What was most exciting for me, as I embarked upon my first “scrimmage” writing consultation, was how well I could put what I learned to use. To put it bluntly, I was interested if any of the information I had learned would work—and if all these little details would fall into place. Even though I knew the consultant, I was afraid. Afraid that I would influence her to change something she should not, afraid that I would guide her hand, but mostly, just afraid that I would insult her. As a fellow writer, I immediately respected her; to know that I insulted her, or any other student looking for help, would upset me greatly. But I overcame this anxiety and focused on the task at hand: I was first and foremost a writing consultant in this space, and so I pulled through successfully, to help a student and better both our skills.
It was with the texts of our class that I strove to achieve this goal: to not insult, but rather consult. The simple (or at first I believed them to be simple) notes from Ryan and Zimmerelli, about how to sit and react, proved to be the perfect starting ground for the consultation. By sitting side-by-side, the consultant and I were able to “look at the work in progress together” (18). I even knew to give my student her paper, so that she may be in control of her writing, and also discourage any sort of interference on my part. Since the paper was in front of her, she found many of her mistakes before I could point them out. I also found that with the paper in front of her, she could grab her pen and write on her draft. If the paper were in front of me, these adjustments would not have been made.
Ryan and Zimmerelli also speak about presentation; the overall mental and physical state of the consultant reflects onto the writer. I made sure to “dress casually but appropriate” and also, to “sit in a relaxed, comfortable manner” (18). These small, simple things helped ease the two of us and reminded us that this was just a paper, and that there was no need to stress about it. By organizing the consultation in such a way, the exchange was comfortable; instead of an authoritative figure beating sense into a writer, it felt more like a peer providing a bit of insight and help. I could feel that we were two students, engaged in learning and making each other better writers.
Lastly, but perhaps most importantly, Ryan and Zimmerelli taught me to listen actively. And when I say this, I mean, really listen to what someone is saying and then—act on it. Often, I have found that the best information that comes from a student is when I ask them a question and listen very carefully to their answer. Often, in their explanation, I can illuminate a good point they made, or a fact they hadn’t mentioned before. This is also a good thing to think about doing when you are confused by a writer’s point. If you paraphrase, ask questions, and listen, it “serves as a way to check perceptions and correct any possible misunderstandings” (23). By maintaining this open, relaxed space, it only betters the interaction and growth of both the writer and the consultant.
However, there will still be complicated problems I may find in someone’s writing and I will have to handle it correctly. Let’s say that a student will read the sentence aloud and worry about the correct structure. Often, they follow the rules, and still it reads wrong. Hjortshoj illuminates simple rules like: “don’t use first person,” “don’t begin with ‘but,’” “only use action verbs,” or “thesis is only one sentence” (88-90). Often, these work—but I have found that writing comes in many forms, and that rules are broken; what I can offer to the writer is to point out what I think sounds a bit off and what I would do to possibly improve it (without feeding them the answer).
When giving the student advice, I have found that my most useful tactic is to explain the importance of reading the paper aloud. Hjortshoj’s seemingly simple piece of advice is incredibly helpful, and also does not insult the consultant, but rather advocates for further revision on the student’s part. The most common mistakes I have found in the papers I have read all deal with sentence structure. Instead of pointing to a sentence and saying that the sentence is wrong, I will point out the area that needs to be looked at. I will write, “I understand what you’re going at here, but I would read this section out loud to clarify some of your points. This way, your sentences will flow and the overall message will impact the reader more.” The phrase “your ear for language is … more reliable than your eye” (85) definitely describes what I feel about the power of reading work aloud. If the writer is able to do his or her own correcting after the meeting, then the consultant can spend more time working on the structure and content of the piece.
On a more personal level, when I reflect upon the experience of being a writing tutor, I am fulfilled. Like almost anything new, I am nervous in my performance, but also because I know that I have an impact on these people—I don’t want to mess it up. It is this responsibility that I am especially proud of. A tutor must not show the nerve or anxiety, but must remain calm, casual, and professional. If all of these are met, the center will accomplish much more than a simple tutor like me can understand. One of the most impactful publications about writing centers I have found is a piece by McGlaun, a reflection of a current English teacher. It is with pieces like this that I can see where I am now and what my future may be like.
She begins as the writing student, asking her tutor for help. McGlaun reflects on how shocked she was when she went to the writing center for the first time: “They allowed me, even encouraged me to ‘write wrong’” (5). Now, she doesn’t mean that they let her run rampant without thought, flow, or organization, but rather let her focus on improvement, and her own participation with her writing. She found the writing center to be a much more calming and reflective place than she had initially thought. Later in her career, she reflected that the atmosphere was wonderful because she had seen the tutors as her peers. She voices “what interests me in this story is the way in which we each instinctively turned to one of our peers for help” (6). This statement is the reason that I set such importance on maintaining that comfortable, peer (rather than teacher) feel in my future consultations. We listen to our peers and work off one another. Lastly, McGlaun focuses on what she has found as a teacher: “We had not simply worked on her paper, her writing; we had worked on her student- teacher relationship, a relationship which by nature is ‘subtle, dynamic, and highly charged’” (7).
To spend one’s life dedicated to this craft, and see it so wonderfully mold those around you, as well as yourself, is something to be proud of. It was incredibly motivating to read this woman’s account. Yes, she found troubles, but learned along the way, maintained her faith in the writing center, and worked through problems with her students. When working with my first student, I established a comfortable setting, acted calm, asked questions, and followed what I have learned in my readings the past few weeks. And although I have learned much through each text, a lot of my knowledge is second nature—I have been a writer my whole life, how could I alter that initial passion? Every single person that I see will demand my highest attention and my highest respect, for we are both equals, learning and improving ourselves as writers.
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