A Writting Center Epilogue

MY LAST POST ...so cautrell stop asking for more... ;)

2005-12-06T20:31:00.000-05:00

Observation for Classroom Immersion V+VI

For my last two observations in Bob’s class I noticed that the students were lazier than they were the first four observations. However, I looked over lots more papers than I did before. The students were beginning to trust me, because I knew Bob’s style of marking up and criticism.

I went into the observation/immersion early on both days. The 109.01 students were working on their portfolios. One thing that I notice about these classes, students tend to take less care in their work when they do not want to be in the class. I know I was very careful about what I wrote in 110, because I enjoyed English so much. ( although I wasn’t a declared English Major than)

I know how difficult it is to be stuck in a class that you think is really worth nothing to you. GEC’s I believe are sometimes a complete waste of time to the uninterested. I wish there was some other way to “culturalize” the undergraduates. But then Why do you go to college it is to learn more things? *sigh* in my eyes it is a complete catch-22. I think that English is important, the highest level of English is the most important to me…But my major is English, I eat sleep and breathe words.

While….well while a freshman might not want to even pursue something further than they have to in English and only care about what the weather patterns are going to be tomorrow, or why the psychology of a child is ever-changing.

What a wonderful little ditty to explore. ….

Jesi

Writing Center Observation.

My last writing center observation I would like to talk about the current gossip and news. No it is not what Todd is wearing, or what Austin is saying (although, when Austin talks we all turn to listen.)

No it is about “what is our writing center?” Is the noise the mess, the confusion that goes on everyday conducive to learning?

We got a complaint sent to Mike that the noise was so loud it reminded her of her “high school cafeteria.”

Now, granted sometimes in the later part of the day, when we are about ready to close, and there is absolutely no-one in the writing center…it gets a little bit immature, we talk we laugh, we hang signs on the wall.

However, most of the conversation in the writing center is centered on 467 acctually. I can’t remember not talking about Prof. Cautrells class in there, or something relevant.
It is also good to point out that the person that complained went in there to type on the computers. Mikes response to this was that: you need to use the labs.

The writing center has become an out post for writing consultations (which are always at the top of our list.) English club, Immaculate cauldron, SpN!, and anything else literary based. And to add to that, Consultations are always first on our list. I don’t know how many times we stopped what we were doing--cleaning, writing or talking--midsentance, to help someone out.

*sigh*

I just hope that the writing center doesn’t get the shaft. All we here are the negative comments--do you know what I heard from mike today? That we have now surpassed the consultation numbers from last year.

Was it because we changed the name from tutor to consultant? Or was it because when someone walks in we make them feel like they are apart of the room? Either way, it proves something…. Those numbers…. If all that noise is causing problems why is our consultation number so high….

It really must be because of the hugs and the cookies.

Jesi

2005-11-10T10:57:00.000-05:00

Writing Center IMMERSION IV

I am sitting in the writing center presently, trying to figure out what to observe.

Nick is sitting parallel to me in a chair reading a book and sipping on coffee, I am sure he is in the center to do his observation. However he is barely looking up, except to sip his coffee. The purple speckled table he is sitting near is covered in books: a pile of SpN magazines (http://www.spiritofthenation.org/ ) , some books for the up and coming English Club book sale, a laptop, a tupper-ware top, and a bottle of cucumber fresh lotion. (you know I didn’t get to clean today, I had to go over to Prof. Sasso’s class and let them know he was sick and hand back essays before my practicum.)

Proffessor cautrell is sitting in near the middle table, hand on his coffee cup, egageing in conversation with Tod, J and Trish. I haven’t really been paying attention to what they are talking about, usually it is 467, right now I think it is Trish’s recent knitting hobby. She is sitting at the middle table consumed in her cotton scarf art.

J is dualling talking and editing papers I assume from a 110 class. I think he is probably critiquing every sentence in the paper. He is always very professional about his work. Tod, beside J—next to the middle table on the computer. I think he is taking advantage of the down time to check mail and write a paper.

There is not one person in here to consult. Austin Charles is sitting in the back corner taking advantage of the studius quite, writing a paper for his magazine probably. Not much of anything really going on to talk about. I myself before sitting down to the computer just hung up some “wall of rhetoric” rhetoric.

I think I might just clean when I get done here, papers are scattered everywhere. Books are laying open on every table—coffee cups filled with cold coffee, pens scattered in the wind, candy wrappers not quite making it to the trash can in the corner, coats falling of the backs of out purple chairs---how could an ADHD student concentrate in this thick mess?

My other work companions seem to be immersed with papers they have been given—J just put me down for asking about what he is doing—kill whitey. Alright I better stop ranting now.

2005-11-10T10:55:00.000-05:00

Classroom Immersion IV

I just finished my practicum in bobs class for today. The students were asked to read an assignment and write a brief summary about what they read. Most of the students struggled in the assignment by trying to keep their opinion out of the paper. I found it ironic because most of the students that had a problem with just summarizing the essay, found it really hard to put opinions in the last paper.

Analyzing and summarizing something is very different, and the student has to learn the difference. I helped some develop and organize, however bob asked me not to tell them how to fix something, just what to fix. I was supposed to point out opinions in papers and tell them to eradicate them.

However, today I was thinking about our writing center consultant blog while I was sitting in class. Andrea’s comment specifically led me down a more analytical path in observing my practicum class. While all of the students in my class were busily working, four of them had completely skipped, and they had completely skipped on as in class assignment. I wonder like Andrea, why you pay to go to school if you do not intend to learn anything? It seems not only like a waste of money but a true waste of time.

I understand that not everyone shares my enthusiastic joy for the English language, but I often wonder why you are here if you do not even desire to try. Struggle for your existence do not just sit back and take the fact that you are in a 109 English course. I was made, indeed to take 050, and did I sit in the back and mumble? I’m not going to deny—I did.

I complained all the time, but I showed up.

Writing Center Immersion III

2005-11-03T21:40:00.000-05:00

The writing center wasn’t very busy today. I wished I was over at Conard (otherwise known as Fort Apache) I get at least 2 consultations there…we are all like Vultures when a student walks in 230. Everyone is very willing to help. Everyone jumps up so fast. It is a good sign I guess, we love our job.

Over at Conard, I have regular students that come to me for help. I am getting the students that are afraid to use the Mac’s though. I know the only people that work over in Conard are just not Mac friendly. However, I encounter just as much problems with the PC’s over in Conard ( if not more) compared to the Macs in the main writing center.

I’m rambling now. I’m going to stop here and go pick up my readings for 467. (the green book)

Jesi

Writing Center Immersion II

2005-11-03T10:51:00.000-05:00

Working at the writing center is sometimes a cleaning job. I end up doing odd things here and there rather than sitting down and consulting someone (Because there is no one in the room to consult) . There are lots of other things that the consultant does, other than consult.

I labeled and put papers in stacks most of my second week in the writing center. And everyone came in wondering where everything was, even though I put labels on EVERYTHING. Of course we all couldn’t find anything before because of the scattered mess of materials all over the place.

I know it’s not in my job description to clean the coffee pot, but somebody has to do it. And if it helps the center function fully and more capably then I am more than happy to contribute my cleaning etiquette.

Another place that the writing center has become when there is no consultations, is a place for intelligent (or different thought.) A lot of people walk into the writing center (or more specifically the consultants) finding themselves talking about current issues in the world, in Mansfield—and in grammar. I enjoy the battle of the wits that happens in the academic setting of the writing center.

We make you think about your paper….we think about what we say and how we say it. Whether we are consulting, or cleaning the grounds out of a coffee pot.

Classroom Immersion III

2005-11-03T10:09:00.000-05:00

Working in bobs class today was a full battle of the wits. Sunshine was on full guard with his paper, Tony Hawks little brother wanted to argue curse words inside his paper, and Bob himself was a pencil-marking machine. (I was simply his assistant handing out stickers--and cookies and hugs--- to upset students, but agreeing with Bob's compulsion.)

The students were to write letter to the editors and take a position on something. Most of the problems that I found in the paper were the positions themselves. The students wanted to make the position a surprise at the end. They had problems coming out and saying this is what I think, this is what I want don’t, this isn’t right.

I also found that because the papers were written in class the students relied on the spell check in word. I find myself using this immensely; I type my post on word and then transfer it to the post page. We need to emphasize rereading your work though, because words were used incorrectly, in the wrong spots—and I know that the students would have caught those simple mistakes had they just reread their paper themselves.

It is odd though, how a second class at a paper makes you wonder what you were even writing about it the first place. Working in Bob’s class today I got to edit lots of papers and I also got to do one of my favorite things, argue. Development of a paper is so important because without that passion in the development where is the movement and transition in your words.

Reread. Reread. Develop.

Writting Center Immersion I

2005-11-03T10:00:00.000-05:00

Since I am a writing center consultant I would like to use my journal entry on the writing center to talk about my first hour working in it. First of all, although I said I wasn’t, I was petrified. Sure I had looked over papers before, I had told people what I thought, I had sat down and brainstormed with a fellow student. But who was I to get paid to do this. Who was I to communicate to another student what my thoughts are? A part of me still feels this way…who am I to say that is right, or this is confusing, or a comma shouldn’t be there, but should be here?

I watched Mary do a consultation in the morning. A 110 student. I model most of my consultations from what I learned when I watched Mary. I didn’t have the 467 class to go by, I was thrown into the deep end of the pool and expected to swim.

I think I did the doggy paddle rather well actually, I just observed what the other tutors did, and went from there.

Classroom Immersion II

2005-10-27T22:59:00.000-04:00

My second Thursday in Bob’s class wasn’t very different. Professor Bob stopped me before class and told me what he was asking the class to concentrate in: transitions. That I was to help with only that, and not let them lead me astray.

I did consult with a young man about his paper, we just discussed it and such, and I hope it helped him develop it into the paper that Bob was looking for.

I also showed bob how to text wrap an image. (Computer was acting up.)

The computer business has always been simple stuff to me. I don’t know why though, because when I was little the only thing I was ever allowed to play with was an acient typewriter

(which I adored by the way—I would sit on that thing and type for hours, just listening to a hummmm)

While most of the students in Bob’s class were not on task, most of them kept to themselves. Sunshine especially still did not want to share what he had with me, an unintelligent writing center consultant. Idunnoshrug sat in his chair still brainstorming and trying to get a start on his paper.

Sometimes I am not sure what to say to someone when I am helping them brainstorm. I just kind of go with what comes in my head at the moment. Consulting is something you have to be ready for in the moment. Not something you can plan ahead on.

(I love consulting because of this—at least there is one thing I do not have to plan out in my life.)

Classroom Immersion I

2005-10-23T10:43:00.000-04:00

My classroom immersion experiance was interesting. I got stuck with Prof. Bob. I was introduced to the class, and Bob made sure to tell them to use and abuse me as they wished. However, to get anything out of the 110 students I was with I filtered around the room and asked how they were doing. One young gentleman unparticular (lets call him sunshine for future reference), did not want my help, and followed Bobs generous advice in abusing me. (Maybe my comment “It never to early for English “ in a very chipper voice didn’t put him in the right spirits)

I did however help another student (lets call him Idunnoshrug ) They were assigned to analyze a C.D. cover and Idunnoshrug, was stuck just looking at his. I proceeded in his direction, and asked him how he was doing. At first he was very willing to answer in a complete sentence.

He was stuck on where to start so I began asking him questions and trying to hold a conversation about the cover. We discussed what the pictures were and I pretended like I didn’t understand something’s and had him explain. It was a relatively easy pre-writing exercise. At first Idunnoshrug, gave me shrugs and said I dunno, but the more I pried the more he tried to give me different answers. Eventually I left him in contemplation.

For my next immersion, I will be helping these students proof, and organize what they have. I think it will be a greater challenge because now the writers have what they want to do in their head, and some might be stubborn to change things, delete things. Who knows maybe Sunshine will be more willing to have another pair of eyes look at his paper.

Cosultation I

2005-10-23T09:57:00.000-04:00

The mock consultation I did was pretty tough. I got stuck with Jackie. She was very aggressive and didn’t want to change anything in her paper. She was trying to role play a very hostile student that questioned everything I did. I think the teacher made her come to the writing center to work on her paper, because she most certainly did not want to be there. I am not sure I helped Jackie in our mock consultant session. She did however change some things that I suggested, and promised to come back another time.

Jackie hit the nail in mocking on of my sessions. I had to help a girl in Conard, let’s call her Frank, (because she was). And Frank argued every comment I made. Even if it was a compliment, she had to explain why she did what she did. I am always very careful about what I say and how I say it. My communication skills, I think are what presented me with the job in the writing center. Sometimes though, I think you’re just going to get that nit picky, question asking student in the consultation room.

You just have to deal.