3/16 Reading Response: Writing Center Pedagogy

It interesting that both articles quote Stephen North’s assertion, “Our job is to produce better writers, not better writing.”

Harris and Silva’s article “Tutoring ESL Students: Issues and Options” addressed issues regarding the ESL student and their struggles in the writing. While reading the article, I continually thought back on my linguistics class, a requirement for my major. I distinctively remember the extensive discussions on the ESL. Some of the comments were negative, other impartial, and a few comments were positive. In addition, I think of my own issues with second language acquisition. Becoming adequately coherent, not fluent, in both French and Spanish, I sympathize greatly with the ESL student. I argue that two of the major obstacles in tutoring ESL students are the tutors and the tutors.

First, unlike most countries who are multilingual, many Americans revel in their ignorance of other languages. This mindset is transposed on the ESL student by the tutor. Second, I believe another barrier for the ESL student is the lack of linguistic training in the writing center tutors. There is a disconnect from practical and effective oral and writing communication. I make the argument based on my own observations. I realize that ESL learners must learn to write in English. They must learn to communicate effectively; however, I have see time and time again a condescending tone and belittling gestures towards these students by the people who should be trained to help them. I wonder how they would feel if someone blatantly laughed in their faces about writing stylistically in English, told them repeatedly what was wrong and incorrect about their English style, and refused to see any value in the English way of writing. In essence, I believe the article should have had a stronger statement against the presuppositions and prejudices of the writing tutors.

On the other hand, Harris and Silva provided one resource that extremely helpful. One that I will use in my classroom. They suggest “early in the semester, invite all your students to write you letters describing their histories as writers…detailing anything you need to know about them to work with them as writers. In conferences with individual writers, use…the letter to initiate a conversation” (517).