Lucie Berjoan - Blog Post 4

One thing that stood out to me in the Morrison text was her ability to compartmentalize her own reactions and manage them accordingly in a way that prioritizes the clients of the writing center. I was impressed with her ability to give the students the benefit of the doubt and, essentially, bite her tongue, as this is something that I would without a doubt struggle with. My initial reaction was that it was unfair that she be put in that position as a tutor to prioritize her students' needs over her own, but by the end I realized how by listening to the students first and giving them the benefit of the doubt, she gained their trust. What this meant was that by the time she raised her points about it being potentially offensive, they took what she said seriously. I guess this sounds pretty basic, but I think I have a tendency to jump on people when they say something that is or could be perceived as offensive. 

    The two statements about Black linguistic social justice were super interesting to me. I found the CCCC one to be more compelling as it offers precise demands and expectations of teachers, whereas the MSU WC statement felt far more vague. I think it's a complicated issue and while I can imagine a world in which different forms of English are recognized equally, it seems tricky to get there. By this I mean, how do you teach students that "standard" English is not intrinsically better than Black English when the majority of their classes are not currently operating that way? I think it's important to have the difficult conversations with students, but also give them the tools they need to operate in different contexts. How do we ensure that students know how to write in standard English for racist teachers that refuse to recognize anything else while simultaneously acknowledging the racism in this? I suppose that's a start– acknowledgement and open discussion. Perhaps there's also a way to help students write a statement explaining that they in fact know the difference and are choosing to protest the use of standard English (if that's what they want to do). While it shouldn't be necessary, as long as standard English is the only accepted form, Black students are the ones who will suffer from lower grades. I think it's also important that we, as tutors, educate ourselves about what other forms of English look like so we are able to recognize them easily. 

Comments

  1. Sean TylerSeptember 21, 2020 at 9:17 AM

    Working with students who present a discriminatory opinion is something I am often concerned about. In the past if someone has brought dubious political claims I often talk to them about their sources and whether or not we can see them as credible. Sometimes by asking people to support their argument they realize it is untenable and move on to a different subject for their work. I have never been in the position where this would affect me personally or as deeply as the instances Morrison describes though. I do think Writing Centers also have to prioritize the safety of their student tutors as well as their students. I wonder if it is time for Writing Centers to start making policies directed towards the well being of their tutors when they are faced with this kind of situation.

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