On September 20, 2022 a group of directors met virtually to discuss the highs and lows of being a new writing center director. Participants from Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Texas, and California discussed with past-president Renee Brown what was on their minds as new secondary directors.
After introductions, we noticed that several new directors had experience in and even running centers at the collegiate level, so while new to the secondary setting, they brought a wealth of knowledge to the conversation. It was interesting to hear how many centers are using the term “coach” rather than “tutor” and the rationales for that semantic choice. And, there was a lot of talk about SSWCA’s toolkit, both the current version available on Amazon that several participants had purchased with their membership (Advocating, Building, and Collaborating: A Resource Toolkit to Sustain Secondary School Writing Centers), and the second edition currently in the works.
In reflecting on current challenges, here were the concerns and responses voiced by participants:
- It can be difficult to find ways to get stakeholders to buy-in, especially since directors need administrative support from the start to be successful, but some administrators are hesitant to support a center until they see success. This creates a really frustrating catch-22. We discussed ways to lessen stakeholder anxiety, including having student tutors present to administration and faculty about the philosophy and practices of the center. Sharing an idea that will soon be published in SSWCA’s upcoming book The Toolkit – set for release in 2023 – some directors have a liaison program in which tutors specialize in certain subjects/classes or work with certain faculty to create trust and success. We also brainstormed how data might be used in persuasive ways when working with stakeholders.
- There is still – and may always be – a misconception that a writing center is a grammar fix-it shop. While our theory and practice continue to encourage us away from this editing service, there are ways for tutors to teach grammar within the context of the paper by looking for patterns. To head off the misconception that tutors are proofreaders, consider sending tutors to study halls or English classes to introduce the center, what we do, and what we don’t do.
- New and veteran directors feel the pressure of not having enough time to do all they want to do. We reminded each other to reflect on our priorities. While careers are important, family and personal well being have to be the priority.
- Another on-going concern for directors, old and new, is not being paid for the work we do for the writing center, tutors, client, and school community. Often, this decision is out of our hands, but nonetheless, document everything to show the labor being done; for example, give and keep client feedback forms to show students like the experience.