Writing Center Studies at Two-Year Colleges (TYC)

Writing center (WC) studies is an odd field in and of itself. We exist in between the classroom space and an administrative one. We typically have small staffs, but every college or university can have a completely different makeup of what that staff looks like (student-tutors, graduate-student tutors, professional tutors, faculty tutors, or a mix of any of these are all possible). And the staff can almost completely turnover in a single semester (I mean, that’s the point, right? Seeing these student tutors grow into new roles and paths).

And directing a WC? Sheesh. A WCD (Writing Center Director) might be a college staff member with no advanced degrees in the WC field or they might hold doctorates and have numerous publications in well-known journals.

Add to that mix working at a two-year college, and I am deeply invested in community spaces that recognize the worth and equality of every student and staff member. I think this confuses a lot of folks—educators, potential tutors, etc.—that “tutoring” is not an activity to show off one’s own knowledge or treat the client as though they are simply not as intelligent. Teaching at a community college means every single person walking into our center has one hell of a story—and it’s our job to help them on the next leg of it.

We are diverse, inclusive, liminal, marginal, and centered—all at the same time.