Untitled: Because I Can't Think of a Clever or Representative Title Yet

I don’t know why, but every time I am in the writing center I end up at the desk because everyone else is in consultations. Because of this, and feeling intrusive if people don’t ask if I want to sit in, I have not sat in on a consultation in a week or two, but I have heard debriefings and that is what I would like to talk about.

When I get into the writing center at 10:00 AM on Tuesdays and Thursdays Max is typically still there. This past week he left a little later because he was debriefing an hour-long appointment with TJ. They were still talking about the appointment when they came out of the OWL and then everyone in the writing center at that time, because it was slow, briefly discussed the appointment. While I was not there for the appointment or the official debriefing I am using this as my example for this week’s journal.

From what I gathered in this discussion the student was ELL who was writing a movie review for a class assignment. Max said that even though it was an hour long, there was little communication between them because the student struggled with English and wouldn’t respond to Max speaking in Spanish to help. This piqued my interest because one of my biggest fears in consulting is the student and I not being able to understand one another. I am hard of hearing to begin with and for some reason my brain doesn’t process accents as well as I wish it would. My fears are that the student will feel like I am mocking them or think that they are the problem when it is my inability holding us back. This is relevant for all students and consultations, but something I am most worried about with ELL students.

I asked Max how he handled a consultation that he described as awkward and a little painful because of the lack of communication. He said that he asked the student as many leading questions as possible, speaking in both English and Spanish when there was a particularly difficult academic English word, and eventually had to move to more directive methods of tutoring (directive wasn’t a word he used, but one I apply to all that he told me). I guess the student added lines from a brochure in his writing without citing them. Max said he had to explain to the student that the quotes needed to be edited away or cited. There were a few more concerns Max had during the consultation, but he said ultimately that even though it was awkward and hard that sometimes consultations just don’t go well and that isn’t the fault of anyone involved. The whole interaction with Max where he was explaining and reflecting was extremely important for me, because even though I didn’t sit in on the consultation, I was able to hear how he handled it and why. He explained that he didn’t know of anything else he could have tried with the student and that he hoped the student learned anything that would help him revise. I am relieved that someone I believe is so good at his job can even too have a difficult consultation or situation.

Knowing that Max tried a lot of the skills and tactics we have been reading about, and also knowing that I believe he is fun and awesome and likely fantastic at writing center work, I believe that I can make my way through any consultation. The goal, of course, is to help the student in any way we can, and I know from teaching that the people who come through our doors are sometimes enthusiastic, sometimes able and ready, and other times none of the above for any variety of reasons. Not everything is going to go well and my anxieties are legitimate but also inevitable. There will be days when the student next to me and I are not functioning well together, but I will do my best to help them, and debrief with lovely writing center friends after.

I don’t know if this counts as an observation or journal, but I hope it does, because this was an important experience to have been relayed to me! Also, in other news, this past week of my TEFL course was grammar and lexis and (because no where is as awesome as here) I had five grammar quizzes to do. I made it through the week and the quizzes thanks to some help from Skyler and a growing awareness of what makes up all these sentences I am reading and writing.

In other other news, it is great to have you back! I hope you are feeling better and I can’t wait to set up my additional 503 tasks and duties.