Spring2010 13

Praxis: A Writing Center Journal (20032011) Sections Focus Columns and Reviews Consulting Training News & Announcements

Home » Archives » Spring 2010 (Volume 7 Issue 2) Professionalization and the Writing Center, Part II

Consultant Spotlight Spring 2010 / Consulting

Praxis interviews Orlando Dos Reis, an English and communication major and a writing coach at Virginia Tech

Archives Browse past issues of Praxis

About Us About Us

Submissions Submit an article to Praxis

Orlando Dos Reis Name: Orlando Dos Reis Age: 21 Writing center: Virginia Tech Size of school: 30,000 Year in school and area of study: Senior majoring in English and communication Number of years working in writing centers: 2 Job title: Writing Coach Describe the work you do in the writing center: As a writing center coach, I meet with students and help them with whatever paper or project they may have. I have also helped to develop a writing center at the local high school.

Describe the training you’ve participated in: I took a course in writing center theory and practice in the fall of 2008 and have worked in the writing center since then. I’m very interested in composition theory and developing new ideas to utilize in the classroom and writing center–especially with ELL students.

How do you normally start a consultation? I make an effort to find something in common with students so they become more comfortable. I

encourage them to read their work aloud and explain why it is so important that they do so; regardless of what I advise them to do during the consultation, I always explain why.

Describe your consulting style: I have a very casual and familiar style. I recognize that I have a certain authority during a session, but I always remind clients that I am merely a peer, and that I am there to provide another perspective: I am not an expert.

My favorite kind of consultation is . . . I often have students who have convinced themselves that they are poor writers and can never come up with a decent topic. It’s always rewarding when I can help them develop their ideas more fully and alleviate some of their stress.

My greatest strength as a consultant is . . . I look for different perspectives when reading students’ papers with them. For instance, if the paper is argumentative, I am never afraid to play devil’s advocate. Sometimes this means the student might have to go back and revise their paper, but I like to think it will make for a stronger argument.

My greatest weakness is . . . The less I know about a student’s topic (like an engineering paper), the more prone I am to be aware of my limitations as a reader. In these cases, the student has much more authority on the subject than I do, so most of the content is his/her judgment call. But this reticence has taught me to pull back from overstepping boundaries in other conferences as well, such as when working with a student in a subject that is more familiar to me.

What I like about working in a writing center is . . . It lets me work oneon-one with students to build valuable education experience. As a peer, I can relate to other students–what assignments they respond to well, the ones they don’t, and why–and I can take all of this with me when I become a teacher.

What I don’t like is . . . When teachers force their students to come to the writing center before submitting a paper. In some cases the students benefit more than they expected and continue to use the writing center as a resource; mostly, however, the students tend to be very passive and indifferent during the session, as if it were a punishment.

My oddest consultation was . . . I had to help a French student with a personal narrative, and she handed me a red pen so I would fix all of her mistakes for her. Luckily for her I speak French, so much of the session was spent developing her ideas–she spoke to me in French, I responded in English– and we actually didn’t focus on the paper. She had been thinking about the paper in English, which was very difficult for her because she obviously had limited experience with the language.

What advice would you give to beginning consultants? Learn another language, or at least draw from prior language learning experiences. Needless to say, many appointments will be with ELL students, and understanding how they feel in a completely new and different environment can go a long way during the session.

What kind of writing do you do? Much of my writing is creative since that is my focus, but in the past year I have done a lot of research-based writing. I’m looking to combine the two in some way.

How has working in a writing center affected the way you write? It has made me much more conscious of what I write versus what I actually mean.

After working here, I noticed I started looking for things like tone and clarity much more.

How has working in a writing center helped your professional development? It has certainly played a role in helping me decide to go into teaching. I would like to become a professor someday, so I value the experience of being able to help students on their writing projects. Working in the writing center has made me very interested in the disconnect between high school and college level writing, and why so many incoming freshmen struggle with writing. This disconnect will be something I research in the future.

What else do you want to tell us about yourself? I presented a paper titled “Harry Potter and the Transition from Childhood to Young Adulthood” at the 2009 Midwest Popular Culture Association conference, and I was also part of a panel, “I Have Used All My English Words,” at the 2009 NCPTW conference. I am hoping to participate in two additional conferences this year, as well as return to the NCPTW conference in Fall 2010. ‹ CFP: Fall 2010 Issue of Praxis

up

Praxis is a project of the Undergraduate Writing Center at the University of Texas at Austin Editor login

Featured Center: Noel Studio for Academic Creativity ›