Personal Statements

This week, we had several students who needed help with personal statements. Ali was in the Writing Center with me, so we both tried to help the students brainstorm ideas. I was in the middle of helping one student when I stopped and asked him, "So, is this helping?" He had seemed a little taken aback by the whole situation.

He finally said he had come in for grammar, and hadn't expected us to discuss things like clarity, flow, and theme. I told that, except for a few small errors, his grammar was fine, but with personal statements, you've got to try to make them interesting and at least a little bit different from every other personal statement the graduate school receives. He agreed, and said the session was really helping him.

But I wonder if it's intimidating to students when we tell them about other issues with their paper when all they want is grammar help. I usually try to ask the student what they think they need help with, and go from there. If something else pops up, I'll definitely mention it, but otherwise, I try to let them lead.

These students have never been to the writing center before, and I don't want them to say "oh yeah, this helps, thanks!" while we're there, but, because they've felt intimidated, curse our names when they leave because they think we told them they should write their personal statement OUR way.

An Uncomfortable Situation

Earlier in the semester, John and I talked about an older engineering student who came into the Writing Center for help on his powerpoint presentation. I am not sure if you guys remember, but this man was not my favorite person--he was rude, pushy, and very opinionated. Quite honestly, he made me feel uncomfortable, but I wasn't so uncomfortable that I had to stop working with him. Rather, I just ignored his comments and let John take over the session a little bit more. But, what should we do when we are faced with a situation or person that makes us so uncomfortable that we can no longer tutor well? Do we ignore our guy reactions and keep tutoring? Do we ask someone else to take over? Or, do we ask them to leave?

I realize that this is a touchy subject because the Writing Center is open to everyone who needs help, but where do we draw the line. A good example of this comes from my undergraduate tutoring experience. There was this man, "Frank," who came into the Writing Center a lot. He was an adult learner, and it was obvious that he had some kind of learning disability, so his writing wasn't that well developed. Clearly, this man needed our help to improve his writing, but there were several cases when he was behaved innappropriately to female tutors. He never attacked anyone or anything like that, but he would make weird comments, ogle girls, and just get a little too "friendly." Even when he wasn't outwardly acting inappropriately, he sent off a weird vibe. I remember working with him once and just counting down the words until we finished working on his paper because I felt so uncomfortable.

Anyway, after several meetings with our coordinator, we decided that Frank shouldn't work with female tutors anymore because we were all so creeped out. Instead, Frank was assigned to a specific male tutor, who helped him whenever he needed it. Frank was no longer allowed in the writing center unless that specific tutor was there. Luckily in this case, things worked out, and we developed a good system. But what should we do in that initial confrontation, when our gut reaction is to get away from someone, and we feel uncomfortable? And what if that feeling occurs when we are alone in the Writing Center?

Free Mind Mapping Software

Hello friends-
I found some great mind mapping software that is free!! The good thing about it is that you can save your work on your computer, and it has a lot of features similar to the program we used in class. Here's the link if you're interested:

http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

Two students

At the beginning of the semester, Dr. Fishman and Mrs. Ramirez said we shouldn't work more than 3 hours at a time. I didn't necessarily believe them when they said we'd get stressed out, but after these last two weeks, I've changed my mind.

I know I'm not the only one that'd gotten swamped. The majority have been lab reports - another day of brewer's yeast cell labs and I could replicate the process at home from memory - but I've also had a few ENGL200-level students.

I wanted to write down my thoughts on two students.

The first is actually a pair of students who came in for help with their yeast cell labs. I had worked with them both before, but today Ali took one (Student A) while the other (Student B) waited while I finished up with another student. I looked over Student B's paper and it was really well-written. There were maybe a couple of grammatical mistakes, but nothing big. I asked her about her last lab, and she said she only had a few points taken off for grammar - everything else was perfect. Ali had to leave so I took over with Student A. She needs a lot of help with run-on sentences and comma usage. Since Students A and B always come in together, I wanted to tell them that if Student B would look over Student A's paper, she wouldn't need to come to the Writing Center. I know that's not necessarily the way we work, but it just seems odd that two totally different writers would be friends and not willing to help each other out.

The second situation was with an English student (Student C) in a 400-level class. After a day of reading labs, the paper on Ezra Pound and William Carlos Williams was a welcome change. But I had a problem. With the labs, I mainly read for grammatical mistakes and sentence structure. I'll read the science out loud (or have the student read it) and ask them if it makes sense. I don't know the science, so that part is up to them. As I read over C's paper, I found myself chugging along, checking for errors in grammar and sentence structure. I got through a page or so and realized I had no idea what I had read. It wasn't that C's paper made no sense. Rather, I was just so focused on grammatical errors that the content and meaning of the paper had escaped me. I had to start over, refocus, and read closer.

I think the "close" readings I'm doing with literature in other classes are helping with my tutoring, and vice versa. Once I got a handle on C's paper, I started asking questions like, "What does this word mean for you here?" and "Why is this sentence important." C had a tendency to use words that sounded nice, regardless of their importance to the paper. By pinning the student down (nicely), you make them think more about their word choice.

The situations with these two students aren't related (except that both the paper and lab were due within hours), but both are helping me grow as a tutor. I'm adjusting my tutoring style depending on the student, and I'm trying to ask the questions that get students thinking.

Brochure stuff

Let us help you improve your writing!
We will collaborate with you to identify errors in your writing, make suggestions for improvement, and answer your questions, all in an informal and nonjudgmental atmosphere.
What to expect:
At the Writing Center, we strive to put the power in the student’s hands. We do not proofread or edit; rather, we will work with you to help you write your best. Appointments are recommended but not necessary.
What to bring
The assignment description/instructions
What you’ve written so far
A pen or pencil
A style guide, if you have one
Please remember, we don’t do your writing for you, so bring your questions, too.

Readings I would like to do

Here are the readings I am interested in discussing:
"Writing Center Assessment: Searching for the 'Proof' of Our Effectiveness"

"Cultural Conflicts in the Writing Center: Expectations and Assumptions of ESL Students"

"Reassessing the 'Proofreading Trap': ESL Tutoring and Writing Instruction"

3 Suggestions

I'll second Ember's suggestion of the North essay, and add to that:

- Intellectual Tug-of-War: Snapshots of Life in the Center
- by Boquet, page 116, St. Martins
- Postcolonialism and the Idea of a Writing Center
- by Bawarshi and Pelkowski, page 79, St. Martins

3 Suggested Readings

The Idea of a Writing Center
Stephen North
page 32

Responding to Texts
Toby Fulwiler
page 156


A Critique of Pure Tutoring
Shamoon and Burns
page 173

All are from the St. Martin's Guide.

Since I've never taught a class, maybe my tutoring philosophy isn't as developed as Ember's. Watching professors now, I see things that I would do differently, and try to make mental notes that I'll use later.

Thinking about that now, I realize that there are probably 10 other people in those classes making different notes. Everyone has a better way of doing something, so my teaching philosophy might not mesh well with some students.

I think the important thing for me will be to remember that everyone learns differently, and everyone will take something different away from the class. If I can incorporate that into my tutoring philosophy, I will have succeeded.

Teaching Philosophy

My teaching philosophy changed after I taught a class for the first time, and it changed again during my first semester in front of a class, and now that I’m back in school it has changed again. You might think that being a teacher would put me permanently on the side of the teacher, but this has not happened. Instead, while I sit in class as the minutes tick by and all I can think about is getting out, my rebellious instincts threaten mutiny and occasionally take over. The same thing that happened to me in high school happens now in graduate school. I look out of the window, when there is one, and I wish I were someplace else. While I was supposed to be working out my teaching philosophy, these thoughts took over instead. Then it hit me: that’s my teaching philosophy. I can communicate with students because I understand them. I understand them because I am one of them, and will always sigh while I roll my eyes at the clock. I love teaching and learning.

Personal Statements

I was just thinking that we could use a book on personal statement writing in the W.C. I wonder if we have one up there?

Notes from Class, on the Brochure

unity, fulfills a purpose, evidence/support, organization/structure, mechanics/style, grammar

Mission

We Do:
collaborate
improve
id errors
help
make suggestions

We Do Not:
your work for you
edit/proofread
write
fix
grade/evaluate
work on your paper if you're not there
tell you what to do

Tutee's Responsibilities:
bring the assignment description/instructions
come early in the writing process
bring a pen/pencil
set aside 30 minutes
bring/know style guide
know what you want to work on / bring questions
you make the final decisions
you set the agenda for the session

We are not Burger King - you don't get it your way.

We don't do this, but we will do that!
collaborate - tell you what to do; work for you
improve/help - fix
grade - evaluate
no formal assessment
(metaphor: universal 'no' sign with a red pen in it)
make suggestions - tell you what to do

Misconceptions:
-that there is one 'right' way to get an A
-that there is one set standard that applies to all papers for any discipline, for any teacher, for any purpose, any assignment
-the writing center is a fixit shop
-that grammar is the biggest problem

Portfolio Progress

I think I've spent more consecutive hours this weekend fiddling with my online portfolio than I have with any other schoolwork so far this year. Not that that's a bad thing - I'm actually having fun doing it.

Like Bryan, I'm trying to learn some of the finer points of Photoshop. Some things haven't gone exactly as planned, and others have worked far better than I ever thought they would. I won't share what didn't go right, but I'll share one thing that did.

I'm creating a clickable image for the splash page of my portfolio. I wanted to use my own handwriting, rather than a font. I also wanted to make it look like it was written in an old journal. It turns out that black pen on white paper is easily selected with Photoshop's "magic wand" tool. So I can take my handwriting, scan it in, and make it look like it's written on parchment, or whatever, very easily. This revelation makes up for the several hours I spent trying to make edges look smooth (It never looked right, so I gave up and went in another direction).

I still don't have a splash page made, but I've made significant progress. I'm really starting to see a completed portfolio in my head. Soon enough, it'll be on the web.

Ali's technophobia

I am pretty much in the same boat as you when it comes to technology, Ali. I can use Office, Explorer, that sort of thing; but I am kind of lost with a lot of the more technical stuff. I can scan drawings, but when it comes to using photoshop to clean them up, it takes me hours to figure how to do a simple task.

As much as this whole on-line portfolio might be a giant pain in my ass now due to the shear time I have to put in to make it happen, I am very glad we've been assigned to do this-simple because I am getting more and more familiar with photoshop, composer, etc. This is especially important for the field I want to break into (familiarity with photoshop is a must for junior editors at Marvel).

Now, I have worked tech support for Amazon.com (which is really just hand-holding for computer illiterate old people), and if it makes you feel any better, I can tell you that there are people that cannot find the refresh button on their internet browser (or know what it is for that matter). So you're still way ahead of the game for that matter.

Technology and Me

I think that I have made it abundantly clear that I am not the biggest fan of working with computers. Sure, I am proficient in word, can browse the Internet, and have a working knowledge of some other programs, but I am pretty much illiterate when it comes to a lot of the more technical details of computers. At the same time, however, I know how important computers are, and I really do appreciate how much I need them. Any time I have to look something up, buy something, manage my bank account, or just surf around when I am bored. And computers have a way making life easier: word processing has revolutionized the writing process, there are programs to help you do your taxes, email has made communication almost instantaneous, and so much more.
The power that computers give us is quite amazing, but in some people's case, as in mine, knowing that there are all of these possibilities while not being able to utilize them can be quite frustrating. I must admit that computers have become much more user-friendly than in the past, but there is still a great deal of learning involved in many programs. Take for instance using Excel. I am awful at Excel and honestly have no real desire to learn how to use it because it only frustrates me. In the past, I have tried to learn how to use the program on my own but was very unsuccessful because I didn't have any one there to guide me along. So, I just gave up because learning to use one program wasn't worth all of the time and frustration. The limitations that technology puts on me, at least, is in terms of not being able to do some of the things that I know computers can do because I simply have mastered the right program.

My ePortfolio

With the way I have setup my ePortfolio, it will take some time before everything comes together-simply from the fact that I'm drawing all of the graphics, with the exception of one lone page, completely from scratch. Also, I worry that I'm putting too much effort into being clever. I' ve been thinking long and hard about what writers to use as each individual superhero's identity. So far, I have Theodore Roethke as Aquaman and Sylvia Plath as Black Canary (although, Virginia Woolf would make a great Aquaman). Essentially, what is slowing me down is that I am painstakingly trying capture physical elements of these writers in my graphics. While I'm definatley an above-average artist, I'm not nearly good enough to where doing caricatures is just automatic. A bit much guys? Feel free to comment.

Otherwise, I'm not concerned. My page isn't nearly as good-looking as Ali's (hats off to you, by the way), but I just have to keep reminding myself that it's all going to come together come Thanksgiving.

What's slowing me down.

I think my portfolio issues are similar to Ali's. I know what my metaphor and theme are, but I'm unsure as to how much I want to force that theme into my portfolio. I think the idea of a road trip will work well, so I guess it's just a matter of figuring out how much is too much when it comes to the metaphor.

I want each page of my portfolio to look basically the same. Other than the splash page, I'd like each page to have a graphic at the top or side, and the navigation link at the bottom. Going by the class requirements, I'm going to need four pages, which isn't really very many. I suppose things like the tutorial or the visual project could be spread out over more pages, but I think they'd still have to be based on one "stop" on the road trip.

I'm still trying to figure out a visual project. Right now, I have two ideas, one that would be very difficult to pull off, and the other simple, but I'm not sure how effective. Since my theme is a road trip, I'd like to do something about regional differences. I think I just came up with a very easy, very awesome idea. I'll mention it in class and maybe you guys can help me figure out a way to tie it together with everything else.

Nicely done

Hey everyone,

I usually try to stay out of your weblog as much as possible, but after reading all of your latest entries, I lost my resolve. Nicely done, all of you.

Things I have not actualized in my portfolio as of yet

While I have come a long way in regards to my portfolio, there are still some things I am trying to work out. One of the major things I am trying to decide is whether or not I want to use quotes about elephants or quotes about writing or both. Or I was also thinking that I could develop my own little sayings about writing that fit with the pictures I am using (I can explain this better in class). The elephant quotes don't always seem to fit with writing and the writing quotes don't seem to fit with the elephant pictures, so making my own sayings could bridge the gap. Other than that, my main issues deal with my website's design. I am trying out different fonts and alignments, trying to decide what looks best. Throughout the process of making my portfolio, I have found that I have had to adapt my initial design idea several times in order to create a functioning portfolio that is easily navigable and aesthetically pleasing at the same time. I think I am finally getting the two aspects to mesh!

3 points

"We must make students aware of other points of view that my be 'disturbing' to them and my 'distress' them; and we should, if we believe an individual case warrants it, overstep the boundaries and be subjective-without being judgmental-in expressing these views."

The first time I came across this passage in The St. Martin's Sourcebook, I highlighted it and wrote "YES!!!!" in big bold letters at the bottom of the page because it summed up so idealy the mindset that every teacher or tudor that was ever worth a damn. The other day, I was reading up on Torture Porn (a new subgenre of horror, not the actual porn itself), and came across an article Stephen King had written in defense of the genre. His defense was that the genre at least confronted and disturbed it audience, leaving a lasting impression long after the movie was over. And honestly, whether we are writers, teacher, tudors etc.; getting someone to think about something they have just been exposed to should always be our paramount goal. Because unless you are completely brain dead, once an image or idea is in your mind, you're going to analyze it. And honestly, nothing burrows into your brain better than something that really disturbs you.

The problem with having that mindset as an educator is that the system, especially here at Clemson, is designed to completely eradicate any independent thought or rebellion (whether it be cultural or intellectual) before it starts. As Lewis Black says in Accepted, "all college is doing is creating buyers and sellers, BUYERS and SELLERS!!!" Already there have been instances in the semester where I've caught myself trying to help a student get a better grade on his or her paper than help them become a better writer or student. I feel like the educational system in this country is so terribly efficient at rooting out independent thought that the consequence of expressing oneself freely is nearly a complete ostracization from academic society.

I have come to the conclusion that the only way to implement this tutoring philosophy is to do it how undercover cops infiltrate the mafia: do some heinous shit that you're not proud of to get street cred, but keep in mind the ultimate goal. Then when you're in, bring it tumbling down. I had a great history teacher my senior year of high school who was a radical during the 60s and 70s, and that was pretty much how he didit. In no simple terms he told me that he swallowed his pride and did what he was told to as a teacher, then once he received tenure, sought out to do as much damage as possible.

"The tutor's voice is only one of many the writer will hear, and the tutor and writer are colearners who collaborate to negotiate meanings and construct knowledge."

Today, a couple of English 103 students came into our class with papers to workshop. I thought the best course of action would to have mediated a peer-editing workshop that allowed each student to comment on each other's papers. That way, each one would get 4 different perspectives, instead of just one. Plus, I think peer editing is great for most freshman because not only do they learn to identify a specific audience for their paper, they are also confronted with multiple perspectives (some of which may be radically different than their own). Plus, when you're a wide-eyed 18 year old fresh out of the conformity factory, it's great to get some feedback and a pat on the back from someone who's in the same position you are. I guess what I'm saying is, is that I'd much rather be a facilitator, rather than some scary authoritarian grad student. I don't want students conforming to any kind of structure or ideology, even my own (deep down though, I'll admit it would be nice). Conducting peer-editing groups is definately a project I would like to spearhead during my time here at Clemson.

"Show them how to channel the confidence they possess in other areas of their life and apply it to writing problems."

Dr. Ramirez, on our first meeting, told me that tutoring is essentially coaching in that tutors don't necessarily provide knowledge, but build confidence. There's no better way to build confidence than by linking a subject that a student has a deficiency in with something he or she is highly-skilled in. Like John mentioned in a much earlier post, using what our students are passionate about as a way to improve their writing skills is an excellent idea. I can think of no better way for students to become better writers quicker than incorporating their life experiences into their writing.

Clarification of Portfolio Assignments

"Visual" project 20%

Seminar Paper (In Portfolio) 25%

Tutoring Philosophy (In Portfolio) 5%

Tutorial w/powerpoint 15%

The Portfolio (including
the reflective hypertext) 25%

Participation including weblog 10%

OK, that's the description of your assignments as posted on your syllabus. Here is some clarification:

You have two major "paper" type items (in red, above) that should be in your portfolio. One of them, the "seminar paper" has to be new. One of them, however, can be "remediated" for the portfolio. One of them must be visually oriented, and one must be textually oriented. So you have these choices:

1. You can do your seminar paper as a traditional paper, and then use something you already have to make into a visual text.

2. You can create a visually oriented seminar paper, and remediate something you've already written for your text-based paper (make it into a hypertext or some other online form)

3. You can create two completely new texts, one of which is visually-oriented and one of which is text-based.

I hope that clears things up. If you have questions about the other portfolio items, just let me know.

-T. F.

Engrish

Please to check out Engrish.com, you'll love the way foreigners mangle our language. It's a form of English all by itself!

http://www.engrish.com/

Observations on the Reading.

So far this year, I've had several students walk into the writing center and say, "I just need this paper proofread," or "My professor told me to let you take a look at this before I turn it in." For these students (and maybe for their professors), the paper in hand is the beginning and end of their problems. Once the paper is gone, the problem is gone – until next time.

In his essay, "The Idea of a Writing Center," Stephen North writes that we should not be some sort of "fix-it shop" for student papers. Rather, we should use a student's visit as a way in – the beginning of a dialogue that can help them become better writers. This idea puts more pressure on students as well as tutors, and I think it's well-deserved. We should be creating relationships with students at the Writing Center and, instead of fixing papers, making better writers.

Marilyn Cooper, though, brings up a good point in her article, "A Cultural Studies Agenda for Writing Centers." Students are, without a doubt, concerned with grades. So then, how do we turn the focus on long-term writing goals – especially when we're dealing with, say, engineering students who don't think they'll be writing professionally? Her answer seems to be to bridge the gap between students and teachers while we strive to become what she calls "organic intellectuals." Cooper's ideas seem to work at cross purposes of what we've been told are the rules of the Clemson Writing Center. I wonder if we would be considered subversive (or unemployed) if we took matters into our own hands in order to create better students. Maybe this isn't something a first-semester tutor should be considering.

Today, as I worked with a tutor, I found myself making suggestions to improve an essay. I’d say something like, “Suppose you did this….” I learned pretty quickly that I better have two or three “Supposes” or the student would think that she needed to scribble down whatever I said, as if the exact words were the secret password into the world of A+ papers. It’s hard to get students to bring up their own suggestions. They are, for the most part, freshman in ENGL 103, just wanting to do a good job on the paper. Reading “Postcolonialism and the Idea of a Writing Center” by Anis Bawarshi and Stephanie Pelkowski made me realize that it’s going to be hard for this notion to change. It’s going to require a university change, not just a change in the way we do things in the writing center.

And should it even change? I want to hold onto that belief that academic papers have an order, a universal structure, that, while it can definitely be tinkered with, can’t be tossed out completely. If, however, you decide you can toss out that universal structure, fine, but you better know the structure you’re tossing, and why you’re tossing it. I think maybe that’s at the heart of postcolonialism – knowing why the rules are in place. Once you know that, you can begin to question those rules.

Three Points about the Readings

1. In Part I of The St. Martin's Sourcebook for Writing Tutors, the authors briefly touch upon ESL students in the writing center. They note that ESL students are their own subset of tutees and expect and require different things from a given session. Quoting Muriel Harris, the authors introduce the idea that when asked a question by a tutor, a "polite [ESL] student waits for the tutor to answer the question, [and] the two parties are acting out assumptions and expectations from very different worlds" (18). I have come across this issue several times, particularly when working with Asian students. In many Asian cultures, the teacher figure is always correct and ultimately has the final say in academic situations. So, when an ESL writer comes to the center looking for help, the question-answer system commonly used for tutoring doesn't quite work. For example, if I were to ask the student if she thinks something needs to be reworded, instead of saying yes or no, she would simply ask what my opinion was or how I would reword. This scenario occurs because of the teachers' role in many foreign countries and needs to be confronted in a different way. Instead of asking questions in ESL-writing sessions, I have found that it is much more useful to point out errors or possible problems and then help the writer work through the issue.

2. In "The Idea of a Writing Center," North says "The fact is, not everyone's interest in writing, their need or desire to write or to learn to write, coincides with the fifteen or thirty weeks they spend in writing courses--especially when...those weeks are required" (43). I have come across this issue time and time again throughout my tutoring career. Students just don't care about their writing assignments because they do not understand the relevance writing has in their life or will have in their future career. I try my best to explain to them why writing is important and how often it is used in the "real world," but it's very difficult to convince such students. Most often in these situations, both the tutee and I leave the session feeling very frustrated because it was not a fulfilling session. I could not convey the importance of writing and the excitement it can bring, and the student is left feeling flustered, often having to do a great deal of work that they don't care about. I wonder if there is a way to make students more aware of writing's importance and get them excited about it.

3. In Cooper's essay, she brings up the idea that college writing is limited by several institutional constraints that the American collegiate community has overtly implemented in curricula. While I completely agree with what Cooper is saying, I was unaware of these institutional influences when I began tutoring several years ago. Without even thinking twice, I would tell students that the material they were addressing or the way they worded various issues were not acceptable in the classroom; however, I never once stopped to think what made their topics or wording inappropriate. It was not until several years later, as I began editing for some ESL students, that I began realizing how American academic writing constraints affect what writers are trying to say and how they convey their ideas. Quite honestly, it makes me very upset because countless writers are losing their voices in the one place they should be able to keep it. (I am talking outside of the realm of strictly-regulated prose like technical reports.) If such writers cannot express their ideas in their own ways, how do we know that they are conveying their message in the exact way that they want to and not simply how we think it should be conveyed?

Insights from the Readings

The book says:




Recognize that every text and every writer is a work in progress. Writers progress at different rates, but they do progress - in part because they acquire greater intellectual maturity, and in part because writing is an ongoing learning experience. Writers learn to be better writers by striving to improve. The issue is not whether they will make mistakes - because they will; the issue is whether they will learn from those mistakes or be defeated by them. Here the tutor can be instrumental. As a supportive ally and a candid critic, a tutor can encourage progress by fostering potential. (20)





Well, I can't relate to this as a tutor, because we haven't had any repeat business in the writing center. However, I have had a great experience with the process described above as a student. Last fall, I took a Advanced Creative Writing at USCS with Dr. Knight, one of my favorite professors there. She's been a great help to me and was instrumental in cheering me on to graduate school. I took the class just for fun and it was one of the most beneficial courses I've ever taken.



The creative writing class really improved my writing. In fact, it set me on the course to where I am today. We wrote short stories, passed out copies to the class, then read the story in class and everyone responded to the stories and we discussed them in class. We also had to turn in a written response to each story.



It was great for me because people pointed out errors I hadn't even noticed. I have a tendency to state the same thing repeatedly in my stories (and undoubtedly in every other area of my life) without noticing it. People also pointed out errors in continuity, suggested ideas for my stories, questioned my plot holes, and told me what they liked.



Working with a live audience in this way improved my writing at warp speed. I went into that class completely unbelieving in my ability to write short fiction, and came out believing that with more practice I could be good at it. It was like a light bulb went off in my head.



John Trimbur says:

One of the central tasks that [cultural studies] sets for radical intellectuals is to point out that the relatively autonomous areas of public and private life where human agency can mediate between the material conditions of the dominant order and the lived experience and aspirations of the popular masses. (59)

Some scholars see writing tutors as "organic intellectuals" and "radical intellectuals." Radical intellectual is insulting and organic intellectual sounds goofy. But I do understand what organic intellectual means. The academic world moves in cycles. First, a group of ambitious rapscallions overturn the established order. Then they become the established order. After that, a new band of scamps has arisen to overthrow the establishment. Germans say that life punishes revolutionaries by making them dress up in all their medals and attend awards ceremonies when they're old.

I've just been noticing the transition in my life right now, as I enter into graduate school after having been out of school for a while. It's weird. Not bad or anything, just odd.

Finally, Postcolonialism and the Idea of a Writing Center (79) discusses working with multi-cultural students (this could mean more than ESL students). By teaching them how to write in the way that is accepted by the university, aren't we sort of stifling them? Or, is it our job to hold up a standard and see that everyone else strives to follow it? And if so, what purpose does this serve? I think that holding up a certain standard no matter what is putting the cart before the horse. People change language to suit themselves and is there anything that can be done to stop this?

Personally, I think that the type As and type Bs of the world serve as natural checks on the other's power, and we work together in symbiosis to keep the language progressing, but at a slow enough pace.

My Strengths

Because I have wanted to copy edit since high school, I have taken many steps in my academic career to fulfill that dream, which have greatly increased my knowledge about grammar, good writing, and the English language in general. This knowledge has proven to be very helpful when it comes to tutoring (especially ESL tutoring) because quite frequently these are issues that students are very concerned about. So, as a result of my strong writing foundation, I can tell a student when they need to use a comma and why. This skill is particularly useful because, instead of just telling them to change their papers, I can explain to them why they need to and even give them examples. However, even I know my limitations. There have been times when a tutee has asked me about writing rules, but, while I know the answer, I have had a difficult time putting the concept in words. In such cases, I know that I need help explaining the issue properly and turn to computers, books, and even my fellow tutors for help.

In addition, I am good at sharing the information I do know in a way that makes the student feel comfortable and supported. Even if I have to explain the most basic aspect of writing, such as what a fragment sentence is, I can do so without being condescending. In such an environment, tutees are more receptive to what I am saying and are often quite eager to learn about the mistakes they are making. I am able to provide such a comfortable atmosphere because I remember the many times I have felt uncomfortable in a learning environment and how much that hindered my ability and responsiveness to a topic.

Getting caught up on readings discussions

Sometime before next class meeting, please discuss at least three insights that you've gained from the assigned readings, by relating them to either your work as tutors or your experience as a student. Try to use a variety of the readings--not just 3 insights from one piece. Roughly one solid paragraph per insight minimum--but of course feel free to write more if you choose.

Why I would come to the writing center

The primary reason I would come to a place like our writing center is based on the fact that such places have so much knowledge that I may not have access to otherwise. For example, in the case of our writing center, there are countless books on writing from MLA formating to writing about literature. One could probably find many of these books in the library as well, but the difference is that they are all in a relatively small space, making them easier to find.

In addition, the tutors in such places provide additional knowledge that can further help students work through problems. However, in the writing center atmosphere, this knowledge is passed along in a less stressful and more welcoming manner as compared to the classroom. Tutors convey this information in a way that makes the student's concern primary without passing judgment or being condescending. Such an environment makes learning more enjoyable and rewarding.

The only downfall I see with coming to our center to see me is my lack of knowledge about computers. With technological requirements for English classes increasing, more students are going to come to the writing center with technical issues that I cannot help them with. I hope that after I create my own portfolio, I will become more comfortable with students' computer issues and be able to help them more. However, once I do gain the proper knowledge, our writing center will be the ideal place for students to come who need assistance with their e-portfolios in addition to the more standard academic papers.

Elephants as a writing center metaphor

As I have mentioned before, I admire elephants more than probably any other animal simply because of their instinctive tendency to care for each member within their herd. As soon as a baby elephant is born, its mother chooses several allomothers (the equivalent of babysitters) to help her care for the new calf. The mother and allomothers work together to ensure the safety, health, and care for the new little one, guiding and teaching it until it is able to stand on its own and take care of itself.

This idea of raising the calf within a strong, inter-connected community works well with the ideas behind the writing center. As tutors, we are here to help new students adapt to the world of writing. Each tutor is like an allomother, who is responsible for a tutee's development during a session. By discussing tutees' writing and working with their specific needs, we, as tutors, have the ability to help them stand on their own in academic writing contexts. Just like elephant mothers and allomothers, we will not give up on the tutee until he or she can make it on there own.

But that is not to say that once the tutee has developed the proper writing skills that we will just stop helping them. Even after the elephant calf can stand on its own, it remains in the herd, which provides support, protection, and companionship for each member. Similarly, we will welcome tutees back to the writing center even if they are excellent writers because we can provide assistance, support, and reassurance that is often neglected in academic writing classes.

ESL Students

It's important, I believe, to remember how intelligent the ESL students who come to the lab actually are. Today I had a student who had a very detailed technical paper involving double capacitators and whatnot, and he needed help with his English. Well, I know the English, but he knows the electronics, so we truly had to work together to understand each other. I try to imagine how hard it would be to go to a university in a foreign country and write papers in a foreign language and I'm amazed at what the ESL students have accomplished.

I'm very aware of the "don't write on the students' papers" rule, but I don't know if our writing center rules help us to help the ESL students in the best way possible. Instead of writing on their papers, I've taken to writing out examples on a separate sheet of paper (instead of, for example, a chalkboard). This way, I can explain things to the student and they can keep the paper for reference. If this is against the rules, please tell me now!

Ali mentioned that we need a separate lab for ESL students and I agreed; I had just been thinking the same thing myself. Wishing won't make it happen, I know, but at least we can put the idea out there and maybe one day we'll have an ESL lab.

I would say that most of my tutoring experience here so far has been with ESL students; they're smart enough to know when they need help. Out of respect for them and what they're trying to do, I want to help them as much as I can.

Using metaphors

John was right on the money in regards to using a student's interests to help him or her with writing. Just this morning, I had a tutee come in who had some major organizational problems. His outline was pretty much just one big mess of quotes and factual statements.

While I didn't use this student's interest to help tutor him in writing, I did use a metaphor which he was familiar with: building a house. I explained to him that the thesis (which he didn 't have) was the foundation of a house-that no matter the how sturdy the rest of his materials were, it wouldn't stand without the foundation. The great thing about this whole process is that I was explaining concepts to him in very straight-forward, concise manner (this is big for me, since my inability to do this is my biggest weakness).

Another benefit of incorporating the tutee's interest is that it allows us to personally connect to the student. Establishing that connnection is especially beneficial, considering most of the students that will be walking through our doors are going to be feeling very very insecure about their academic abilities. Establishing a rapport can alleviate a lot of that anxiety, and provide a substantial amount of support in so little time.

Response to Bryan's portfolio idea

I really think Bryan's portfolio theme - superheroes - is an excellent idea. It's obvious from spending time with Bryan in the writing center that creating comic books are a passion of his. It's great that he can take something he's good at and incorporate into another area of study.

I think this is something we can teach at the writing center when students come in for help with their own portfolio ideas. We could ask them, "What are you good at?" and let the response guide us. Maybe a student is good at basketball, or photography, or hiking. There are certainly aspects of any of those activities that could lend itself to the creation of a portfolio. A hiker goes on a journey, a photographer composes a photograph, and basketball players must practice to if they want to win. These are common threads that are applicable to many different disciplines, thus they'd work well as portfolio themes.

But back to Bryan's theme. I think the creation of a new superhero for each aspect of the portfolio is wonderful. Right now in another class, we're reading Saussure for Beginners. It tries to break down a complicated subject into easily digestible chunks by adding illustrations and humor. I think Bryan's portfolio might work along those same lines.

Bryan's portfolio idea is probably the most ambitious of the bunch, but given his artistic background, I'm sure he can pull it off.

Response to Ember's Idea

Hello all-
I think we are supposed to blog about another person's idea for his/her portfolio, so I decided to go with Ember's. I like how you are taking the common idea of a map and putting a spin on it. Out of your two ideas (the skiier and the mission), I liked the idea of the downhill skiier on his way to summer vaction. That idea contributes to our understanding of writing--there are a series of steps one must take in writing in order to create the ideal piece of writing, which is exemplified in your idea of the skiier having to make stops along the down-hill slope, eventually reaching their ultimate goal of summer vacation.

Another idea could simply be that you map out the course of an academic school year or maybe just a semester. You could have the beginning of school relate to the beginning of a paper, both of which can seem daunting and frustrating. You can have the first test relate to the first draft of a paper, fall break relate to a breakthrough in the paper, and so on. I don't know if that would really work, but it's a thought.

I really do like the idea of you putting yourself in the student's shoes because if your portfolio is ever used as a means for students to learn about writing, then they may be able to connect with your overall message of writing as a journey through their personal experiences.

So, those are my thoughts. Good luck!

Awkward Tutee

So Bryan and I had a very weird tutee come into the center on Wednesday. The kid was a freshman working on his first assignment for his English 103 class, the gist of which was to write a four-to-six-page paper on an issue within a community of which you belong and some possible solutions to the problem. First, the kid was rather unresponsive to our questions; he would just say "I don't know" to pretty much everything. After some time and some prying, though, we were able to get some ideas flowing.

The issues we had with his writing abilities were just things that are typical of most freshman trying to delve into college writing: coming up with ideas, developing those ideas, organizing, etc. What was difficult for me in this situation was the tutee himself, not so much his problems with writing. Overall, he was just very awkward, and his hygiene wasn't exactly up to par. He definitely ate a scab in front of me and Bryan... Anyway, this social problems and some of his comments (like "No one wants me in their community" and "I don't have many friends") made me worry about how well he is adjusting to college life and how happy he is here. Now, I understand why he is having difficulties at college, as I mentioned above, but I don't think it's my place to tell him this. At the same time, I hate to see someone in his situation, even though I do realize that's the way life is. I guess I am just wondering if there is someone on campus that could help this kid and if I should direct him there. The overall question is do we as tutors have a responsibily or even simply the right to go beyond helping tutees with their writing when we know there is a larger problem going on?

Question

Dr. Fishman-
John and I are sitting here in the Writing Lab puzzled yet again by the assignment. Is the "memo" mentioned on the schedule the blog posting you were talking about where we describe what our portfolio is going to be, or is it a physical piece of paper that we are supposed to hand in?

Thanks,
Ali

Strengths and Weaknesses

My strengths as a tutor? I can understand assignments (or at least help make them less obtuse for the students), empathize, spot grammatical mistakes, and just in general help with making the writing sound better.

Having the students read their papers aloud really helps them. They actually do catch some mistakes that way, plus it emphasizes that we're here to work with them, not for them. Lots of times when I was an undergrad I would go to my professors and ask them how to improve my work, how to get better grades in their classes. And it worked. So, I'm not afraid to ask for help; I've always gotten good results from it.

Weaknesses as a tutor? Fully explaining the whys of grammar. I know the rules, but sometimes it's hard to explain them to others. It just requires practice, I suppose. At any rate, I'm expecting a crash course in it this semester.

First Tutee!

Well, today business is booming at the writing center. Two students in as many hours! I was pretty nervous about the first guy that came in, to be honest. Fortunately, Bryan was here and we both helped the student. The rule of not writing on the papers is something I'll have to get used to. I used to teach reading classes at Spartanburg Tech and I'm used to leaving hen tracks all over the papers. But, I was feeling more confident by the time the student left.

Then Ali told me that I'd missed class this morning, and now I'm just embarassed and a bit frightened that I'm in trouble.

Weaknesses in Tutory?

I just realized I published that without catching that typo in the title. How embarrassing.

Some Thoughts on the Process

Somehow I haven't gotten any tutees yet. I have tutored in the past, though, in Spanish, history (don't ask me how), ESL, etc. That was different, though, because there weren't as many rules involving the tutoring; I was simply to help the students. Tutoring Spanish was pretty easy because the students always had a test coming up and we could study specifically for that. Once I got two veterans who were taking Spanish in summer school and were having such a hard time with it that I was called in to work with them every single day. One of the guys went on to get his master's at USC to be a psychologist. He wasn't all that interested in speaking Spanish. He just needed to get the class as a general education requirement. Which is fine with me. Everyone has different reasons for being in a class. The important thing to remember is that it's none of my business.

Probably the most valuable thing that I've learned from being a tutor is to remember that you're tutoring someone who either doesn't understand or doesn't like the subject at hand. You know how you feel when you have to take a class in a subject that you're terrible at and that you hate. Well, for the tutees, guess what? Obviously, we all love writing here in the writing center, but remember that there's a very good chance that the tutees hate it. If we didn't love writing, we wouldn't be here, and if the tutees shared our love of the written word, they wouldn't be in the writing center, either.

Weaknesses in tutory

It's hard to say what exactly my weakness is in tutoring, considering that I have barely tutored anyone at all. Ali, however, seemed to find one pretty easily the other day while I was tutoring an ESL student. Basically, I have a hard time connecting to the student, and an even harder time explaining certain concepts in easy-to-understand terms. Not surprising, since I encountered the same problem in coaching.

After my family moved down here in 2002, I earned extra cash during the summer by coaching at Carolina Panthers Youth Camps. The camps were for mainly 13 and 14 year old players who were making the transition from Pop Warner to high school football. That transition is tough for a lot of young offensive linemen, since Pop Warner coaches are neighborhood dads that pass on their own antiquated approach to blocking (a lot of the kids I coached were completely baffled that a lineman is supposed to block with his hands, not his forearms). I had high hopes for my group of kids, and I had this grandiose impression that I would, in just one session, get them to completely discard their old blocking techniques.

Well, imagine that happening, only the complete opposite.

Completley overeager, I took the field for our first session and blerted out a bunch of technical terms I learned at Marshall that these kids had probably never heard in their life. They just stared at me blankly. I had to explain everything to them, and after only one 30 minute session, I was only just beginning to get them used to the idea of a pass set.

Now, I don't know if you guys have spent a lot of time around a bunch of athletes, but they tend to be a little crass (but then again, so are 13 year old boys), and well, I learned by observing other coaches that that vulgarity is actually put to good use. For example, an easy way to convey to a kid what they're supposed to look like in pass set is to tell them to imagine "a bear shitting in the woods." A good way form them to learn hand-placement is to tell them to imagine "giving the defender a titty twister."

I guess I've prattled on and on here, but let me just part from you with this final thought. While I was sitting there trying to explain to this ESL student why he should not use colloquialisms or parentheticals in certain sentences, I kept reaching back into my mind trying to find my own bear-shitting metaphor.

On Weaknesses.

A few months into my stint as a journalist, I got sent to cover breaking news in a nearby town. A worker installing a new billboard had gotten too close to a power line and had gotten hurt. I arrived on scene, got some really good interviews, and then returned to the office to type up my story.

Before then, I had written some really good articles that had brought comments from the community, and, more importantly, my editors. The story I was working on that day seemed easy in comparison. I had an emotional eyewitness statement. The story was going to be at the top of tomorrow’s front page, but it probably only took me 30 minutes to write. Those were the best kind of stories.

“A man was electrocuted Tuesday afternoon,” the story began. “He received first and second degree burns and was airlifted to a nearby hospital.” It, along with a photo of the harrowing ordeal, appeared on newsstands the next day.

That next morning, I got an email from my editor. It was a forwarded message from a colleague at the paper’s big-city company headquarters. “Check the definition of ‘electrocuted,’ the message said.

My editor felt bad for not catching it, and I felt even worse for writing it in the first place. I chose “electrocuted” because it was a more powerful word, I thought, than “shocked.” I didn’t stop to think that the words had different meanings.

After the initial embarrassment subsided, I decided I would ask more questions – of editors, coworkers, anyone. I would also attend as many training sessions as I could. Those training sessions are often boring, and 90% of the material covered may be stuff you already know. But that other 10% is what’s going to turn you into a better writer.

As tutors, we need to be aware of our weaknesses. We need to know when we should ask for help. If we do, eventually, those weaknesses will disappear. Sure, they’ll be replaced with other weak points we never knew we had. But that’s what learning and tutoring is all about. Likewise, we need to be able to recognize when others (tutees and colleagues) are asking for help.

David Halberstam was a Pulitzer prize-winning journalist who covered the Vietnam War, and later sports, politics and business. He died earlier this year in a car accident. A quote of his was pinned over my desk, and it became ingrained in my mind. I think it applies to tutoring as well as journalism.

“I had made myself into a professional,” Halberstam said in 2005, “and had done it, in no small part, not so much by trying to reinforce my strengths as most people do, but by trying to eliminate my weaknesses.”

Strengths, and a plan.

After nearly a week’s worth of hours at the Writing Center, I finally had my first tutee today.

Manesh (I think) brought in his 100+ page doctoral dissertation on methods of providing renewable energy to utility companies (I think). The combination of Manesh’s native tongue and the dense tech-speak of the dissertation made me want to jump out of the nearest window – at first.

After the initial shock of the thickness (both literally and figuratively) of the dissertation in front of me, I calmed down and hunkered down. We went line by line, page by page, reading aloud and suggesting changes of troublesome phrases. Even if we weren’t suggesting changes, the slow reading would have been necessary for me to understand the complexity of the text.

It’s a daunting feeling – knowing that the person sitting beside you is smarter than you. Frightening, too, is the feeling that there’s really nowhere to begin – that your tutee’s mistakes in articles and prepositions are always going to be troublesome for someone like him, a nonnative speaker.

But Manesh caught on fast…he began to notice improper articles and bad (or nonexistent) prepositions before I could ask him about them. He started to smile and, after I told him we should stop for today, said he’d be back tomorrow.

I guess the experience above is an example of my strengths. The task felt impossible at first, but by just doing it, just starting it, it seemed to get easier. I suppose I could have told him, “Everything looks fine,” and sent him on his way, but that’s not what we, as tutors, are here for. Sometimes, it’s going to be almost as hard for us to tutor as it might be for the tutees to accept that they may need help.

Starting that dialogue with your tutee can be the hardest part. Once you’ve made that connection, it gets easier.

Like Ali said below, recognizing tutees’ strengths is an important part of any writing center plan. Not only will this make the tutee realize he or she isn’t doing everything wrong, it will help build your relationship with the tutee as well.

Another characteristic of a good writing tutor is the ability to know when you don’t know. For example, today, Manesh had used the word “optimum,” and I thought he should have used “optimal.” I wasn’t sure why his word was wrong, so we went to dictionary.com – together – and read the definitions. One is much more common as an adjective, so we both agreed it was the best choice. By opening that initial dialogue and building that connection, the tutee won’t see you as an infallible dictator. They won’t loathe you for your mistakes. They won't secretly hope for your downfall. Work with your tutee, not on them.

In short, a simple writing center plan (with much room for elaboration) is this: Start the dialogue, recognize a tutee’s strengths, and know when you, as a tutor, need to look elsewhere for answers.

My weaknesses and experience with tutoring

My academic weakness comes in the form of math. Now, I never had a true problem with math, and to be completely honest, I always excelled in it, but it usually took a great deal of work on my part to do well in it because I wanted to understand every aspect.

When I started taking more advanced math classes, I began to realize that in order to fully comprehend what I was doing and why, I needed help outside of the classroom. In high school, this led me to my math teachers, but in college, I turned to the math tutoring center to work one-on-one with a math major. I honestly only ever needed to go one time (mainly because I took the easiest math classes Penn State offered), but I do remember the tutor being very helpful.

I think the most influential part of that tutoring session was when the tutor had to take a minute to relearn/review what I was asking him to help me with. What I was studying was pretty rudimentary in the math world, and the tutor having to review this basic math showed me that even teachers forget things (easy things even) and that it's okay to let down your guard when you truly don't know something. In the end, I was very glad that the tutor was honest with me about not knowing what I was doing because, after he reviewed it, he was better able to truly teach me.

I think this idea is particularly crucial for us as writing tutors. When we don't know something or don't know how to explain something, we need to be honest with our tutees about our lack of knowledge and then take the time to discover the answer with the tutee. It's much better for us to admit our shortcomings and search for the answer than it is for us to deceive a tutee into believing everything we say.

Strengths as a Tutor and Plan

As I have said before, I have tutored before at Penn State, so I am pretty aware of my strengths and weaknesses as a tutor. I think one of my biggest strengths is my ability to make people feel comfortable, which is very important in the writing center. My philosophy about the writing center is based on the tutee feeling comfortable enough to talk openly about his/her paper, while being responsive to suggestions. Making him/her feel comfortable through conversation or humor sets up this comfortable atmosphere.

Another important strength that I have is my subject knowledge. Through my many undergraduate classes and activities, I have learned a great deal about writing, grammar, and editing, all of which I can use when tutoring. If tutees don't understand when to use a comma, I can teach them how, which makes me feel like I am helping them not only improve the papers they bring to the writing center, but also their ability to write as a whole.

My approach to tutoring, as I briefly mentioned above, is centered on a comfortable learning atmosphere. I never want the tutees to feel uncomfortable, pressured, or incompetent; I want them to feel good about what they have written and confident that they can learn to write better. In each session, I will listen to what the tutee feels he/she needs to work on and give my honest opinion about how to fix such issues. However, at the same time, I will be sure to tell the tutee what he/she is doing right because I think too many times, tutors in writing centers forget to tell the writer what his/her strengths are and often focus solely on weaknesses. Overall, I want tutees to learn that writing can be fun and useful, when they learn the proper steps to take.

Ember's Post

Hi Everybody!

I've read over your posts and realized that I'm still not entirely clear on what it is that we're mapping. Is it the goals of tutoring, or is it the student's journey (in which case an individual map for each student seems most appropriate)? Or, is it my personal journey? I know we discussed this in class, and maybe it's because it's two thirty in the morning, but I cannot remember.

The map could be a lot of things. Personally, I'm trying to put myself in the students' shoes. What would grab my attention? A countdown to the end of the semester! I was thinking of maybe a downhill slope with a little Alpine man headed downhill (think Price is Right), and the goal is vacation. Or, the map could take the form of a quest or a mission, in which the students must complete a series of tasks to collect points and prizes, to avoid being shot, etc.

See you in class Tuesday! (Helpful hint: turn off Auto Text if you write your postings beforehand in Word. This prevents what happened to John's post, no offense John, just trying to help.)

Elaboration on ideas

Having thought more about my portfolio, I am stuck between two ideas--the elephants and the clothes. I am not sure which one will work better because they would both be pretty fun to do. However, at the same time, I am finding it slightly difficult to determine how to thread my reflections and assignments into the portfolio. Each of these ideas is ideal for a writing center website, but I am not sure they are ideal for a portfolio. So if anyone has any ideas about that, I would love to hear them.

My thoughts are as follows. If I do the elephant theme, then I will link the major assignments/lessons to a certain elephant. Then, I can link the smaller reflections/assignments to things in the background, for example decorative flowers or trees. If I do the clothes option, then I will do pretty much the same thing. The major assignments would be attached to the more important pieces of clothing, whereas the smaller assignments will be attached to smaller articles of clothing or accessories.

I do realize that these two options are a little difficult, but I am trying to be original. The whole idea of a journey would work quite well, but what I got from Dr. Fishman is that a lot of people have done that before, and I want to be a little different. If you have any ideas on how to help me, please let me know.

More ideas

As I mentioned in class, I really like the linear quality of the journey map, particularly a subway map. The colors are basic and the layout is usually geometrically simple. As you lay out each page of your portfolio, the subway map would allow you to create something meaningful but uncomplicated. I’m imagining a simple bold line on the bottom of each page, with the current “stop” in bold and previous and future stops visible. An online portfolio would also really work with this style – each “stop” would be a link to a different page.

Other ideas that come to mind:

• A runner facing hurdles. This also fits in with basic writing center philosophy.

• Alphabet blocks. You could title the sections of your portfolio so that they would be in alphabetical order, then use images of children’s alphabet blocks as the unifying theme.

• Root structure. I mentioned this in class too, and it’s similar to Ali’s tree idea below. The roots symbolize the beginnings of writing. The beautiful tree or flower above ground is the result, but it’s the roots that keep it alive.

• Birds. The metaphor here is that in takeoff, birds do not appear graceful, but in flight, the opposite is true. You’ve also got the flock mentality, which makes it similar to Ali’s Elephant theme below.

When we started this exercise, I had trouble thinking of a theme. Now that I’ve taken some (but not very much) time, I’ve realized that almost anything works, as long as it’s unifying and symbolic. And you can usually find meaning in any object if you spend some time thinking about it.

As I type this, Magnum P.I. is on the television in the other room. It occurs to me that a detective theme, like Sherlock Holmes, (or Magnum, if you thought your professor would go for it) would work great. You’ve got magnifying glasses, fingerprints, clues, etc.

The ideas seem endless.

Ideas for Portfolio

I am not exactly sure what we are supposed to do here, but I will give it a try. I have had several ideas concerning my portfolio theme, but three have really jumped out at me. The first is what I talked about in class, the tree idea. I think this is a good metaphor for writing, as I mentioned before, because it emphasizes the hard work or "climb" that writers have to take when they begin a piece. My next thought was that of a herd of elephants or something of that nature. I personally love elephants, and they relate to writing center philosophy in that they are very concerned with the well-being of each elephant in the group and the group as a whole. I was thinking that I could put various comments explaining this relationship along the border of my portfolio. The third option, the most girlish option, is that of making my portfolio based on getting dressed. So each page could be centered around a piece of clothing, with the more major writing issues being associated with the more important pieces of clothing. Anyway, let me know what you think.

Welcome!

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