Writing and I have undergone a love-hate relationship in the past through struggling with high school essays to falling in love with creative writing my last years of high school. Since then, I have always turned to writing as an activity for self-reflection, meditation, and stress release. Whenever life gets too much, I know I can turn to writing to put it all out on paper and release whatever stress or nervousness I feel.
I understand that writing can be a very nerve-wrecking and daunting task for many individuals. I can feel the unease in some students’ voices when they come in for assistance on an assignment. I can sense the unwarranted embarrassment some feel when trying to explain their writing to me. My goal as a tutor is to prevent or eliminate any of those feelings students might have about writing. I want people to see the comfortability they can gain through writing, and how it might not be such a scary of a task as it looks.
I want to establish a comfortable and open relationship with every writer that comes into the center. I want them to understand the importance of what they have to say. I do not want them to believe their voice is any less important or should be silenced just because they might not have the right tools to say it. My job as a tutor is to provide those tools for them.
I want to build upon creating open and free conversations with all relationships I hold at the writing center no matter if it is with a student or a tutor. I know that I can learn something from everyone and can further my writing journey through the experience and insight of others.
I also want to work on creating an inclusive, welcoming, and diverse space on campus in the Ott Writing Center. It should be a place that anyone feels welcome to come and share their opinion without the looming threat of others judging or ignoring them.