Blog Post #8 -- WLN Report -- Bri

WLN article info: “Tutoring Begins with Breath: Guided Meditation and its Effects on Writing Consultant Training,” by Nicole Emmelhainz from Christopher Newport University, article issue January/February of 2020.

In this article, Nicole Emmelhainz who both trains writing center tutors at CNU and is a certified yoga instructor, makes the argument that teaching meditation/mindfulness practices should be included in writing center training curriculums.  In Emmelhainz’s case, she is mainly training undergraduates who will be tutoring their peers.   Her argument is a compelling one, using scholarship, small research studies, and student reflection essays to show the positive impacts a regular meditation or mindfulness practice can have on a student’s ability to function as a responsible tutor. “Both observation and nonjudgmental attitudes are necessary abilities when working with others and their writing but are also valuable in establishing personal wellness,” writes Emmelhainz, “writing consultants training, then, should help consultants develop strategies to cope with stress to provide a more complete preparation for the work they will ultimately perform.”  As tutors, instructors, and students ourselves, we are constantly in a state of code switching from one task and/or identity to another, and our students are doing a similar dance between classes.  I agree with Emmelhainz’s argument that incorporating mindfulness into writing center training curriculums could be a powerful tool that not only benefits the tutor, but also the tutored.

In Emmelhainz’s writing center training, she uses breath-work and guided meditation as a way to introduce her students to mindfulness.  She points out that guided meditation is a useful tool especially for novice meditators, “this not only builds students’ ability to sit silently and accept themselves but also allows them to take on the role of objective observer.” Before graduate school, I taught yoga and meditation for five years.  I can attest to the remarkable impact a regular meditation practice has had on my life and on those whom I had the pleasure to share it with.  When we take time to focus on our breath and/or a guiding voice, we become more aware of the present moment, allowing us to attune deeply into our own being, as well as our surroundings.  Emmalhainz quotes renowed yoga teach Donna Farhi, “the breath is always present, [and] we can use it as a means of anchoring the mind in that which is constant.”  The number of things going on in the life of any one given person at a time is tremendous when we stop and think about it.  Sometimes when I walk into class and my students have that look of exhaustion, they can’t seem to focus, and/or aren’t engaging with that day’s lecture or activity, I will stop of us in the middle of what we’re doing and then guide my students through a self-face massage.  Additionally, leading up to their first major speech, I introduce them to a breath technique called diaphragmatic breathing.  This breathing technique essentially shuts down your fight or flight response and helps the body to dispel any anxious or nervous energy.  Almost always I have a student or two who doesn’t participate, but during mid-term and final evaluations have many students comment on how they enjoy our mindfulness breaks and would like to know more about meditation, yoga, etc.  Emmelhainz reports a similar response from her writing center consultants at the end of their training. 

I like to think about mindfulness/meditation as an adult recess. It’s the one time in the day when I’m only responsible for sitting, breathing, and noticing—not judging, assessing, or compartmentalizing.  I’m sure that just by simply being good tutors all of us are exercising self-awareness and compassionate mindfulness towards our tutored.  Adding mindfulness/meditation practices to writing center trainings or into our tutoring sessions I believe could only enhance the relationships we have with our students, as well as the relationship we each have with ourselves and to our writing instruction.