Second Writing Consultant Shadowing

I had my first real experience shadowing my writing consultant today. I was able to witness the end of one consultation and an entire consultation. The entire session I experienced was the one that really caught my attention. The student came in without her paper printed, thus, the consultant had to assist her on the computer. I several different things that the consultant pointed out to me in my first visit. Before she did anything, she asked the writer what the assignment was and to give a little background on her approach to the visit. Then, she read the paper and made mistakes to initial mistakes she noticed while reading. Following that, she talked to the writer about her impression of the paper and worked with her to make changes. The writer asked a question that relates to something we had discussed in class: "Is my grammar alright?" I was anxious to see how my consultant would answer this. Rather than fixing her grammar mistakes for her, the consultant just pointed out a few things she had noticed with her grammar and then pointed her to different sources she could use to help her with her grammar.

The writer's topic was very interesting. However, I got the sense that she did not really believe in what she was writing. I think that is probably what made it so hard for the consultant to help her. In addition, it seemed like the writer was hearing what the writing consultant was saying, but she was not really listening to the advice and help being given. I found myself getting frustrated each time she cut the writing consultant off. Her topic was one that related to me, and each time she seemed like she was defending the real-life story she was telling. However, I realized how much I needed to just keep calm and simply do what I am being trained to do: help people become better writers. So this was truly an experience for me, and I think it will definitely help me in the future.

Consultant Shadowing (Day 1)

For my first day shadowing a writing consultant, the consultant and I just pretty much talked about what it is like to be a writing consultant and what her sessions are usually like. She had no appointments set up, so all we could do was talk to each other. I asked my consultant what she usually does or tries to do with each session. She looks for an emailed draft of the writer's paper and prints out, briefly reading through it and makes few notes about what she is seeing. If there is no emailed draft, she spends the first few minutes reading over the draft the writer brings to the session. She takes the first couple of minutes just getting to know the paper and the assignment. From there, she asks the writer exactly what he/she wants to work on. She gets the writer to talk about what he/she is working (i.e. texts, discussions, etc.) on and what he/she thinks of the it. She then goes on to point out different trends she sees in the paper and tries to help the writer to see how those mistakes can be fixed by having the writer talk about the trends. My consultant also related several stories of students who will come into the writing center for help with study abroad applications and grant applications. This caught me by surprised in a way, because I had never thought that students could go to the center for help with applications. In my head, I just figured that students use the writing center for class assignments, so hearing about the students who come in for application help was an eye-opener for me.

One piece of information I found interesting in my conversation with my writing consultant is the way she helps students who may be having problems with making an argument in a writing assignment. She noted that the hardest thing a writing consultant faces is helping writers with an argument or working on the message of the paper. Her approach to this problem? She says she just tries to get the writer to talk. She encourages them to just say their argument out loud. As the writer speaks, she makes notes of what the writer is saying. In the end, she takes the writer through the notes and helps him/her to see ideas that he/she did not realize existed. So, in a sense, she has the writer free-write out loud. I also asked her about something we discussed in class: what do you do when a writer simply wants help with grammar and punctuation, not with argument? Simply put, she just helps them a bit with what they want, but if she sees something while reading the paper, she makes sure to point it out in the nicest way possible. However, if the writer is stuck on getting help only with grammar and punctuation, she just refers him/her to the writer's web or gives them handouts available in the writing center that deals with grammar and punctuation.

Although there was no appointment for my first day of shadowing, I think that I actually appreciate the opportunity to sit down and talk to my consultant before actually diving into an actual session with a writer. It is great to hear what a consultant should or should not do from a professor or from the boss, but it is more empowering to hear it from a consultant who has actually dealt with writers in sessions.

High School Mentoring 9/11/2010

       Long and I worked with a high school student whom I will refer to as Maria. Before officially meeting Maria, I could tell she was shy and low key, for lack of better words. I was a little nervous to actually begin talking to Maria, because I was not sure if I could get her to let loose and just talk about her ideas. Fortunately, I had Long right by my side. Maria had some great ideas written down. She had began answering some practice questions she received from the mentoring program here at UR. While working with Maria, I started to get the sense that she was allowing her shyness to keep her from fully expressing and exploring her ideas further.  So, Long and I gave her some advice on how she could formulate her ideas fully on paper. With that, she began writing and putting pieces of her ideas together.
        As time went on, Maria seemed to be struggling with the process. She was thinking about the writing way too much. She reminded me of myself during my college essay process. I was the one struggling with starting my essay because I was stressing myself out about it. I remember talking to my older brother about my essay and he gave me the best advice anyone could give: "Just write woman! Write! If you spell something wrong, don't cross it out or erase it. If you make a mistake, don't stop. Just write! You'll have time to go back and fix your errors, but for now, just keep writing!" So, when I realized that Maria was having the same problem I once had, I related my brother's advice to her: "Just write! Don't worry about your mistakes, just keep writing!"Unfortunately, Long and I didn't have enough time with Maria to see how everything ended up for her. I learned a lot from Maria, too. Her ambitions actually impressed me and motivated me to keep going in school. She is a brilliant girl, and I hope that her essay writing process ends well!

My Experience With The College Mentoring Program

        With the tutoring program on Saturday fast approaching, I thought I would share my experience as a college mentor during the fall semester of 2009 with juniors from Richmond Community High School. It was a bit hard to focus on one particular student during my time with RCHS because I had about 4 students (as did each mentor). For the first 2 visits, I allowed the students to just talk about their college expectations, including their fears and excitements, and to ask me about what my college experience had been like so far. After those visits, we moved on to colleges they were looking at, and I helped them to figure out what those colleges were looking for in applications.  When it came down to preparing to apply for college, I encouraged the students to, first off, put their anxieties away and remain calm and focused. Then I related what I did to prepare for the college applications and essays. Each week, I did a bit more research on schools I was interested in and tried to narrow down the list. I also began writing down ideas for essays and elaborating on topics that I thought would be appropriate for a personal statement. Practicing writing a essays for my college application really did help me to write the "real" essay when it came time to send applications to colleges. By the end of the mentoring program, 3 of my 4 students expressed how much better and excited they felt about writing their college essays because they had utilized the advice I had given them. In the end, my goal for the program had been accomplished.

       Almost all high school students who are beginning the college application process are anxious and afraid of something. However, I found that by encouraging, assuring, and sharing my experiences with them, they began to feel more at ease about the whole process. It is always nice to have someone who has been through the same situation to be available as a resource.

Writing Skills and Anxieties

       Reading the assigned pages in The Bedford Guide really helped me to remember some of the anxieties and concerns I once had about writing and the progress that I have made in my writing. Toward the end of last semester, there were so many family problems that developed and I found them taking a toll on my final writing projects for classes. I remember going to the writing center with concerns about my paper assignments and the tutor took time to sympathize with my personal problems and help me to get on track with my paper. After my session with the writing fellow, I realized that my problem was exactly what was mentioned in the book, I was worrying about everything else at the same time rather than splitting up the tasks and working on them individually. However, once I did take time to work on each part of the writing assignment carefully, I found myself less stressed about the completing the paper.

      The idea to do something enjoyable at the end of completing an assignment also helped me to calm down and find satisfaction in the final product of my paper. Of all the suggestions made in the The Bedford Guide, I think reading my paper aloud with a writing consultant by my side is what really drove the improvement in my writing because I could hear and see the errors  I had made without someone else saying "That's wrong." I was able to pick up on sentences that made little or no sense at all and make an effort to correct them. So, I guess I can say that I am living testimony that the suggestions giving in the book really do work in helping students improve their writing skills. I personally will always thank the Writing Center and the writing consultants for helping me with my writing.