 3 students into 2-person dorm rooms). She was also concerned she was not going to meet the five page length requirement. During her summary of concerns, I was compiling a list of new evidence she could explore - but did not want to overload her with suggestions. Therefore, I asked when her due date was ("tomorrow") and what she had planned for tonight.
And so it happened: as she informed me she had a soccer game but wasn't going to go... she broke down in tears. She continued on, explaining that her boyfriend had called her while she was sitting in reception and dumped her. It was heartbreaking!
What happened next I was wholly unprepared for: ...I didn't freak. Nor did I stutter, become wildly uncomfortable, or run for the hills as I've jokingly predicted during Wednesday meetings. Instead, I offered her a cup of tea (she declined) and said: "Well, I have a few neat suggestions for new evidence for your claim - how do you feel about getting right into this paper as a distraction from him for the evening?" She loved the idea and we got to work.
She ended up searching for psychological studies regarding the "trio-is-detrimental" theory and ultimately interviewed me (I once lived in a triple on campus) as another piece of evidence. After hitting the Longman for how to cite an interview, Sarah and Katie arrived and she also discussed her evidence with them - Katie provided some particularly helpful evidence in her interview.
I was particularly happy Sarah and Katie came in when they did; my tutee had just finished telling me how her two roommates don't like her, and now her boyfriend dumps her out of the blue via telephone - she couldn't catch a break! I think the collective, "team-work" vibe Sarah, Katie and I achieved was really productive for the tutee, not only as a writer but as a student trying to make it through her first semester.

WRT 383 Project 1

So I've been in contact with Claudine from the RIC Writing Center the past few days, and I've arranged a time to go observe one of the tutors there in a couple of weeks. Two points:

1. I don't have a car, so if someone would like to tag along with me who does, that would be great. I'm supposed to go Monday October 19th at 12 p.m. If you do want to go then, just make sure you mention it to Claudine...

2. I mentioned in my last email to her that several other people will probably be contacting her soon, so she said she'll talk to her tutors and see what other times she can fit us in.

That said, do any of you have specific ideas you will be looking for when you go to observe, or are you just going to watch and then see what develops? Would you rather watch one tutor several times to see how they adapt to different situations or watch a couple tutors once each to see different styles?