Reflection on the Class

Dear Professor Gleason,

I thought I knew about writing centers. I had worked at one for six semesters. However, I did not know much about theory and my understanding of practice came purely from the experience I had of working as a writing consultant. In Writing Center Theory and Practice, I was introduced to history that I was not aware of and schools of thought that I had come across while studying literary theory, but which were re-contextualized in discussion of basic writing and writing centers.

My experience at the writing center and in the classroom interconnected well. Experience helped me understand theory even when it had no direct application; and discussion of method in class proved valuable, because I was able to take what I learned and apply it to my job, where I began to prioritize more effectively, making my sessions more student driven and more student focused.

Probably the most interesting aspect to the class extended beyond the immediate applicability of the information in my tutorials. The presentations and accompanying research informed my understanding of current theories and methods, and also provided a better sense of how a university’s mission and distribution of resources plays into the operation of the writing center. This bigger picture stuff has given me fresh insight and appreciation for the writing center that’s at City, while also giving me ideas of where there can be realistic improvements.

I’m glad I took the class!

Thank you,

Garri Rivkin