Censorship vs. Free Speech

I found Sherwood’s “Censoring Students, Censoring Ourselves” to be interesting to read. I read scenarios about students who brought in offensive papers and became intrigued. This is because I would have no idea what to do if a student vehemently refused to remove such offensive writing. However, my opinion on the topic would be to make sure that clients are writing opinions that can be logically explained. The student described in the article who was writing about getting “turned off by a woman carrying a briefcase” is just a completely opinionated statement with no good, solid facts to back up his argument that woman do not belong in the workplace. Had his paper been focused on truly good reasons that women are needed in a different area, it may have been acceptable, even if others do not agree with it. For example, if he stated that women are more needed at home to raise their children and given statistics about behavioral patterns of children with at-home mothers compared to mothers who work, it removes a great deal of the offense to women. When he just claims that he hates women in the workplace, it just sounds ignorant and rude.
Consultants consistently tell their clients to back up their opinions with facts. They encourage critical thinking, asking questions like, “Why do you think that?” or “Why does that happen?” I believe that questions such as these should help to remove “hate speech” because it helps to remove the ignorance. If you ask the student who wrote the sexist paper why he did not think that women belonged in the workplace and all he could respond with is that it “turns him off”, he would (hopefully) realize that maybe this is not the approach he should take to the paper.
So far, I have never heard a session where the client wrote any offensive things in his/her paper. However, I’m very glad that I read this selection in our book because I have been wondering about how to handle a situation like that. It seems to be a difficult call to make to choose between the freedom of speech and censorship of rude writing. I believe whatever is written should be backed up with valid facts.

References:
Sherwood, Steve. "Censoring Students, Censoring Ourselves: Constraining Conversations in the Writing Center." The St. Martin's Sourcebook for Writing Tutors, 3rd ed. Ed. Christina Murphy and Steve Sherwood. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's. 2008. 129-136.

Where is the interaction?

As I read this week’s assignment, a question stuck out to me from Murphy and Sherwood’s selection: “Are we acting as collaborators or as authority figures?” (10). I kept this question in mind as I observed in the writing room this week. I did not witness any collaborations, but several authority figure/student sessions. The tutors seem to treat the students as if there are their own students. I often hear tutors speaking to the clients not as peers but as students. They greet them professionally but saying, “Hello, what are you working on today?” The interpersonal interaction that Murphy and Sherwood insist is so important is almost completely ignored. The tutors have the students fill out the proper paperwork and then begin reading drafts of what the student is working on. They don’t ask what the student’s concerns are, about the class, or other creative thinking ideas. They just jump right in to proofreading the papers and providing tips on how to make the paper sound more “academic.” There is no personal conversation concerning interests, culture, or personal history. I do not hear students ask their tutors about questions they were too afraid to ask their instructors. Students just take the advice of their tutors and leave the room. I find this defines that tutors are very much authority figures and ignore the fact that they should be collaborating with the students.
The tutors also often do not take a minimalist role, mentioned by Sherwood and Murphy (17). This role suggests that tutors and students should be working together, even when it is time for the tutors to give them advice. Murphy and Sherwood suggest that the students should read out loud and the tutor should comment as they read, or make notes and comments after they are finished. No one has read aloud in the writing room that I have heard. The student hands over his/her draft to the tutor, the tutor reads. The tutor makes changes, discusses the changes, and hands the paper back. The student is no more confident in his/her writing abilities. There are no long-term effects. I would like to see our writing room transform into more than just a place for students to have their papers proofread.

References:
Murphy, Christina and Steve Sherwood. The St. Martin's Sourcebook for Writing Tutors. 3rd ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2008. 8-23.

Reading Response #1

After reading our selections from our textbook, I have found that a very important part of tutoring is the interpersonal relationship between the consultant and the client. Even if the consultant does not always have the answers, they can always provide a comfortable environment for the client to come with inquiry. The job of the consultant is to inspire the writer, not just provide answers. Communication is a very important part of the tutoring experience. This reading selection made me feel more comfortable about becoming a tutor. I fear that I will not be able to provide the proper answers that the clients seek, but as long as I provide inspiration, then I am doing the best job that I can.
Another selection explained the difficulty that an ESL student can have writing. It is important that the student does not feel as if they must give up his or her culture. The story of the girl from the Navajo culture was upset that she had to give up her culture and her language. Her tutor worked with her to inspire her own thoughts and ideas, which included parts of her culture. Therefore, she could write about her culture and her interests. The tutor did not tell her what to write. Instead, she asked the student about what was important to her, and encouraged her to write about it. I hope that I can also guide my clients in this way, encouraging them to find their topics and abilities instead of instructing them. It is important to inspire the students to write about their interests, regardless of their culture. The student cannot produce a strong paper if they are not interested in the subject.
As a whole, I learned about how important communication is in these tutoring sessions from our reading selections. Consultants may not always have the answers, but they do have the ability to provide assistance, comfort, and inspiration to the clients that come to them. Clients and consultants can form a comfortable bond, so the client can informally express what he/she is trying to communicate. From that point, the consultant may help them transform what he/she wants to say into the words, and collaboratively, create a well-written paper.

References:
Murphy, Christina and Steve Sherwood. The St. Martin's Sourcebook for Writing Tutors. 3rd ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2008. 7-8.
Murphy, Christina. "Freud in the Writing Center: The Psychoanalysis of Tutoring Well." In Murphy and Sherwood, 95-99.
DiPardo, Anne. "Whispers of Coming and Going: Lessons from Fannie." In Murphy and Sherwood, 100-116.