Maughan 1 Alex Maughan Professor Clint Gardner English 1810 Mentoring Writers 27th Nov. 2013. 11:00pm.

. Reflection on the Brochure I cant believe its done! When I first started this project, I remember looking at a blank screen in my sisters house. I had an example brochure with pictures and quotes from people and tried to make the Writing Center brochure look like that. The problem was, I had no information. I did as much as I could but didnt get far. I chose a template that didnt fit was I was looking for and ended up choosing an option that I spent an hour trying to undo but couldnt so I opened a new blank page and started over. Again. I soon realized I had a more recent version of Microsoft Publisher on my computer and didnt have to drive to my sisters house, but I still didnt have any information. I started by pulling info from the SLCC school website on various tutoring places (I had maybe four locations), but that was the easy part. The hard part was the pictures. What should they look like? Should students be involved? What if they dont look candid because they see that Im taking photographs in the middle of their session? Okay. I said to myself, as I was working on the flyer at the center. Im gonna do it. Ill just go up and ask. I walked up to Will and the person he was helpingthe wrong people at the wrong timebut I didnt know that at the time. I knew Will and the person he was tutoring, so I asked if I could take their picture and the girl smiled (not a glad-to-see-you smile, more like a Idont-want-my-picture-taken-but-dont-want-to-tell-you smile.) However, before she could

Maughan 2 protest verbally, Clint broke out of his session shell for a moment to say, Actually, in order to use a students photograph youll need written permission. I dont have any forms. I said. Thats okay. Clint said. You can hurry and write something up, but next time, youll want forms. The girl Will was tutoring broke in and said, Well, I actually dont want my picture taken. Then Will added, Yeah, maybe another time. I walked away feeling . . . whats the word? Bothersome. I was bothersome. My next experiences with photographs were much less threatening. I started with my friends, the people in the center I knew the best. Evan was cooperative, very funny. Kenyon was next, and I got him to laugh and took a picture of that. I realized I didnt have to take photographs in the middle of sessions, as though others looking at the picture would feel like theyre not involved. But what if, I thought, I took pictures of tutors looking right at the camera, like, like . . . like theyre looking and talking to whomever is looking back at them. I feel like having their attention directed forward, towards the camera, makes the photographs more engaging. After the photographs, the next part of the project was getting quotes to go along with them. To prompt others to say something profound, I began asking tutors what they would say to students who were reluctant to come into the center or who feel like they dont need help. That

Maughan 3 question was met with generally negative answers and thats not what I was looking for. I revised my question. One morning, I was talking with my mom about this project and how I didnt like the responses I was receiving. We began talking and she was the one who asked me, Why do you come to the writing center? and How has the Writing Center helped you? I got some surprising answers during unexpected moments. I asked Kenyon first. He gave a generic response, not something that was conversational, but something more textbooky. I remained at his table and we were just talking, then all of a sudden he said, Its just advice. You dont have to take it. Besides, itd be nice to have someone else look at it instead of just you. I couldnt believe it! I mean, it was so real. Thats what I was looking for. The next surprising response was Evan. Earlier, I had asked Lori and Clint and others who said they needed time to think about it (which was fair because so did I). I walked into the center on a day when I was going to take more pictures and hopefully get more quotes. I noticed Evan getting ready to leave so he could go to class. He was walking fast, in a hurry, but still polite. I knew that I wanted him to say something, but didnt expect him to say what he did when he said it. I was sitting at a table with Arthur (close to the door) when I turned and asked, Hey Evan, can I ask you a favor? He stopped, turned, and smiled. Sure thing! Whats up? You dont need to answer this now, I know youre busy, but can I ask you a question and can you get back to me later? What would you say to students whod never been to the center before or why do you think the center is beneficial?

Maughan 4 After a moment, he looked down, then back up, and said, Well, Id tell em that oftentimes when youre writing a paper, you revise it over and over and develop a false sense of security, and your perception cant see what maybe others can. Hope that helps! See ya! Then he walked out the door. I was writing as fast as I could but I was losing the essence of Evans revelation. Did you get that? I asked Arthur. Yeah, it was . . . something about perception? Dang it! I hate it when I cant remember something! Me too! I said. We talked for a little longer and pieced together what we had heard. Definitely brochure-worthy. The same thing happened with Christine when I asked her, took only a moment before she responded. Clint didnt know what to say (not you, the other Clint) which was surprising because hes worked here for seven years. I thought for sure hed say, well, something that would be profound and helpful and Godlike. I asked him if I could use his tag-line, what Ive always heard him say just as hes starting a session: What is the assignment and how can I help? After I got my photographs and quotes I was feeling pretty good about it all. Then I had my session with Christine. I had no idea how online tutoring worked, so I went to her to get her help sorting it out. She said, So you know you need an account with the center to access it. Do you have an account? She asked. No. I said, sinking a little lower in my chair and smiling at the same time. Well, she said, eyebrows raised, Why dont you make one?

Maughan 5 She had me. Good point. I thought. So the steps listed on the back were written as I figured it out myself. At first I thought I was lying when I said you could do this in 3 Easy Steps because, for one thing, it couldve been five steps; also, I had no idea if it was easy or not because Id never done it before. I took the opportunity with Christine to ask a question I already knew the answer to but wasnt sure on it. Should my flyer be this big? What do you think? It was 11 by 17: Huge. Well, she said, Id talk to Clint [you], but I think you can keep it that size, however, if this is something youre going to use (is it something youre going to use? Its not just an assignment youre going to turn in? No, Im going to print this.), youll want to make it landscape so we can print this on our computer. I had too much information and didnt know how to fit it all in. However, it made it a lot easier to work with because I cut back things I didnt need like listing the hours to all the centers and aligning them up perfectly to match my OCD expectations (I really do have OCD.) Anyway, even though it made it so I had less information, it brought up a new problem: How was I going to fit everyone Id taken pictures of on the flyer? How was I going to fit their quotes? Theres no way. Well, my project soon felt like an episode of Survivor where I had to vote someone off the island via their photograph. I wanted everyone to be included and didnt want anyone to feel upset at me for not including them (possibly an irrational thought, but I had and believed it all the same). I decided to cut Will out. I sent him an email (after Id asked him for days to think of something to go with his picture) saying that I couldnt include his picture or his quote but thanks anyway! He never got it. An hour after I sent it, he walked up to me before starting his

Maughan 6 shift at the center. As I was explaining to him that I couldnt include him, he pulled out a piece of paper and said, So this is what I thought of. What I really like are these three [pointing at a list], so if you could use it, or not, its up to you. Then he walked away. I felt guilty. So I made it work. My sister Marianne helped me out a ton. I had three people (my mom, Kenyon, Marianne, youokay, four) tell me that my cover was actually the back and that I needed to change it. That was nearly the breaking point after working on it for 6 hours in a day, but my sister was like Oh you can do it easy! Just do this. She told me what to do and I did it. I woke my mom up to show her what I had done, but really, it was so she could see what you looked like 20 years ago. It all came together better than I thought! I dont have any training in brochure-making, and half of my hours were used up in waiting for my slow computer to respond (Im joking, sort of.) Ive often thought about my own question that I posed so many times to others: What would I say to students whove never been to the Writing Center about the Writing Center? The irony is that I have no idea what Id say: So many others have said what I couldnt, but I think I just need to think about it some more. Itll come to me. *One week later*I thought of it! What Id say is something I used to say all the time to students whove felt inadequate because theyve asked for help. Asking for help isnt a sign of weakness, its a sign of strength [and] emotional intelligence. Ive laid out some of the difficulties I faced, but more importantly, I learned that sometimes I cant do things on my own (even though Id like to think I can.) I work with brilliant minds, my co-workers. I remember the first night I started working on this, sitting in my room,

Maughan 7 by myself, when I realized I couldnt do it without their help. I needed them to help me finish this project, and that was something I wasnt (still am not) used to, asking for help. Even in small forms like Can I take your picture? or What do you think about this? were hard questions to ask because I felt I was imposing on their time. In a way, I was glad I had to ask for help because it made the brochure so much more than anything I couldve done on my own. No amount of word-effects or bullet pointed lists can make up for the people that bring information like that to life. It means something, what they said means something because you can see their faces and into their eyes. I couldnt have done this without them.