National Writing Center Association (2000)

Charlotte Weiss Perlin, reviewer
Writing Center Director University of Miami

When I arrived at the Fifth Conference of the National Writing Center Association in Baltimore from November 2 through 4, 2000, I was looking to learn how to be a better WC administrator, tutor, and public relations specialist. I came home with plenty of information to enhance my performance as writing center director; I also brought back a real sense of gratitude for intelligent, enthusiastic presenters and an audience of participants for all of the sessions I attended.

But first, a small apology: I didn’t know that I would be reporting on the conference, so I have come away with some information that is too general and some that is without speakers’ names. Please forgive my not giving credit for many useful ideas.

I experienced one theme continuously throughout the conference, especially in the keynote address by Molly Wingate. In considering how to document the successes of our writing centers, Ms Wingate examined the role of writing centers in the education of the tutors themselves as one of the impressive side benefits of the work we do. She suggested gathering data and preparing charts and graphs to demonstrate the way that working in writing centers enhances the intellectual development of undergraduate tutors. For example, she suggested that their GPAs rise because of tutoring and that working in the writing center amplifies their leadership qualities.

I learned specific examples of ways to strengthen my administration skills in the area of tutor hiring and scheduling. One colleague announced her policy of “over hiring and under scheduling”; at the beginning of the semester, she hires more peer tutors than she needs but limits the number of hours that each one works. I used that technique this semester and found advantages I didn’t expect: Scheduling is much easier and more flexible with the greater number of bodies. Then too, I am able to see the tutors in action and judge which ones do the most good and so deserve more scheduled hours as time goes on.

Another presenter emphasized the importance of helping tutors understand their individual literacy histories. Through this avenue we can increase tutor awareness of their own learning patterns, and we can help them respond to change and develop strategies for the future.

The conference has motivated me to think more creatively about tutor training and to recognize tutors as a separate, crucial group whose education we address in our centers. Although I had taught writing for “a hundred years,” working and then directing in the writing center taught me a tremendous amount about writing. Nonetheless, I never thought actively about the difference we make in our tutors’ education. (And certainly I never thought about trying to make that difference quantitative.)

Perhaps other attendees found other elements of writing center lore and learning paramount at the conference in Baltimore. Perhaps I found what I chose to find. But it seemed to me that every session had implications for tutor training—“Activist Models for Writing Center: Responding to Local Contexts”; “Writing Center Management”; “Special Needs”; “Transcripts in Focus: Examining Transcripts of Face-to-Face, ESL, and Electronic Tutorials”; and even “AccuTrack Learning: Learning Center Administration Software”—these and others all had something vital to say about the education of tutors, and for that I am very thankful.

vol. 6 Iss. 1 Spring 2001