Reading this article made me very uncomfortable. After all, it questions the foundation of our Writing Center work, the very skills and attitudes we're trying to convey to our tutors. But then I went back to the line on page 123: "Pratt reminds us that too often we teach with the goal of eliminating confusion, opposition, and discomfort when our goal should be to delve more deeply into these issues." Then I decided that my confusion and discomfort may be a positive step toward greater understanding.
Here, we push some of the practices Boquet questions: relatively minimalist tutoring, endless data collection, an exhortation to tutors not to openly criticize professors. In the process, are those of us in administration indoctrinating tutors into our institutional ideology? And most importantly, to our student tutors: Do you often feel torn between your roles as peers (equals) and as tutors (authorities)?
At the end of this article, Boquet strives for a positive note: "We can strive to produce better writers, better tutors, more humane working conditions for everyone involved (tutors and students alike)." I believe in this goal, but her tone sounded forced to me.
Frankly, this article gives me a lot of food for thought, and I'm not sure how to respond right now. I've been doing Writing Center work for eight or nine years. We do struggle with any number of challenges, including our allegiances, political leanings, "cultural determinations." But for all that, I still believe that helping students find their voice is a worthy calling.
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I am going to school to be a teacher and this brought a smile to my face :) I totally agree!
ReplyDeleteWhile reading this article i had a few thoughts. First, I totally agree with what the author says at the beginning of the article, that reflecting on what we do wrong is far more beneficial than applauding ourselves for what we know we can do well. In that regard I think that her harsh analysis of Writing center procedures is good.
ReplyDeleteThe other thought I had as I read deeper into the article was that she may be a bit harsh in her judgement. For example, she wrote that soon after tutors get hired they inevitably will start to "fade into the woodwork of the Writing Center." I don't think that this is true. I have been working as a peer tutor for two years and while I have days when I feel like I just can't work with one more student, that is not my everyday experience. Most of the time I love my job.
The Writing Center has it's faults, and it is important to recognize them, but overall it is an awesome place to work and learn. =]
If I thought I had to attach the philosophical, pedagogical, and deconstructionist baggage Boquet describes to tutoring, I wouldn’t be able to tutor. When I sit down to help students organize their thoughts, develop their theses, or flesh out their arguments, I don’t think about indoctrination, politics of pedagogy, or being an ideological double-agent. If I did, I’d be too busy arguing with students to help them become better writers.
ReplyDeleteI think a lot of difficulty in tutoring comes from attaching such baggage to it. If people need to discuss those concerns, that's what philosophy and political science instructors are for. We're here to help people write, not correct their morals or outlook on life. If I’m seriously concerned about a student's subject matter, I’m to alert the center coordinator or director. I shouldn’t be inserting my ego and beliefs into someone else’s writing. If I don’t agree, I can say, “This opinion isn't popular, so you’ll have to lay out your argument carefully. Use sound reasoning, and lots of examples from credible sources. If you have trouble doing that, you might want to change your focus or your entire topic.”
Some of Boquet's actions regarding student opinions she doesn’t agree with sound completely inappropriate for a writing tutor, and she reads way too much into student reticence toward writing. Some students are ambivalent because their reading comprehension and media literacy skills are low, or they’ve never written a real research paper and don’t understand how to apply their professor’s instructions, not because they’re staging a one-man (or woman) ideological protest.