This entire article felt like one huge callout aimed at me, because of how strongly I identified with the type of person being argued against. It was one of those pieces of reading that's so engaging that I can't keep all my thoughts straight, like everything I want to say is fighting to be said all at once.
At the Writing Center, we're trained to practice non-directivity, meaning that we're supposed to avoid "telling people what to do" at all costs. While this is important in order to avoid appropriating a student's paper and erasing their voice, it can easily border on the ridiculous.
Just today, I had an ESL student come in for a consultation. She asked me to help her with her grammar and spelling, because her professor kept taking points off of her papers for these kinds of mistakes. All my training as a "writing center person" tells me not to correct her grammar, even though her paper is full of things to correct. These situations tend to make me extremely uncomfortable, even anxious, because I never know exactly what to do that's going to help the student succeed and be a better writer. I become so afraid of being condescending that I end up being condescending in the process of trying to avoid condescension. In the end, I usually leave these sessions feeling pretty useless.
Delpit talks frequently about the ineffective and misleading nature of phrasing a command like a question. That's exactly what I tend to do when workshopping or consulting; instead of saying "you need a thesis," I ask "can you show me your thesis?" After reading this article, I feel sort of underhanded and tricky for employing this tactic as often as I do.
On page 13, Delpit says that "to act as if power does not exist is to ensure that the power status quo remains the same." It's dishonest of me to try to pretend, even out of goodwill, that I don't have a greater mastery of the English language than anyone who comes into the Writing Center. The student who came in today asked me to correct her grammar, and I was feeling at a loss, so I did. Ultimately, my doing so will help her get a better grade on that paper. While I find the practice of docking points for incorrect grammar morally reprehensible, I don't know how better to handle the situation. I can't exactly march down to that professor's office and give them an impromptu lecture on the error of their ways. I also can't fix institutional racism by pretending not to notice the technical errors in an ESL student's paper.
I feel that 1) I have walked directly into a trap with my Bartholomae response and 2) I may owe the man an apology. While his tone isn't exactly endearing, I think I better understand now what he was trying to get across. To pretend that the gates don't exist isn't the same as eradicating them. It's difficult to manage the joint tasks of bestowing expertise and helping uplift a person's unique perspective at the same time, but there's nothing to do but try.
Hi Elise,
ReplyDeleteOne thing is clear--you're a compassionate, dedicated tutor who wants to do right by her students. Writing is a highly complex cognitive activity, and it's exceedingly difficult to teach it well, much less learn to do it well. The example of your ESL student is instructive. One reading of Delpit's argument is that the student's difficulty with correctness demands direct instruction: tell her how to fix it. But does that lead to understanding? In the end, Delpit is arguing that teaching skills vs. process is a false binary--there is "a need for both approaches." So where does this lead us with your ESL student at the WC? Maybe the usual focus on process--helping the student clarify what she is trying to say--combined with selectively identifying and working on one or two grammar issues, especially those that are most likely to be noticed, is consistent with her approach? What do you think?
I agree with you about this article being incredibly thought-provoking, I too had to stop at multiple points to collect my thoughts (and start arguing with the wall). I’m interested, though, that you associate the idea of correcting grammar with racism; I too have worked with ESL students extensively in my job as an LA and while many of them consider themselves minorities, many of them simply come from households where English was a second, third, of fourth language learned and their ethnic or national backgrounds have little influence on their language abilities. Further, I understand it can be daunting to thoughtfully and compassionately assist students with writing when you yourself have a high mastery of English, but in my experience, I always sit with my students completely dumbfounded at the knowledge they have over me in subjects like physics, engineering, mathematics, the list goes on. I imagine, if I were to go to them for help with my biology homework, how would I like them to treat me? Then I go from there.
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