Satellite Observation(s)

I observed a few sessions at the library a week and a half ago, and I also led three sessions in the same day (this post will focus on the former).

The library is a different world from Bessey Hall. Not just the needs and writing process stages of the clients but also the atmosphere—there's anxiety, there's tension, and there's a looming deadline slowly crushing souls and Word docs.

These fears are made evident in the high-strung behaviors of clients, who need to outline at least an idea or a place to start with their paper or project. The enormity of the library and the workload it implies seems to almost suffocate some students, who can't even locate a starting point in an assignment. The consultants I observed helped with strategy, optimism, and a calming exterior. Although these characteristics are important in any writing center environment, the satellite of the library is even more important of a place to exude these traits. Prompting questions — a less directive approach — guided the session toward a favorable endpoint, and it seemed success was measured in whether or not a solid direction was established and partially developed. I believed this to be a significant strength in the library consultants; even if the client had finished a paper and just needed polishing, there was always some kind of urgency or deadline. Tackling HOCs was, as the acronym implies, the number-one priority.

I soaked in these skills as much as possible and hopefully demonstrated them in my own sessions. I reveled in the practically palpable energy of this writing center satellite — I liked the people coming and going, I liked the fluidity of a paper and how it or its direction could change in an instant. Everything was malleable, everything was subject to discussion and revision, and desperation almost always seemed to transform to hope. I probably sound like a fiction writer right now, but that's how I interpret the scenarios retrospectively. I would break down each consultant's specific techniques, but 30 minutes only allows for so much of the consultant's ways to shine through. The tendencies I described were shared among them, and it seemed logical to discuss them as a whole.

I like the library.

3B Video Exercises (weekly post)

The tutoring videos exhibited a fairly broad range of body language and consultant-client positioning during sessions. Video 2 in particular was a clear over-embellishment of what NOT to do as a tutor in a session. So, I've compiled a list addressing the dos and don'ts of a client's and a consultant's body language based on these delicious videos. Brief notes: I enjoyed the title of video 3, as well as the consultant's reading selection post-session.

Consultants:

DO maintain appropriate and proper eye contact the entire time.

DO greet the client and introduce yourself with a firm handshake and a smile.

DON'T furrow your brow constantly, especially while looking directly at the client.

DON'T make weird negative hand motions, like you're cutting something off, or shaking your head deliberately, like you're lecturing a petulant child.

DO maintain your distance. Give the client plenty of working space, as well as personal space. The cubicle in video 3, for example, seemed a bit crowded/cramped for my liking.

DO present a positive demeanor, and be prepared. Seeming visually or otherwise downtrodden or negative will only convey to the client that you either don't want to be there or don't place a lot of important on the paper/session.

DON'T start rewriting everything for the client. I think that's what was being demonstrated in video 3, contrasted with very light sketches from the HP consultant, but if you are taking that directive of an approach, it's no surprise if the client becomes distanced and unengaged with what you're doing and with what's happening in the session.

DO be respectful.

Clients:

DON'T be eating something as you're entering the center/introducing yourself. It's kind of gross and really unprofessional.

DON'T look all around and here and there. It tells the consultant you're not paying attention to the session and therefore wasting both your and his/her time.

DO be organized. Come with at least one printed out copy of your paper/project (preferably two). When you bring it in with a slew of other papers, on a laptop without printing capabilities, or a handwritten version, you're preventing optimal consulting and feedback.

DO turn off your cell phone. This applies to consultants, as well, but was made evident in the second video. It's bad enough if the ring interrupts the session; it's even 10 times worse if you answer it.

DO be engaged. This consultant is here to help you, and you alone; if you treat it as another teacher giving you "crap" about a paper, you are, once again, wasting the time of both of you.

DO be respectful. Video 2, once again, demonstrated an acute lack of respect for the consultant. Not cool.