Reflecting on this Semester

This weekend, I spent some time looking over everything we read this semester. I definitely think the exposure to all the contrasting views of the writing center and advising in general has helped me to gain confidence in my own advising abilities—I think there is always a certain benefit to learning from the actions of others rather than blindly jumping in and trying to make it on your own.

In a way, the great contrast in advising strategies we’ve seen through all of these articles concludes perfectly with Jeanne Simpson’s “Whose Idea Of A Writing Center Is This, Anyway?”. Instead of being taught one supposedly-superior advising method, we’ve been exposed to many and asked to conform to none. We haven’t been pressured into considering one inferior to another; on the contrary, we’ve been encouraged to see each of them from the perspective of the author. Quite similar to what Simpson states in her essay, this whole class seems to be structured around the concept that “[c]linging to a fixed idea of a writing center, whatever each of us thinks that idea is, shuts of opportunities.” Now, having examined many possible perspectives of the writing center, we are being given the opportunity to determine where we stand—whether that place is somewhere within them or outside of them. Still, I think we will all continue to benefit from this background knowledge of contrasting opinions. I know it has helped me to see the writing center and writing itself in many new ways, and I will carry all of those ideas with me into the center—even if I didn’t particularly agree with some of them, they’ll be in the back of my mind to constantly serve as a reminder that not all think as I do. More importantly, though, I think our exposure to the wide range of voices within writing center discourse could serve a much more general, yet highly significant purpose: to show us just how many different perspectives there may be on one certain situation, or how many different approaches there are to one certain task. As advisors, we’re exposed to the same sort of contrasting spectrum of ideas in our sessions with writers, and it is undeniably important for us to keep an open mind to those ideas. Our goal is not to enforce a completely identical writing style and thought process among all students, just as Dr. Mattison’s goal was not to get us all to follow one advising method. Instead, we must appreciate the value of the great range of ideas and approaches we will undoubtedly find throughout our time as advisors. Consciously making these connections between this class and our future work is probably not necessary for us to succeed as advisors, but doing so has made me see just how well this class has prepared us for what lies ahead.