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Ken, a visibly nervous first-year student, hesitantly stepped into our writing center one November afternoon with a paper on nepotism. I noticed that he approached me much like Dorothy came to the Wizard of Oz in the classic film, minus the ruby slippers and the blue checkered getup, of course-- slowly, politely, as if attempting to dodge my inevitable yelling. Like most first-time tutees, Ken probably expected a swarm of draconian English majors to douse his paper in red ink and promptly rip it to shreds before his eyes. It was up to me to let Ken know that, most unfortunately for me, I was not the great and all-knowledgeable Wizard.
In fact, in the writing center I relate more to the Scarecrow, full of stuffing and in desperate need of a brain. I will be the first to admit that before my session with Ken, my knowledge of nepotism in Asian politics was limited, and it still is. Many writing tutors, like me, probably wish that they could develop expertise in a range of subjects, a writing-center-omniscience, in order to assist their tutees more effectively. But, as with Ken, I often find in my tutoring sessions that it is precisely my lack of knowledge about a tutee’s subject that allows the tutorial to remain what it should be: a peer-to-peer discourse. A tutor must establish him or herself as a fellow learner, a fellow Dorothy on the yellow brick road of the writing process, in order to let the tutee feel empowered. Within the context of their classroom learning, tutees alreadyhave professors who hold the position of power and the extensive knowledge of the subject material. What they need are tutors who are more like Dorothy’s friends: Scarecrows, Tin Men, Lions, or even Totos who are “scholastic catalysts, support systems, and friends,” (Webster).
How can we as tutors ditch the authoritarian, Wizard of Oz image and reinforce our role as a fellow learner? It’s simple: learn to learn from a tutee, and be free from the perfectionist pressure of attaining writing-tutor-omniscience! Appreciating the paper as an informative text in addition to a work-in-progress helps the tutee to know that his or her work is valuable and the knowledge appreciated. Learning to see beyond the errors of the paper and to learn from the text itself empowers the tutee, who automatically gains some authority because he or she shared information. Asking questions regarding the material – showing an interest in the subject – often leads tutees to enthusiastically elaborate on their writing, and perhaps even accidentally make helpful amendments to their papers. A tutorial should be an exchange of knowledge between peers: a tutor shares writing tips, and a tutee shares his or her subject.
Sure, sometimes wecan utilize our “wizardry” and momentarily take the reins of the tutorial. It may be necessary to relay our knowledge in comma placement or subject-verb agreement when appropriate, but sometimes we must also acknowledge that perhaps we don’t know anything about Chicago style. These instances, in which we become learners even of our own alleged subject of expertise, are perhaps even more valuable in establishing a peer-to-peer tutoring relationship. Taking these opportunities to admit, “Hmmm… I don’t know” and to reach for a manual reassures our tutees that learning to write is a lengthy and continuous process, one which is never fully mastered.
A writing center is not Oz; we as tutors do not need to stand behind curtains and bark nonsense about our all-knowingness. I find it refreshingly liberating to know that tutors do not need to know everything in order to conduct a successful tutorial. I know that it is not in my personal capacity to attain the writing-center omniscience. I am still on the yellow-brick-road myself, after all.
Works Cited:
Webster, Travis. "Whose Lesson Is It Anyway?" The Dangling Modifier. Fall 2003. Pennsylvania State University. 6th Dec. 2008 <http://www.ulc.psu.edu/dangling_modifier/articles/oldarticles/fall- 2003_web- whose_lesson.htm>.