Hello, all. And thank you for tuning into this week’s edition of "Deve Is Having A Hard Time Coming Up With Article Ideas Already." This week I thought I would veer a bit from the social media disaster caused by this election, and would instead talk about one of my favorite places on campus. I work in the Writing Center at Alma, where I work with a dozen other fabulous and intelligent students to help our fellow Scots with their writing. And I love my job. Working there has taught me a lot about writing, as well as a lot about teaching.
One of the first things I've learned by working in the Writing Center is that there is no such thing as bad writing. Now there may be some that disagree with me on this, but working in the writing center has taught me that there is no such thing as bad writing. All writing can be improved. Most of the time, when I'm helping someone with an essay or report of some kind, I find that they have a great idea, but that they don't know how to convert it onto the page. Which is where I come in, to ask them "teachery" questions and push them to think about what they want to say in more specific terms.
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Working with different tutees from all different backgrounds and levels of understanding when it comes to writing has taught me that there are no stupid questions. There are plenty of times I've forgotten simple words or how to cite in a certain format. And I certainly was not born knowing these things. If I hadn't asked questions I still wouldn't know how to spell "opinion" (is it one or two "p"s?) or that there is no comma between an author’s name and the page number for MLA in-text citations (I figured out that one two weeks ago).
It is very important to encourage others with their writing. Many view it as a very intimate form of expression and I agree! I get very nervous showing other people my writing—especially rough drafts. I have a tendency to just spill everything at once in its final draft form, but when I do actually have a rough draft I get extremely anxious showing even my closest friends. This is something that I understand intimately, so I always try to be understanding of each tutee (I don't know whether I am successful or not, though). It is important to tell the writer of a piece what parts of into you liked.
Probably one of my favorite lessons I learned as a Writing Center tutor, however, is that I can always count on my coworkers. I know that no matter what possible rudeness I may encounter or terrifying material I may have to read while working (I'm sorry but those trash papers the intro to anthropology class has to write are disgusting), my coworkers have already done it. Through something as simple as a quick glance or a raised eyebrow, I know I'm not alone. And best of all, in the Writing Center is a community of writers and readers who are always willing to lend a critical ear to my writing. The Writing Center is one of my favorite places on campus—where else could I hang out with people who actually cannot leave (at least until their shift is over).
