Part 2 (Observing Jenny)

I spend a lot of time in the Center while Jenny is working and I’ve sat in on quite a few of her consults. There was one consult in particular that I focused on for this weeks prompt.

A Music 101 student came in and needed to write a paper about his personal experience with music. He felt like his paper was all over the place and didn’t really “say” anything. Jenny made eye contact and focused on what the student was saying. He spent most of the time doing the talking. Jenny would prompt him with questions about his piece and the goals he had set whenever he paused.

After talking about the piece the student realized his main problem was that he had never really liked music to begin with. He had been trying to fib his way through the paper. Instead of encouraging his agenda, Jenny suggested that maybe he try writing about why it was that he didn’t like music. This was a real wheel turner for him. He had so much to say and felt like he’d easily be able to write his paper on that topic. He left feeling refreshed, confident that he would be able to re-write something worthwhile.

Entry 4 Part 1

I've been in the center a lot this week. Mostly because I had a difficult paper to write and wanted to "try out" the center from the other side. I had consults with both Justin and Shawn that both went really well. Even though they are both new as consultants, I really got a lot of good ground covered in each consultation.

While working with Justin we went over some basic brainstorming. I knew what I needed to write about and I had some of the main points I wanted to cover with some relevant quotes, but I just couldn't seem to get the paper jump started--that's where Justin came in. He basically looked at my stuff and started asking me questions. I responded and we began to have a discussion about the overall themes in the paper. It was helpful and fun. I never doubted Justin's ability as a consultant, but I was pleasantly surprised with how beneficial our consultation was.

After writing a draft, I met with Shawn to get some ideas for expansion and to see if I was getting my points across clearly. Again, this was a very successful consult. Shawn helped me realize what points in my paper were interesting and worthy of expansion and he also helped me figure out my shortcomings.

Overall, I was really impressed with the quality of our new tutors in the center. I got so much from my consults and feel like it helped me write--and re-write and re-write and re-write-- a great paper.

What a Week!

This was one of those "if it could go wrong it did go wrong" kind of weeks for me. I was sick, overwhelmed with too many credits in school, and my eternal hunt for a new house turned sour again. The only thing that really did seem in my favor this week was the Center.

At the beginning of this week I had my first consult. I had been sitting in on consults earlier in the morning with both Cassie and Phil; and both of those had gone pretty well. With Phil’s consult, it had been more of a tag team than an observation and I had the opportunity to contribute quite a bit. So I guess you could say the consulting juices were flowing hot in my veins when my opportunity arose.

It was a point in the center when everyone was busy and I was all alone in front of the computer recording the prior consults of the day. In walked a student without an appointment who was looking for some last minute help. I turned to Joy and she asked if I wanted to take it. I hadn’t expected that, but I was totally pumped. Eden became handy, so she joined me and we tackled the consult together. The consult went pretty smoothly. The student was mainly in the final revision stage and just wanted to make sure he was getting his point across (which he was). We helped him clean up the paper a bit and made his paper sound more “native” english, since he was spanish speaker. The session went a little beyond a half hour, but like Melissa said in class, that was ok not to be concerned with that.

In hindsight, I would have approached the consult differently. Eden and I made corrections for him, but we didn’t really teach him how to fix his own mistakes--talk about “fix it shop”! I was observing a consult with Jenny later in the week and saw how she let the student squirm a little. It wasn’t that she wasn’t helping him, she just didn’t do the work. Instead, she’d offer a few suggestions or explain why what they wrote was wrong, but never outright fixed anything. I thought this was a much better approach than what Eden and I did.

Even though our consult wasn’t perfect, I (of course) got super excited and wanted to start consulting regularly. Our reading for the week also got me fired up. I was super into Fulwiler’s piece. To me, it was incredibly inspiring and an eye opener. He had so many great ideas to help writing students! I know that not all of them are always feasible in the Writing Center, but I’m willing to get creative. If anything, these are great ideas for my future students. Melissa reigned me in a little from jumping on the consultant bandwagon, but I can feel it coming. Bring the Walk-In’s on! I’m (almost) ready.

Alright, this is me...

So, it’s my second week experiencing the writing center hands on. I was pretty bummed that Monday was a holiday. True, it was nice getting some extra “me time” in, but I’ve been really excited about getting some more experience in the center. Ever since beginning the class, I’ve had this personal goal of mine to start doing consults before the 7-week deadline. I know it may seem a little over zealous, but that’s me. I don’t do things any other way, if I can help it. The only problem is I’ve hit a few roadblocks.

First off, I’m getting more intimidated. It seems like one of those “the more you know, the less you know” kind of situations. This week in class we tackled a lot of interesting stuff and one of the big things that rocked my boat was the grammar game. I didn’t have all the answers; in fact, I had a lot of wrong answers. This really gets under my skin! I carefully read the book, taking notes and highlighting like a mad man, but I still failed to get it. That freaks me out! I’m just not comfortable with not having all the answers.

Another thing that bothered me actually took place in the center--several times. It seems like every thing I do, I have to look for re-assurance. I know Melissa drilled us on “manning-up”. I get it, and I feel like I have done just that. But, with everything I do, I am constantly looking for a conformation--that yes, Ryan you did put that in the computer right, or yes Ryan that is how you handle that situation. I know that I’m new and don’t have all the answers, but I feel like it’s time for me to “man-up” in my self-assurance. I wonder if this is something other people in the center are also witnessing or if it’s strictly internal. Either way, I know it’s something I need to get over.

On a more positive note, I really feel the bonds beginning to form with all the consultants in the center. Even though I haven’t been able to become comfortable as a “ready” consultant in the center, I am at least comfortable with my team. I wasn’t sure how that was going to work out at first. I know Melissa assured everyone that we would all become a big family, but I was honestly a bit skeptical at first, given everyone’s different ages and interests. I’m glad my skepticism was totally wrong. I think I’ve made more new friends in the center, in the last few weeks, than I have in the entire 3 years since I’ve moved to Boise. No joke! Rob and I grabbed a bite to eat after class on Thursday night--very cool. Then, I’m watching the BSU game with Justin tomorrow--awesome! And, Rachael’s husband’s band needs a bassist and I just so happen to play bass. So guess where will I be Sunday night? You guessed it--jamming!!!

I know this journal entry may not be as scholastic as the one before or the ones that will follow, but I really feel like I needed to get some things off my chest. I have more insecurities, now, than I realized at first. But, I know I’m ready to tackle them head first. And, I feel way more confident knowing that I have a good team of friends to take this on with. It’s still my goal to be ready before the 7 weeks is up. So now, it’s time to “man-up”!

First Timer

Today I had my first experience sitting in on a consultation with Jenny. She was working with a student who, for one, was not a native english speaker, and two, also was a business student. As soon as the consult began, I thought to myself, here we go. This is exactly some of the “tough” stuff we talked about in class. I watched carefully to see how Jenny worked and was surprised with how it unfolded.

First off, she asked exactly what the student was looking for. I expected that. The student was given an assignment to write an “introduction” based on a short reading. She had already written the “introduction” and wanted to make sure she had done it properly. Jenny had her read it out loud and took notes while she listened.

I was impressed with how well the paper flowed. It made sense and sounded like something a native english-speaker would have written. It sounded like more of a summary than an “introduction”. However, after looking at the assignment sheet from the professor, we realized that he had called it an “introduction”, but really wanted a summary. Jenny proceeded to help her clean up the paper a bit. There were only a few minor corrections to be made so the paper really didn’t need too much help.

After the session, Jenny asked me what I thought and we talked about how it went. I told her that I thought the paper was pretty good. Jenny told me that she never tells a student that their paper is pretty good. She said it’s like giving them a stamp of approval to send them on their way. Instead, she offers them some suggestions and attempts to help them get their own thinking going. It made a lot of sense. I realize that it’s never a good idea to give a student a “pretty good stamp” or they may never grow as writers.

I think this goes back to a lot of reading we’ve been doing about collaboration. It’s important to bounce ideas off other students. That really seems like the best way to help the people coming into the writing center to become better writers. Giving students a “pretty good stamp” is a real road block to the creative process and should be avoided at all costs.

One more lesson I learned from the session was about how I mentally approach the students coming into the center. Honestly, I expected the students paper to be in bad shape because english wasn’t her first language. I was very wrong. Her writing was really quite good. I realized I had made a negative stereotype, in my head, about students who were non-native speakers. I came into the experience expecting the student to be a sinking ship, but her writing skills were great.

I know now that I have to keep a really open mind while in the center. Each writer has their own individual skills that they bring to the table. Just because they are in the center does not mean they are bad writers. Instead, they most likely need collaboration and a few grammar pointers. I’ve got to be careful not to judge the students, but just help them out as best I can with wherever they may be at in their writing development.