She helps me, She helps me not

As a student, the question, “whom do we write for?” becomes a very difficult one to answer. Although in theory, I would like to think I write for myself, to push myself to really explore new ideas and present my ideas in an interesting way, the reality is that most of the times I, like most students, adapt my writing to suit the needs, preferences and requirements of my teachers. Although part of me wonders if this is how it should really be, I have come to accept it as part of our learning system. With that said, however, the question of whom are we serving as Writing Consultants, also seems to come into question a times as the article, “In Defense of Conference Summaries: Widening the Reach of Writing Center Work” by Jane Cogie suggests.

In my mind, the purpose of the writing center is to best serve the student by providing a safe space where they can receive judgment free assistance with their writing. Although teachers may argue otherwise, most students feel that in order to go talk to their professors about a particular draft, their paper must be in a state where it could potentially be turned in if need be. This means that students must be able to write their papers many days in advance and already be confident in their ideas and arguments. Overall, students tend to respect their professors enough that they are afraid of embarrassing themselves by presenting a draft that has any known weakness. Therefore, the student who is unsure of what they are doing, embarrassed about struggling or who has just written the paper a few days before it is due, feels that they cannot go to their teachers for help with their writing ahead of time. The honest truth is that the majority of us are that type of student. As a result, I think it is important that the writing center be an outlet for students who which to improve their writing without any harsh criticism, judgment or even pressure, where they can actually improve their papers before they present them to their teachers. With that said however, the concept of “Teacher Response” sheets makes me question whether or not we are in fact always serving the student. In her article, Cogie explains, “Comments by two of the study's respondents indeed reflect the stereotype of writing center tutor as subservient to the teacher. One of these instructors stated that the most useful aspect of the summaries was that they allowed her ‘to evaluate if I felt the best use of the tutor's time was being made.’” The professor that Cogie highlights seems to not only feel that the tutor is serving her needs specifically, but that she personally has the full right to evaluate the effectiveness and the purpose of the tutor. Cogie then takes this one step further, highlighting how another professor states, “"it was very helpful to know that my specific suggestions for improvement were being addressed."” This other professor pushes the relationship between him or herself and the tutor so far as to almost state that the role of the tutor is to reinforce the teacher’s own particular views of writing and that the position of the tutor is such that they should just be reminding the student to actually do what the teacher has told them. Although theoretically, these teachers want the same thing that the tutors’ want, to help the student improve their writing, it seems that the presence of this type of relationship between tutor and teacher could potentially change the student’s reaction to the writing center. As a student, if I felt that by going to my writing center, I would only gain a better understanding of the changes my teacher wished me to make, not improve overall as a writer, than writing to me would become merely a game. As a result, a writing center would no longer represent a place where I could participate in a process through which I could constantly work to express my ideas and myself.