Professional Relationships in the Writing Center

Collaboration is all about forming relationships. As a Writing Center tutor, you are at an important “hinge point” of the university; writers from every department and every class will come to you for help. Thus, you have connections to every part of the college. When you help the writer, you don’t just affect one person; you affect that person’s relationship with the rest of the college.

Most of the time, you won’t see the “fallout” of your sessions, because you’ll only ever see the writer in a professional capacity within the Writing Center. However, that doesn’t mean that you should neglect these important relationships.

Tutor and Writer

This might be the most important relationship you’ll form in your work as a tutor. Working with someone’s writing is an incredibly personal job, and you can’t help but get to know a lot about each other. While the entirety of this handbook is meant to help you form that relationship, there are some points worth reinforcing:

• Tutors are collaborators, not editors.
• Tutors do not work for writers—we work with writers.
• Tutors have no control over the grade an instructor marks on the writer’s paper. All you can do is help the writer improve their writing. Avoid making evaluative statements about the paper like, “This is great! I know you’ll get an A.” Politely deny requests from the writer to assign a grade. Tell the writer you’re not the instructor, but you wish him/her good luck with revision, and that you hope they will get the grade they want to get.
• Tutors  are not academic advisors or life counselors. It’s perfectly okay to talk about school or life, and to sympathize with the writer if they are having a bad day, but maintain a professional distance from very personal topics. If you find yourself being drawn into conversation about the writer’s breakup or how much they hate the class they are taking, try to steer the conversation back to the paper. You might say something like, “I’m sorry to hear about that. I hate days like that. Let’s focus on your paper right now, though. Knowing what to do next might make your day go smoother.”
• If the writer seems distraught, or you are concerned about their well-being, give them a list of campus resources (kept at the front desk) and encourage them to speak to Highline’s Counseling Services.
• Sympathize, but do not become emotionally invested. Remember that you only know the writer’s side of the story.
• Be polite to writers, even when you get irritated. You will get further with politeness than nastiness.
• Writers are not stupid. They should never be patronized, even if they have trouble understanding concepts. Be patient and considerate. Remember the Golden Rule.
• Tutors never have to put up with offensive or insulting behavior from writers. If you become uncomfortable for any reason, speak firmly to the writer and ask them to stop the behavior. If they refuse to do so, end the session immediately. Tell the shift supervisor about the issue, then immediately tell Nicole and Shon.
• If you feel threatened, you don’t have to give any warning before you end the session. Your safety and sense of well-being comes first!
• You will never get in trouble with Shon for ending a session due to harassment or offensive or threatening behavior. However, please tell Shon if this happens so we can talk about what to do next. Don’t suffer alone.
• Don’t give your last name to writers. This is for your safety and privacy.
• If a writer somehow gets your email address, you do not have to respond to emails.
• It’s absolutely fine to tutor with friends, classmates, relatives, or significant others if they are Highline students; however, you are still expected to maintain professionalism during your session.

Tutor and Instructor

Relationships with faculty can be tricky. Do you automatically agree with an instructor, or are you allowed to disagree? The short answer is, you are allowed to disagree, but you must remember that the writer, not you, is in that instructor’s class. A general rule of thumb is to tread lightly when talking about an instructor to the writer.

• Never put down or speak ill of an instructor in a writer’s presence, even if you don’t like the instructor or don’t get along with them. If a writer is upset with an instructor, don’t take sides.
• Sympathize with the writer’s situation, but steer the conversation back to the writing. Avoid saying things like, “Oh, I know what you mean. I hate the way he grades” or, “I never liked them either.”
  Avoid talking about instructors when writers are nearby. You would be amazed at what writers can accidentally overhear.
• Never assume that you know what the instructor wants, even if you’ve had that instructor before. If you’re not sure, feel free to recommend that the writer contact the instructor for clarification.
• Tutors should not contact faculty directly. If you need to give feedback, send an email to Shon and include any information you want the instructor to know.
• If an instructor contacts you and asks you to address concerns they have about a session, you don’t have to answer the questions. Instead, refer the instructor to Shon.
• Always defer to the instructor’s preferences as to formatting, etc. If a writer says, “My teacher told me to do it this way,” acknowledge this by saying something like, “Well, if your instructor wants you to do it this way, then you should for this class.” It’s perfectly acceptable to show the writer an alternate method and remind him/her that they can use that method in other classes.

Tutors and Co-Workers

• You’ll spend a lot of time with your co-workers. Fellow tutors can be your best resource if you’re having trouble, and they often make your job much easier and more enjoyable.
• Remember the Golden Rule: treat others as you’d like to be treated.
• You don’t have to get along with everyone, but if you should be civil and polite to everyone around you.
• Don’t gossip about each other, instructors, or writers, especially not in the Center. Gossip is a workplace killer.
• Be considerate of one another during sessions. If you see a session going on nearby, try not to be disruptive by having loud conversations, listening to music or videos too loudly or otherwise distracting other tutors or writers.
• It’s great to chat with other tutors, but be mindful of your conversations. The Writing Center is an open space, and you never know how far your voice will carry. Keep it G-rated.
• Don’t be afraid to ask questions of other tutors. If you don’t know how to do something, call someone else over.
• If you need to interrupt someone’s session, be polite and be sure to ask the writer if it’s all right.
• Never neglect your writers in favor of conversing with other tutors. The writer is your first priority.

Tutors and ASC Lead Staff

• Your director and lead tutor are there to support you. Let them. If situations come up that are being your ability to deal with, come to us or other lead staff and ask for help.
• The 6th floor program assistant is also your supervisor. Treat her with the same respect you would treat the director or lead tutor.

6th Floor Community Members

• We are neighbors. Be friendly and respectful, and treat them as your co-workers.
• Respect each other’s spaces.
• Create a positive and supportive culture. Don’t automatically bring negativity into interactions.