Written by Benjamin Fouché
I’ve had the pleasure of working
as a writing consultant for the Athens State University Writing Center for 1 ½
years. Although I am by no means a
veteran, I’m surprised by how much I’ve learned in a relatively brief period of
time. Students from many different walks
of life will come to us for help.
Sometimes their predicaments are rather simple. But other times their problems can prove to
be exceedingly challenging. The most
important lesson I have learned from all of this is that not all students
should be approached the same. Of
course, you might be wondering what I mean by this. After all, aren’t we supposed to treat all students
equally?
While it goes without saying
that we are expected to treat all students with the utmost respect, there are
many observations I have made while working with various students. Furthermore, I believe that my observations
(and evaluations thereof) are worth sharing—especially with newer writing
consultants who have only recently started working in a writing center. Through examining them, I hope to shed light
on a much deeper issue.
To begin, I strongly believe
that the way in which students are approached ought to be different—with
specialized attention and careful scrutiny for each one. Therefore, in order to effectively work with
students, writing consultants must approach them adaptively and delicately.
Many students whom I have
worked with in the past have shared similar behavioral patterns—and three
specific ones seem to most commonly transpire.
I have consequently divided these into three distinct categories: 1) defensive, 2) apologetic, and 3) shy. Sometimes there is overlap between these
traits, but a great deal of the time I am able to detect which one is most
prevalent in a student. In order to
understand them, I will explain each one.
As the name implies, defensive students can be sensitive when
it comes to their work. They may even
come across as aggressive or rude to some writing consultants. Quite often, anything said that may be even
remotely construed as critical will quickly be shunned or explained away by the
student. These are not always the
easiest students to work with—especially since even pointing out something as
minor as a typographical error can set them off.
On the opposite end of the
spectrum is what I call the apologetic
student. Rather than incessantly lashing
out, they are almost always apologizing and talking negatively about themselves
whenever a mistake comes up in their work.
Sometimes before you can even say or read anything further, they will
evaluate and criticize their own writing—constantly interrupting the flow of
the session.
But the most tragic and
indecipherable of these three categories is the shy student. Unlike the two
previous students with these traits, this one is almost always silent. He or she enters the session saying very
little—unless prompted to do otherwise.
Their responses to your feedback will typically be minimal or merely
nods to acknowledge anything you say. It
isn’t always clear if these kinds of students are understanding anything you
explain to them—for even their facial expressions and body language can be
obstinate and uncertain.
Nevertheless, there are two common
elements behind all three of these traits: insecurity and self-doubt. This should really come as no surprise, for if
we are working with other human beings, we must anticipate them sometimes
bringing their own dread and anxiety. Thus,
the concern should be how we as writing consultants work with these types of
students, as well as how we can lessen their fears.
The first step to helping the
defensive, apologetic, and shy students is the conscious management of our own
disposition. That is to say, how do we
speak to them? And how does our body
language appear when they approach us?
Because contrary to popular belief, first impressions are of great
importance. If we remind these students
of the professors they find disagreeable or unpleasant, they are likely to
assume we are the same and put up a barrier.
However, if we can demonstrate that we are relaxed, friendly, and
unassuming, they may become easier to work with.
The second step is to show that
any mistake—no matter how significant—is not unique or a symptom of a
deficiency. Assure the students that you
have made such errors in the past—and perhaps even bring up stories through
which you may relate and laugh. By doing
this, the tension reduces substantially and the students becomes more
comfortable. Furthermore, this allows
you to gradually show them how to overcome the mistake and avoid similar ones
in the future.
The third step is to reinforce the notion that you are only there to help the students. When writing consultants establish that they are not formidable authorities who secretly report back to the student’s professor, they again help take down the barrier and begin building a more positive relationship.
Through these practices,
writing consultants can progressively determine the type of student with whom they
are dealing. I say ‘progressively’
because sometimes the process may take much longer. While there certainly exist students who will
make known their temperament within the first few minutes, it may not be
immediately apparent with others. That
is why it is imperative to deliberately evaluate the student within your mind
throughout the session. As it becomes
clearer, you will realize the specific needs of the student.
In addition to this, one of the
most invaluable abilities you will need as a writing consultant is sympathy and
the aptitude to read between the lines. As
I mentioned earlier, students come from all walks of life and there is no way
to know for certain what hardships and struggles they are currently
battling. And because this is something
that may not be visible on the surface, we must make sympathetic inferences from their insecurities and shortcomings.
For example, it is possible
that some defensive students act the way they do because—from an early age—they
had parents or teachers who always scolded them; as they grew older, they felt
like their choices had to always be explained and defended, for there was
always someone out there to be critical of them.
Likewise, apologetic students
may have had similar experiences growing up, or they could have had experiences
where someone was always blaming everything negative on them. As a result, they became passive and
fearful—believing everything bad must
be their fault.
Shy students could have endured
verbal abuse from family or teachers, or perhaps had difficulties with bullies. Hence, they are afraid everyone seeks to
belittle and destroy them—or they are even fearful of saying anything, lest someone
retaliates viciously.
Keep in mind, I am not
advocating writing consultants to become psychoanalysts; instead, I am
encouraging them to give others the benefit of the doubt. Patience and stoicism can go a long way when
working with uncooperative or disruptive students. Sometimes it may simply be a matter of
demonstrating that you are also a
student and have experienced the same hardships and challenges.
Subsequently, the student (if
they continue making appointments) will become more trusting and relaxed. Once your professional relationship with the
student has developed, they will become far easier to talk to and possibly far
more honest about their concerns. Once
the communication is straightforward and natural, you will beyond the shadow of
a doubt see positive change.
