WLN Report - Bethanny
Williams, Heidi. "Tutor's Column: 'Validation'." Writing Lab Newsletter, vol. 43, no. 3-4 (November/December 2017), pp. 2-25.
Williams' article talked about something I have never thought about as a tutor: what happens when students bring in writing that talks about a traumatic experience. In the article, Williams mentioned that the student came in with an essay talking about her relationship with a drug addict and how he committed suicide. One important take away is this phrase, "It is vital that tutors first react appropriately to the context of the student's paper in these types of situations before tutors approach writing techniques" (23). In other words, students need validation and they need us to be human first. William states that after this step, tutors can slowly guide students back to more technical questions, but it also must be done in a careful manner such as by posing the question, "What do you want to share with your story? Do you want to help others who have been in similar situations?"(24).
I think Williams' article is an important and powerful one. While these types of events may be rare, they are certainly bound to happen now and then. I myself would not have been sure what to do, but I think the most important thing is to show that we are human and acknowledge the difficult task of writing about such experiences and sharing it as a class assignment. These situations, however, also got me thinking. Apart from being tutors, what are our responsibilities? Do we suggest them to seek counsel? Williams seem to think so, but I wonder how to do so without seeming to talk out of place.
Williams' article talked about something I have never thought about as a tutor: what happens when students bring in writing that talks about a traumatic experience. In the article, Williams mentioned that the student came in with an essay talking about her relationship with a drug addict and how he committed suicide. One important take away is this phrase, "It is vital that tutors first react appropriately to the context of the student's paper in these types of situations before tutors approach writing techniques" (23). In other words, students need validation and they need us to be human first. William states that after this step, tutors can slowly guide students back to more technical questions, but it also must be done in a careful manner such as by posing the question, "What do you want to share with your story? Do you want to help others who have been in similar situations?"(24).
I think Williams' article is an important and powerful one. While these types of events may be rare, they are certainly bound to happen now and then. I myself would not have been sure what to do, but I think the most important thing is to show that we are human and acknowledge the difficult task of writing about such experiences and sharing it as a class assignment. These situations, however, also got me thinking. Apart from being tutors, what are our responsibilities? Do we suggest them to seek counsel? Williams seem to think so, but I wonder how to do so without seeming to talk out of place.
Great choice of articles, Bethanny! In creative writing courses, students often write about traumatic experiences although they are hard to write about in a foreign language, so you might get fewer of them than we see in EPB. I like the steps Williams recommends--first be human and express empathy and appreciation for the writer's courage to write about the experience, and then ask what they want the audience to take away from their narrative of trauma. You could ask if the student is still upset about the experience, and even if the answer is no, recommend that if they ever feel upset about it, they could go to student counseling. If they show interest, you could give the student the link to making an appointment there. They can also walk in at various offices. https://counseling.uiowa.edu/services/appointments/
ReplyDeleteI came up against this issue a good deal last semester - not as a tutor but as an instructor. I agree that the humanistic approach is vital here. It also helped me to be well-versed on my responsibilities as a tutor/instructor. Am I a mandatory reporter? Who do I need to get into contact with if something seems dangerous or appears to require attention? etc. Once I had an understanding of these things, I felt more prepared to enter into these types of fragile discussions. Transitioning from acknowledging the context to critiquing the writing can be a tricky one and is very difficult to do tactfully. I wonder if the author had more to say about how to handle this transition compassionately.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Williams' approach. It takes a lot of courage to relive a traumatic experience both by writing about it and then by sharing it with a stranger. It's important in these situations that we acknowledge the risk the student has taken because sometimes sharing a piece of writing like what's described above could be a cry for help. I like, too, Carol's recommendation of gently prodding the student to see if they are still dealing with the emotional weight of their experience, and if in fact they are respond by referring them to the counseling center.
ReplyDelete