What made you decide to apply to be a writing tutor? I was recommended by a teacher. I didn’t know that students could tutor! I thought it would be a rewarding challenge.
How have your ideas about the writing center and tutoring changed from your first day until now? I thought it was basically an in-person “spell and grammar” check. Now I love promoting the actual work done, from generating ideas to appropriate source searches to showing that writing doesn’t have to be tedious!
What are some important things you have learned from your experiences as a writing tutor? My way isn’t the right way, it’s just ONE way. Also, no matter your role, qualifications, or experience, there is always something to learn. Continue reading “Why Be A Writing Tutor? – Part 2”→
On Wednesday, May 1, 2019, the College of Lake County Writing Center sponsored a Write-In, fondly known as the Night Against Procrastination. For four and a half hours (from 5:30 pm – 10:00 pm), students were provided a space (in the multipurpose room), laptops, coffee, and snacks to help them get writing done. Writing tutors were on hand to help if needed. In addition, hourly door prizes were given and a raffle was held to encourage students to stay and write as long as possible.
Night Against Procrastination – By the Numbers
33 – Number of Participants
50.5 – Total Number of Hours Spent Writing
3 – Number of Students Who Wrote for Four Hours or More
If you will be continuing your studies at CLC in 2019-2020*and have maintained at least a B grade point average, we encourage you to apply for a tutoring position with us.
*You must be enrolled in at least 6 credit hours each semester to work as a Tutor 1 your first year.
Need help in sticking to your seat and getting your writing done?
Come to the Night Against Procrastination on Wednesday, May 1, 2019 in Room C106 from 5:30 – 10:00 pm
There will be coffee, snacks, and helpful resources like tutors and laptops! Also, there will be names drawn for door prizes on the hour (and you’ll get a ticket for each hour you stay and write). Come join us!!!
The College of Lake County Writing Center organized a number of events to commemorate International Writing Centers Week, February 11 – 16, 2019. This week was created by the International Writing Centers Association (IWCA) back in 2006 to promote the work of writing centers and writing center tutors.
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CLC writing tutors staffed promotional tables on Student Street both the week before and on the Monday and Tuesday of IWC Week—handing out information about the writing center and upcoming events like the Night against Procrastination as well as offering students the chance to enter a raffle. On Monday of IWC Week, the theme was “Share your Favorite Song Lyric or Quote” to get a raffle ticket while to earn a raffle ticket on Tuesday, students were encouraged to write the name of someone who inspired them on a heart, which tutors then posted on a display behind the table.
The winners of the Promotional Table raffle were:
Shayla Gandham
Kathia Garza
Laurice Hamilton
During IWC Week, each writing center location had an open house on Wednesday with treats and information. In addition, each location had a raffle where every time a student worked with a tutor during the week, they earned a ticket.
The winners of the Writing Center raffle were:
Grayslake Campus Writing Center
Khafiz Sardar
Alexandra Torres
Michael Jones
Lakeshore Campus Writing Center
Yolanda Pierce with her teacher, Cathy Colton
Southlake Campus Writing Center
Cynthia Moy with Southlake Tutoring Coordinator, Scott Eikenberry
Finally, at the beginning of the week, the International Writing Centers Association (IWCA) sent out a call to its member to share their writing center stories:
Tomorrow (February 11th) marks the start of International Writing Centers Week 2019! To celebrate, we’d like to share stories that celebrate the diversity and joy of writing center experience(s). We hope to highlight several stories every day through the end of the week. Please follow this link to share your story with us
A number of our writing center staff responded to this request and out of the nine tutors selected to share their experiences, three of them were staff at College of Lake County. These wonderful #MyWCStories were a great way for us to end International Writing Centers Week.
Kate Balogh, Specialist Tutor and Adjunct English FacultyBee Old, Peer Writing TutorKim Voss, Student Services Coordinator, Writing Center
The Spring 2019 semester is off to a cold and wintery start, but here in the CLC Writing Centers, things are heating up. Writing tutors are ready to help you with all your writing needs–from understanding your assignment to generating ideas to fine-tuning a later draft.
Please see the flyer below for information about our hours and locations as well as our social media presence. Please Like us on Facebook and Follow us on Twitter and Instagram.
Come to the CLC Writing Center’s Night Against Procrastination Write-In on Wednesday, November 28, 2018 from 5:30 pm – 10:00 pm in the Multipurpose Room (C106).
We’ll keep you motivated with beverages, snacks, as well as encouragement and advice from members of our Writing Center staff. Also, for every hour you participate, you’ll be entered into a drawing for an Amazon gift certificate as well as other writing-related prizes.
The CLC Writing Center is joining writing centers from across the United States and abroad to offer space and support for students and others from the college community to complete end-of-semester writing projects.
Come to the Multipurpose Room and join other CLC students and staff to work towards getting your writing done.
For more information, contact Jenny Staben, Faculty Coordinator, Writing Center, at (847) 543-2594 or via e-mail at jstaben@clcillinois.edu.
In August 2018, seventeen writing tutors joined the CLC Writing Center staff as part of our 2018-2019 Peer Writing Tutor program. They have been working in the writing center since August and are currently enrolled in English 260 (Intro to Writing Center Theory & Practice)–a course that helps them develop their skills as tutors and introduces them to writing center scholarship.
Jennifer Avalos
Teacher(s) who recommended you: Dr. Rubina Khan
Major or Career Focus: I have changed my focus to nursing.
How long have you been at CLC? Three semesters.
Favorite thing about working in the writing center so far: The last two months.
Most challenging thing about working in the writing center so far: Dealing with students who aren’t as interactive with me in discourse.
What is one strategy you use to get over writer’s block? I take a break to clear my mind.
Handwrite first drafts or type them? I like to type them and make several copies.
What food can you not stop eating? Rice and beans because my mom makes it every time we run out.
Recommend a book, graphic novel, movie, or TV series that you have enjoyed recently: I recommend the TV series, Criminal Minds.
If your life had a theme song, what would it be? “Bills, Bills, Bills” by Destiny’s Child because when they say, “Can you pay my bills?” I can relate.
This was one of the questions I asked our new cohort of peer tutors and here are their responses. As you learn about our new staff in the next few blog posts, see if you can guess which surprising fact goes with which new tutor.
I cry at commercials.
I can knit.
My first intern gig on this movie involved me picking up a dead deer off the side of the road for the crew to use in filming the next day–I named him Kenneth. I kept him in the trunk of my dad’s car (he doesn’t know, so don’t tell my dad).
I have a turtle whose name is Kernel and I occasionally take him on walks in the summer.
I am really into fighting games; Street Fighter, Tekken, but my favorite is Blazblue – I have wanted to compete, but I have never been able to gather the courage to do so
I love using exclamation points!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’m trilingual- I speak English, Spanish, and Urdu.
In the spring of 2015, the Writing Center collaborated with a few of our wonderful English faculty members to try something new for CLC: offering online writing support. With a growing selection of online course options and students enrolling from places near and far, it seemed we owed it to online students to make writing tutoring available to them, especially since coming in to one of the physical writing centers was simply not feasible for many of them. (Travel from Haiti to Grayslake for a one hour tutoring session? Not happening.)
We’ve come a long way since that first semester, expanding from offering online tutoring in just three course sections to welcoming students enrolled in any CLC online course to work with a writing tutor online. When people who are used to face-to-face tutoring in the physical writing center hear that I tutor online, they sometimes grimace a bit and ask, “How does that work?” The answer is it works pretty well, partly because the online environment offers a lot of flexibility, not only in terms of time and location, but also in mode of interaction. Continue reading “CLC Writing Center Supports Online Students”→
What made you decide to apply to be a writing tutor? I was recommended by a teacher. I didn’t know that students could tutor! I thought it would be a rewarding challenge.
The Spring 2019 semester is off to a cold and wintery start, but here in the CLC Writing Centers, things are heating up. Writing tutors are ready to help you with all your writing needs–from understanding your assignment to generating ideas to fine-tuning a later draft.
Voices from the CLC Writing Center 