This afternoon I had my final solo consultation. I led a 30-minute session in the library from 3:30 to 4:00. My client was an international graduate student working on a draft of her dissertation proposal. Although she was not the first international student that I have worked with she was the first client that I have led who primarily wanted to focus on grammar within her 10 page proposal. A task not possible to accomplish within 30-minutes.
She did not want to focus on any other aspects of her paper besides grammar, so allowed the session to focus primarily on this. Although, I did my best to be sure that any grammar that I attempted to change. I did my best to explain the grammar so that she might learn and benefit more than the accuracy of this paper. Generally speaking her issues with grammar had to do with subject verb agreement, and unclear or run-on sentences. We read through the first page and I did my best to correct everything that I noticed with her grammar. After the first page (only three paragraphs) I explained to her the trends that I noticed and suggested that if she read her paper with these aspects in mind perhaps she could correct some of them herself. She seemed skeptical.
Overall, I enjoyed working at the library satellite and enjoyed feeling the bustle and excitement of the end of the semester. However, more than anything I enjoyed feeling like I was helping people with their end-of-semester writing!
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Final Posts
Blog Post
I study French alongside my other subjects. And so I feel that I have a first hand understanding of what ESL students go through. I certainly do not understand them perfectly, but I think this gives me at least some idea of what their life is like, working in another language. Granted I am far worse at French than they are at English and I have not been studying it for as long as they have. I think this sort of knowledge is useful for consultants. There are many of us who are required to take foreign languages, and indeed are. I think doing this is good because it teaches us a thing or two about how language works, and even if it doesn't, we at least understand what it is like for ESL students. There are some things that may be taught, principles, rules, and that sort of thing. Unfortunately there are many things, like articles, for which there are more exceptions than rules. Sometimes the only thing that will help in these areas is memorization. Studying other languages helps us understand exactly what to explain and how to explain it to ESL students, and what to simply demonstrate so that they commit it to memory.
Final Post
This is my final blog post, and my reflection on the class as a whole. I've worked in a number of different fields. From retail to hard labor. I signed up for this class because it gives me actual credit towards my degree as ENG 395, and because I wanted money, which require me getting a job. This job is ultimately the reason we're all here. I hated retail, working as a laborer for the government wasn't bad, but this job is probably the best I've had.
Working here is important to me because I look at it as a step towards my future career. I plan on being a professor in English literature when all is said and done. Papers are going to be a fact of life for me. Whenever I get papers back, they are given grades like 3.5, 4.0 for some professor, and for others more middle range grades like 3.4 or 3.8. This is one of the things that I think I will have the most difficulty dealing with as a college professor. Knowing just how to grade. I personally take good english usage seriously, but this class has taught me that that isn't necessarily so important as getting your ideas across. Although a paper with mediocre punctuation and grammar doesn't deserve a full 4.0, it certainly shouldn't be condemned to the depths of the 1s and 2s should it? Regardless, I think this job has obvious benefits, helping me to understand the ins and outs of writings so that my first year of teaching or TAing won't be hell for the students and the papers I check.
I study French alongside my other subjects. And so I feel that I have a first hand understanding of what ESL students go through. I certainly do not understand them perfectly, but I think this gives me at least some idea of what their life is like, working in another language. Granted I am far worse at French than they are at English and I have not been studying it for as long as they have. I think this sort of knowledge is useful for consultants. There are many of us who are required to take foreign languages, and indeed are. I think doing this is good because it teaches us a thing or two about how language works, and even if it doesn't, we at least understand what it is like for ESL students. There are some things that may be taught, principles, rules, and that sort of thing. Unfortunately there are many things, like articles, for which there are more exceptions than rules. Sometimes the only thing that will help in these areas is memorization. Studying other languages helps us understand exactly what to explain and how to explain it to ESL students, and what to simply demonstrate so that they commit it to memory.
Final Post
This is my final blog post, and my reflection on the class as a whole. I've worked in a number of different fields. From retail to hard labor. I signed up for this class because it gives me actual credit towards my degree as ENG 395, and because I wanted money, which require me getting a job. This job is ultimately the reason we're all here. I hated retail, working as a laborer for the government wasn't bad, but this job is probably the best I've had.
Working here is important to me because I look at it as a step towards my future career. I plan on being a professor in English literature when all is said and done. Papers are going to be a fact of life for me. Whenever I get papers back, they are given grades like 3.5, 4.0 for some professor, and for others more middle range grades like 3.4 or 3.8. This is one of the things that I think I will have the most difficulty dealing with as a college professor. Knowing just how to grade. I personally take good english usage seriously, but this class has taught me that that isn't necessarily so important as getting your ideas across. Although a paper with mediocre punctuation and grammar doesn't deserve a full 4.0, it certainly shouldn't be condemned to the depths of the 1s and 2s should it? Regardless, I think this job has obvious benefits, helping me to understand the ins and outs of writings so that my first year of teaching or TAing won't be hell for the students and the papers I check.
Satellite Observations
Satellite Observations (The Library)
The library is not too far removed from Bessey Hall. That is to say, I don't think that there is a large difference between the clients in the two places. However, I noticed significantly less ESL students at the library than are normally seen at Bessey Hall. However, I was only there once so that might be more of a fluke than an actual truism. It seemed a little bit more hectic there than at Bessey, however. Many students have yet to come to terms with the new policy of allowing only appointmetns rather than walk ins. Those students who go to Bessey Hall seem to have a better understanding (in some cases, certainly not all) of what it is we do at the writing center. Clients at the library seem to expect quicker fixes which often translates to last minute revisions. Again, we get this at Bessey as well but it seemed more pronounce this time I was the library, probably becuase this was around midterm time.
I am not certain how I feel about the half hour sessions. There are many times where I have consulted clients myself, when this would have been enough time. Other times I've had clients that sign up for an hour but actually require much more help. The problem is, I think, that it is often difficult to be certain exactly how much time you require. I know that I myself would have a problem with this if I were to make an appointment. It is a difficult choice to make. Making the sessions an hour long would guarantee that those who sign up will get all the help they need, but that may leave a lot of time left over if they finish quickly, creating wasted space on the schedule that can't be filled because walk ins aren't allowed.
Satellite Observations (BACC)
I don't have too much to say about this satellite. I will say, though, that I definitely feel out of place in the business college. Everyone there is an a-type personality and, though I personally do have ambitions of my own, am most certainly a b-type. Generally speaking, the better arts and letters student you are, the more disheveled your clothes and the more messed up your hair. Everyone in this building is running around with suits and having important conversations. I definitely do not have that same sense of time urgency.
Again, like the library, I saw less ESL students here compared to Bessey. Again, this could simply be a fluke. I honestly noticed no serious difference from Bessey here, except the subject matter of the papers really.
Blog Post
These observations demonstrate the issue that has suprised me the most after taking this class. That is, ESL students. When I signed up for this class to work in the writing center, I did not consider for a second that I'd have to help ESL students. Even if I had considered that, I would not have thought that it is such an important issue. I might even say that it is the most important issue of the course, which makes senes considering 70% of our clients are ESL (supposedly, it isn't this case in my personal experience, I'm more like 50%, but I think it was Dianna who made that general estimate over the entire writing center).
I expected the class to be more focused on the sorts of things that are discussed in "The Bedford Guide for Writing Tutors." Things like different types of writers and different ways to approach consulting them. We did spend time on this, I just expected this course to be only about things like that. Ultimately I think it was important for us to spend so much time on ESL students, after all, they do make up a high percentage of our workload.
The library is not too far removed from Bessey Hall. That is to say, I don't think that there is a large difference between the clients in the two places. However, I noticed significantly less ESL students at the library than are normally seen at Bessey Hall. However, I was only there once so that might be more of a fluke than an actual truism. It seemed a little bit more hectic there than at Bessey, however. Many students have yet to come to terms with the new policy of allowing only appointmetns rather than walk ins. Those students who go to Bessey Hall seem to have a better understanding (in some cases, certainly not all) of what it is we do at the writing center. Clients at the library seem to expect quicker fixes which often translates to last minute revisions. Again, we get this at Bessey as well but it seemed more pronounce this time I was the library, probably becuase this was around midterm time.
I am not certain how I feel about the half hour sessions. There are many times where I have consulted clients myself, when this would have been enough time. Other times I've had clients that sign up for an hour but actually require much more help. The problem is, I think, that it is often difficult to be certain exactly how much time you require. I know that I myself would have a problem with this if I were to make an appointment. It is a difficult choice to make. Making the sessions an hour long would guarantee that those who sign up will get all the help they need, but that may leave a lot of time left over if they finish quickly, creating wasted space on the schedule that can't be filled because walk ins aren't allowed.
Satellite Observations (BACC)
I don't have too much to say about this satellite. I will say, though, that I definitely feel out of place in the business college. Everyone there is an a-type personality and, though I personally do have ambitions of my own, am most certainly a b-type. Generally speaking, the better arts and letters student you are, the more disheveled your clothes and the more messed up your hair. Everyone in this building is running around with suits and having important conversations. I definitely do not have that same sense of time urgency.
Again, like the library, I saw less ESL students here compared to Bessey. Again, this could simply be a fluke. I honestly noticed no serious difference from Bessey here, except the subject matter of the papers really.
Blog Post
These observations demonstrate the issue that has suprised me the most after taking this class. That is, ESL students. When I signed up for this class to work in the writing center, I did not consider for a second that I'd have to help ESL students. Even if I had considered that, I would not have thought that it is such an important issue. I might even say that it is the most important issue of the course, which makes senes considering 70% of our clients are ESL (supposedly, it isn't this case in my personal experience, I'm more like 50%, but I think it was Dianna who made that general estimate over the entire writing center).
I expected the class to be more focused on the sorts of things that are discussed in "The Bedford Guide for Writing Tutors." Things like different types of writers and different ways to approach consulting them. We did spend time on this, I just expected this course to be only about things like that. Ultimately I think it was important for us to spend so much time on ESL students, after all, they do make up a high percentage of our workload.
HEY TEAM!!!!
Well we are almost there...
My final project... aka blog post #10?
Well for my final project I have been conducting research for how to better cater to the Professional Writing program. When I first envisioned this project, I was going to be creating a resource for PW students to come to and find out how to format and write in different genres.(e.g. press releases, resumes, business letters... etc). But first I needed to find out if that's what PWers really wanted! And they failed me... jk, but when I made and distributed my first survey the results indicated something other than what I wanted to do, or thought I would do. The research indicated that students would much rather have help with portfolios and websites... and when they say portfolios I bet they mean, online portfolios. So now I had to figure out what they meant by websites. So I had to start writing another survery... while writing the survey I had the feelign that this might not work, entirely. So inaddtion to the survery, I will be having a few interviews and focus groups with students. I also plan to continue this research next semester as I am currently writing my proposal to present at the ECWCA confrence next semester... Welp.. you guys will hear more about in class.
Blog Post 11
I decied that titles are no longer needed because my brain is fried, but this blog post is me thinking about how to advertise the WC. I think the biggest sitgma against the Writing Center is the idea that bad writers come to the writing center because they need help. Now, we know that this isn't true, great writers can benifet from the center, but how do we get them here? This question is a big one. One way that I have started working on is a specifc marketing campaign for a specfic department. Basicly, I am making a handout for the PW major to handout to all the classes next semester. Now, I am picking the PW program because, its my major and I think I know how to talk to them. I think by marketing to a specifc majors needs, we can start to see more diverse clients, which will lead to happier consultants. Because variety is the spice of life!
My final project... aka blog post #10?
Well for my final project I have been conducting research for how to better cater to the Professional Writing program. When I first envisioned this project, I was going to be creating a resource for PW students to come to and find out how to format and write in different genres.(e.g. press releases, resumes, business letters... etc). But first I needed to find out if that's what PWers really wanted! And they failed me... jk, but when I made and distributed my first survey the results indicated something other than what I wanted to do, or thought I would do. The research indicated that students would much rather have help with portfolios and websites... and when they say portfolios I bet they mean, online portfolios. So now I had to figure out what they meant by websites. So I had to start writing another survery... while writing the survey I had the feelign that this might not work, entirely. So inaddtion to the survery, I will be having a few interviews and focus groups with students. I also plan to continue this research next semester as I am currently writing my proposal to present at the ECWCA confrence next semester... Welp.. you guys will hear more about in class.
Blog Post 11
I decied that titles are no longer needed because my brain is fried, but this blog post is me thinking about how to advertise the WC. I think the biggest sitgma against the Writing Center is the idea that bad writers come to the writing center because they need help. Now, we know that this isn't true, great writers can benifet from the center, but how do we get them here? This question is a big one. One way that I have started working on is a specifc marketing campaign for a specfic department. Basicly, I am making a handout for the PW major to handout to all the classes next semester. Now, I am picking the PW program because, its my major and I think I know how to talk to them. I think by marketing to a specifc majors needs, we can start to see more diverse clients, which will lead to happier consultants. Because variety is the spice of life!
Writing Center Faves
In terms of places to work, I prefer the library, Bessey, and the BCC. Well, mostly Bessey. But I like them all for different reasons. For anyone who has ever watched The Fabulous Life of... (I think its on E!) then you might particularly appreciate this blog post. Imagine it's in that British guy's voice too!
The BCC
The BCC satellite is located in the heart of the Business College Complex. Unlike all the other satellites, this one has plush carpet, overstuffed chairs with metallic pull out desks, and a gigantic big screen TV. And I mean gigantic - If I tried to steal this TV, not only would the high tech security system stop me, but if I tried to put it in my dorm room, it wouldn't happen. I couldn't even fit it in the door. The color scheme is in an EXCLUSIVE green and black, with what else? Wood paneling. Nothing is too ritzy for this place. Even the metallic modern clock in the corner tells the time when it wants to.
And the clientele are A-list exclusive as well. Not in the Business College? We don't really want you here.
Consultants who work in the BCC love the aura and atmosphere the place gives off. They can relax, take the day off, and soak up that extra time in missed sessions (just kidding, Trixie). But really.
Bessey
Located in scenic Earnst Bessey Hall, the main and original Writing Center of Michigan State University gives off a professional, chic vibe. And why shouldn't it? The renovations alone cost nearly $20,000 (I made this number up). There are not one, not two, but THREE bookcases that contain all the information a consultant might need. Need a computer? Pull up a chair, they've got a whole computer lab full in here.
For your next big event, Bessey has a huge projection screen set in an exclusively private room. Each guest even has their own power source.
The Bessey hall location exudes professionalism. Set on top of a building dedicated exclusively to language acquisition and practice, the third floor boasts the best view in the area.
Not only does Bessey have a highly coveted Smart Board, a technological item that's nearly impossible to find anywhere else on campus, it's also home to the biggest Writing Center names you can imagine. A-listers such as Trixie Smith, better known as Your Boss, have established offices in and own property on the Third floor.
Okay, enough of the Fabulous Life of... Maybe I'll add more later :)
I agree with Jen when she says that the Bessey hall location facilitates conversation better. I like both of these locations equally because they both facilitate meaningful conversations. The atmosphere is comfortable and laid-back.
The library, in contrast, is great for when you feel totally efficient and you just want to get things done... fast. It's harder to hear, which greatly inhibits conversation, but you can still make a connection with the client.
The BCC
The BCC satellite is located in the heart of the Business College Complex. Unlike all the other satellites, this one has plush carpet, overstuffed chairs with metallic pull out desks, and a gigantic big screen TV. And I mean gigantic - If I tried to steal this TV, not only would the high tech security system stop me, but if I tried to put it in my dorm room, it wouldn't happen. I couldn't even fit it in the door. The color scheme is in an EXCLUSIVE green and black, with what else? Wood paneling. Nothing is too ritzy for this place. Even the metallic modern clock in the corner tells the time when it wants to.
And the clientele are A-list exclusive as well. Not in the Business College? We don't really want you here.
Consultants who work in the BCC love the aura and atmosphere the place gives off. They can relax, take the day off, and soak up that extra time in missed sessions (just kidding, Trixie). But really.
Bessey
Located in scenic Earnst Bessey Hall, the main and original Writing Center of Michigan State University gives off a professional, chic vibe. And why shouldn't it? The renovations alone cost nearly $20,000 (I made this number up). There are not one, not two, but THREE bookcases that contain all the information a consultant might need. Need a computer? Pull up a chair, they've got a whole computer lab full in here.
For your next big event, Bessey has a huge projection screen set in an exclusively private room. Each guest even has their own power source.
The Bessey hall location exudes professionalism. Set on top of a building dedicated exclusively to language acquisition and practice, the third floor boasts the best view in the area.
Not only does Bessey have a highly coveted Smart Board, a technological item that's nearly impossible to find anywhere else on campus, it's also home to the biggest Writing Center names you can imagine. A-listers such as Trixie Smith, better known as Your Boss, have established offices in and own property on the Third floor.
Okay, enough of the Fabulous Life of... Maybe I'll add more later :)
I agree with Jen when she says that the Bessey hall location facilitates conversation better. I like both of these locations equally because they both facilitate meaningful conversations. The atmosphere is comfortable and laid-back.
The library, in contrast, is great for when you feel totally efficient and you just want to get things done... fast. It's harder to hear, which greatly inhibits conversation, but you can still make a connection with the client.
My Final Project
I can't decide if my final project has really captured what I wanted to say about Kaplan and his research. After showing the project to the class, and after they expressed interest in the different types of writing Kaplan had drawn, I decided to utilize Kaplan's drawings to create broader, more generalized categories and then be able to use those in the Writing Center. This would help to explain some clients/students' logical processes without excluding them to a certain category because of their background. Anyway, many studies had found these categories to be incorrect.
I found a lot of information for and against contrastive rhetoric, so I didn't really know which way to go. I ended up taking the idea of contrastive rhetoric mostly out of the tips for consultations area of my brochure, which, by the way, I spent about 2 hours just fixing the visual components on! It was such a pain, and I still am not satisfied with it's "final" brochure-ness. If we end up making copies and using it in the Writing Center, I would want to add color, or put it on high-gloss paper, or something. But for what is now, I think it's quite a cute, little informative piece.
Oh, I also tried to make it a bit entertaining, just to keep the consultants' interest. We have to read and absorb a lot of information in this class, so I wanted to make sure they would enjoy learning about Kaplan's doodles as much as I enjoyed learning about them.
I found a lot of information for and against contrastive rhetoric, so I didn't really know which way to go. I ended up taking the idea of contrastive rhetoric mostly out of the tips for consultations area of my brochure, which, by the way, I spent about 2 hours just fixing the visual components on! It was such a pain, and I still am not satisfied with it's "final" brochure-ness. If we end up making copies and using it in the Writing Center, I would want to add color, or put it on high-gloss paper, or something. But for what is now, I think it's quite a cute, little informative piece.
Oh, I also tried to make it a bit entertaining, just to keep the consultants' interest. We have to read and absorb a lot of information in this class, so I wanted to make sure they would enjoy learning about Kaplan's doodles as much as I enjoyed learning about them.
Forgotten Posts
Blog Post
I'm really cutting it close here. In order to see how many posts I needed to do, I had to look back at all the posts throughout the year. I wrote some interesting things back in the day. Oddly enough I think I still agree with many of the things I said back then, which is not generally the case with most people looking back on old writing. In the introduction to A Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, he explains something about how he was prompted to perhaps edit the novel in this new edition, but he decided not to. He wrote that the man who wrote that book is a much different man from the man he is today. Maybe it will take longer for me to notice any kind of difference in myself when it comes to the writing center.
Third Party Observer #3
This sessions was the one that first disillusioned me. The phrase "we make better writers not better papers" was difficult to reconcile with this session helping an ESL student. The consultant took a direct authoritative approach here. I've always been a defender of a strong approach like this, but this was a bit stronger than usual. The student's assignment was to write their teaching philosophy, one strange aspect of this was that it had to be hand written on a single page of paper, I think this was a misunderstanding on the student's part, but I'll never know. Regardless, we spent the entire hour session working on this one single page.
Third Party Observer #4
This is a rare session to see. This was a session where an ESL student was the client, but it was not necessary to take an authoritative approach here. At each point in this students paper, the consultant asked the client "what do you mean by this?" or "what are you trying to say here?" Generally the client could think of something else to say, or a better way to put it. If he couldn't, then the consultant would suggest possible things to put, but always gave the client a choice and never actually forced him to put anything in particular.
Primary Consultant #3
This session was one of those rare sessions that are completely satisfying and seem to make all of the bad sessions that day worth it. This young woman came in with a paper for Lyman Briggs and began by saying "Kind of nerdy I know!" Apparently she didn't stop to consider where she was, in a room with a bunch of writing nerds. It is a great feeling to be able to say "You're a fine writer" to someone. She had all the work done for me, it was a paper about the pros and cons of genetically modified crops, each point was highlighted in a different color, red for pro, blue for con, or maybe the other way around. What she wanted help with was how to arrange her points, so it was easy work to figure out what each one was, make a list, and talk about what the best way to arrange them would be.
Primary Consultant #4
This was one of the most difficult sessions I've ever had. This student came completely unprepared for the session. He had his rough paper printed out but didn't have the assignment sheet. Normally that isn't a big deal, but he couldn't explain to me just what the assignment was. When he gave me a brief explanation, I understood because I've dealt with other people from the class before, and though not on this particular assignment, I knew what he meant when he said that it had to be about "cultural artifacts." It was even more difficult when he explained the three cultural artifacts that he chose for the paper. The first was cell phones, which made perfect sense for the assignment. The next wasn't a very good pick, with only a vague connection to the idea, but still a fair bit could be written on the subject. The third was awful and made no sense at all, but it was difficult to express this to him because it wass his paper, not mine. Ultimately we got through what little there was he wanted to work on, and he left.
Primary Consultant #5
This session was very similar to the one I just wrote about. What made it different was that the client needed help with something that I personally find quite bothersome. He wanted help with citation, specifically APA. The thing that bothers me about this sort of session is that I think it is ultimately a waste of time. Citation should be taught early on once, maybe a class spent on it, and then that is that. The same is true, I think, for other citation style. If they are even given any attention in class at all. What bothers me is that clients like this don't even seem to try. None of them come in having done any work on it at all, and they ask for help on it. Almost always they have a guide book with then, and so I spend 10 minutes basically opening the guidebook and doing things for them that they could easily do themselves.
Blog Entry
After writing about all these sessions I've had. I think the most important point I make is the one I made in my third primary consultant post. This isn't always easy, sometimes clients cancel and we have the opprotunity to just laze about drinking coffee and talking about random things with eachother. Other times nobody cancels and you're up to your eyeballs in consulting work for 4 hours straight. In either case, having just one good session makes either situation worth it. Having one session with a good writer whom you help tremendously makes that day worthwhile, and maybe even the entire week.
I'm really cutting it close here. In order to see how many posts I needed to do, I had to look back at all the posts throughout the year. I wrote some interesting things back in the day. Oddly enough I think I still agree with many of the things I said back then, which is not generally the case with most people looking back on old writing. In the introduction to A Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, he explains something about how he was prompted to perhaps edit the novel in this new edition, but he decided not to. He wrote that the man who wrote that book is a much different man from the man he is today. Maybe it will take longer for me to notice any kind of difference in myself when it comes to the writing center.
Third Party Observer #3
This sessions was the one that first disillusioned me. The phrase "we make better writers not better papers" was difficult to reconcile with this session helping an ESL student. The consultant took a direct authoritative approach here. I've always been a defender of a strong approach like this, but this was a bit stronger than usual. The student's assignment was to write their teaching philosophy, one strange aspect of this was that it had to be hand written on a single page of paper, I think this was a misunderstanding on the student's part, but I'll never know. Regardless, we spent the entire hour session working on this one single page.
Third Party Observer #4
This is a rare session to see. This was a session where an ESL student was the client, but it was not necessary to take an authoritative approach here. At each point in this students paper, the consultant asked the client "what do you mean by this?" or "what are you trying to say here?" Generally the client could think of something else to say, or a better way to put it. If he couldn't, then the consultant would suggest possible things to put, but always gave the client a choice and never actually forced him to put anything in particular.
Primary Consultant #3
This session was one of those rare sessions that are completely satisfying and seem to make all of the bad sessions that day worth it. This young woman came in with a paper for Lyman Briggs and began by saying "Kind of nerdy I know!" Apparently she didn't stop to consider where she was, in a room with a bunch of writing nerds. It is a great feeling to be able to say "You're a fine writer" to someone. She had all the work done for me, it was a paper about the pros and cons of genetically modified crops, each point was highlighted in a different color, red for pro, blue for con, or maybe the other way around. What she wanted help with was how to arrange her points, so it was easy work to figure out what each one was, make a list, and talk about what the best way to arrange them would be.
Primary Consultant #4
This was one of the most difficult sessions I've ever had. This student came completely unprepared for the session. He had his rough paper printed out but didn't have the assignment sheet. Normally that isn't a big deal, but he couldn't explain to me just what the assignment was. When he gave me a brief explanation, I understood because I've dealt with other people from the class before, and though not on this particular assignment, I knew what he meant when he said that it had to be about "cultural artifacts." It was even more difficult when he explained the three cultural artifacts that he chose for the paper. The first was cell phones, which made perfect sense for the assignment. The next wasn't a very good pick, with only a vague connection to the idea, but still a fair bit could be written on the subject. The third was awful and made no sense at all, but it was difficult to express this to him because it wass his paper, not mine. Ultimately we got through what little there was he wanted to work on, and he left.
Primary Consultant #5
This session was very similar to the one I just wrote about. What made it different was that the client needed help with something that I personally find quite bothersome. He wanted help with citation, specifically APA. The thing that bothers me about this sort of session is that I think it is ultimately a waste of time. Citation should be taught early on once, maybe a class spent on it, and then that is that. The same is true, I think, for other citation style. If they are even given any attention in class at all. What bothers me is that clients like this don't even seem to try. None of them come in having done any work on it at all, and they ask for help on it. Almost always they have a guide book with then, and so I spend 10 minutes basically opening the guidebook and doing things for them that they could easily do themselves.
Blog Entry
After writing about all these sessions I've had. I think the most important point I make is the one I made in my third primary consultant post. This isn't always easy, sometimes clients cancel and we have the opprotunity to just laze about drinking coffee and talking about random things with eachother. Other times nobody cancels and you're up to your eyeballs in consulting work for 4 hours straight. In either case, having just one good session makes either situation worth it. Having one session with a good writer whom you help tremendously makes that day worthwhile, and maybe even the entire week.
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