I am again enlightened by this essay! Carino's ideas of the way to conduct a "nonhierarchical, friendly" Writing Center blend perfectly with our Writing Center environment. From what I have witnessed in the Tutoring Center at the Nampa Campus, students are quick to become overwhelmed or embarrassed by their own confusion. But, we tutors do a really great job of keeping them encouraged and on the right track. I think we are able to get these kinds of results because we completely eliminate all elements of superiority. Unlike a classroom, where the professor comes and stands in front of the giant lecture hall in a suit and tie, we tutors sit closely to the students, dressed casually, and speak in our normal voices. The only sign of us actually being anything more than a peer are out name-tags. We never announce our "credentials" (we really don't have any "credentials" to begin with.) We really are just friendly faces who help them with their papers.
Carino cites a quote that I think is very applicable: A Writing Center is "a reciprocal relationship between equals sharing in the work of the systems between two friends who trust one another." Unlike any of the essays we have read previously, Carino purposefully emphasizes the importance of trust in the student-tutee relationship. In everything we do as a tutor, we must embody the fact that we are trustworthy, knowledgeable, and encouraging. If we can not embody these things, we can not gain the trust and respect of the students we are tutoring.
I really like the idea of "peership." Students can come to us with their questions, expecting to hear an answer from their kind, slightly more knowledgeable, friend. The people we are tutoring, even if they are older or younger than us, really are just like us and we should treat them and think of them in that way. We are not superior and we do not hold "power" or "authority" over them in any way.
Carino cites a quote that I think is very applicable: A Writing Center is "a reciprocal relationship between equals sharing in the work of the systems between two friends who trust one another." Unlike any of the essays we have read previously, Carino purposefully emphasizes the importance of trust in the student-tutee relationship. In everything we do as a tutor, we must embody the fact that we are trustworthy, knowledgeable, and encouraging. If we can not embody these things, we can not gain the trust and respect of the students we are tutoring.
I really like the idea of "peership." Students can come to us with their questions, expecting to hear an answer from their kind, slightly more knowledgeable, friend. The people we are tutoring, even if they are older or younger than us, really are just like us and we should treat them and think of them in that way. We are not superior and we do not hold "power" or "authority" over them in any way.
This is a very interesting viewpoint and I really like what you are saying here. We need to be careful while working with the students that we do not lord over them with our power and make them feel inferior or dumb. I do think we need to know, within ourselves that we control the session by not doing the student's work for them while allowing them to lead the session where they need it to go. We do need to remember that we have authority when it comes to writing and knowing about writing, but we need to encourage and build people up to become better writers. So while power and authority are useful tools for us, we need to be very careful with how we weild them. We need the students to feel comfortable and safe with us.
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