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.
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