Who Knew?

My time in English 383 has been an enjoyable one thus far. I have found the readings to be interesting and attention-grabbing and the activities that we have done in class have been helpful. I have found myself picturing how I would handle certain situations if hired as a Writing Consultant.

The aspect of English 383 that has surprised me throughout the semester has been the amount of training that potential Writing Consultants must all go through before gaining a spot on the fourth floor of Weinstein. I suppose that I had known that the Writing Center didn't just pick students on a whim to advise their peers' writing, but I didn't realize the extent of the training that so many Consultants before me have gone through.

This week, I observed Maggie Burch in the Writing Center. It was amazing to me to see the things that we have been discussing in class come to "life" right before my eyes. She took the time to find out what the writer hoped to get out of the session and paid attention to the professor's comments, two aspects of being a Writing Consultant that have been emphasized over the past six weeks. I think that, like so many other skills that one learns, I got a much better idea of what being a Writing Consultant means by seeing the actual process, rather than just learning about it in the classroom.

I have learned so much, as my peers before me have, from only a month and a half of class, and I am sure that my knowledge will continue to grow as the semester progresses. I am now more excited than ever to begin my career as a Writing Consultant here at the University of Richmond. I can't wait to start.