Place of Discussion or Fix-it Shop?

Going into my appointment, I had extremely high hopes for the observation. I had been reading about the noble duty of writing centers for the past three weeks. I had begun to consider a writing consultant to be a sort of crusader furthering academic integrity and discussion on campus, as Wingate and North had suggested. Maybe my expectations were too high, my ideals too lofty, but in any case, today's appointment left me feeling extremely disillusioned and frustrated.

I entered the Writing Center, and the consultant on duty swiveled around on his chair from his computer, glanced at me and asked why I was there. I answered brightly that I was to observe his consultation. Looking fixedly at the screen in front of him, he replied that he had one appointment during this slot, and he went back to his email. This was the most interaction that I had with him in the next hour. As a potential consultant, I wanted to ask questions about what I was about to see in the appointment, where I should sit, or simply what he liked about being a consultant. But as I sat uncomfortably on the sofa, it was clear that he would rather pretend I wasn't there.

After what seemed like an hour, the student knocked on the door rather uncertainly. He explained to the consultant that he had brought his study abroad essay and prompt with him, and he wanted some feedback about its content. The consultant, turning back to the computer, asked what class the essay was for. It was as if he hadn't heard the student's explanation of the assignment at all. I think that right away this made for an unwelcoming environment for a student who may be initially apprehensive about having his work "criticized". When you take your paper to the Writing Center, you are automatically taking a risk about exposing your personal thoughts for censure. The consultant did not seem particularly encouraging or even interested in the student's work, and this made the student visibly uncomfortable. I watched the student, seated at the table, tapping his foot anxiously with his hands in his lap.

I hoped the appointment would get better. I expected the consultant to read through the student's paper, asking him questions about his meaning, providing insight into what would be best for a persuasive essay. But instead, he sat next to the student, simply editing the paper for grammatical correctness. He pointed out rules of grammar, of capitalization, and of verb tenses as he read through the paper. Most of the time was spent doing a lot of the "proofreading" that we discussed in class as not the main focus of the appointment. When the student asked how he could shorten his paper, the consultant replied shortly, "I'm trying to cut it down." I feel like that was the point at which the student lost control of his own paper, and visibly withdrew.

There was so little of the discussion that had been illustrated in the readings that I began to wonder if the consultant had taken the same course I had. I absolutely hate to criticize someone doing their job, and I must say that if the Writing Center was the "fix-it" shop referred to in the North article, than the consultant did a great job. He obviously had an excellent command of the English language and provided the student with good alterations to his work. He recommended ways that the student could change the content of the essay and suggested that he focus on specific reasons the student wanted to study abroad. All of this advice was completely valid and would probably make the student's essay better. However, the appointment was not a place of discussion, not a place of creating a better writer. It was a one-sided correction session.

I feel like the student, although he walked out with a proofread version of his essay, was cheated. No teacher forced him to come to the Writing Center, and the essay he brought with him was not even going to be graded. He simply wanted to create a persuasive essay that would best help him get into the program of his choosing. This individual was one of the "serious students" that would further academic culture on campus. Yet, as the appointment went on, the student seemed less and less comfortable asking questions. Clearly, he did not feel like he was the equal of the consultant. He was less likely to speak freely about why he chose to write something, and simply accept the consultant's corrections.

After 35 minutes of this, the student left, and the consultant returned to his computer, telling me the time he generally left for the day. In hindsight, I know that I should have probably been more assertive in trying to ask questions about the appointment that had just taken place, but I was simply too dumbstruck and uncomfortable with the situation. The consultant, his back turned to me and engrossed in whatever he was doing on his computer, was visibly closed off to me. Frankly, I was as intimidated as the student. I finished up my notes, thanked the consultant, who made eye contact with me for the first time in the hour, and left.

Overall, I don't think experience exemplifies the Writing Center and perhaps, it doesn't exemplify the consultant either. Everyone has bad days. But it made me think that even one bad appointment could change whether or not a student returns to the Writing Center again. If I was this student, with his study abroad essay, would I return? I'm not sure.