Muriel Harris’s article offered some great insights into how we approach working with multilingual writers in the center. I was interested that most of the writers who participated in her study were male, and in addition, I felt that she highlighted the Asian demographic more than any other. I appreciated come of her commentary about the values and work habits of this group in particular, but that reaction makes me think about our discussion in class on Thursday about how important it is not to label members of a perceived group and just shove them in a corner.

 

I think the overall takeaway from Harris’s piece and from the others we encountered this last week on multilingual writers is just to be patient, empathetic, and kind. When I think about non-native English speakers in the classroom, I feel like I approach them as any other student, and I think this is true of my behavior with writers in the writing center. The only differences, though, are accommodations like allowance of more time (being realistic for assignment deadlines/being patient one-on-one) and in my mind, making a more concerted effort to perform with/for them the good things we already do, like providing clear and appropriate comments and explanations.

 

I really love working with non-native English speakers. I feel like I learn something new about their culture, about myself, and about both of our languages. Of course, it if frustrating to often end up working at the sentence level of writing, but despite that, there is always a greater depth that is being reached in those consultations. I still remember this little Hispanic gal that used to come into the center when I worked under Mike Mattison. She was a pretty classing generation 1.5/ English ear-learner. We would work together mostly on her organization, though. It was so rewarding as the year progressed to see the development of organizational processes in her texts. As you mentioned in class Thursday, so often it is the multilingual writer who returns to the center. I have seen this to be true, and in true teacher-lady fashion, I love being able to work with one person and then be able to track their progress over time, besides establishing some sort of relationship, too.    

 

On another relationship note: I think the MARTY was a huge success. Everyone was hanging out and having a good time!