The Writing Center serves Whatcom students who are writing for classes and for job and college applications. In the center, readers and writers talk—about an assignment, possible topics, the writer’s views and experiences, how to get started, how to cite sources, any subject related to a project. The writer’s goals and interests determine the direction any session will take, and their knowledge, languages, and experiences will be its foundation; the reader’s role is to assist as the writer explores their ideas and options. The readers on staff are curious, active, friendly, multilingual students who enjoy working and talking with others. We participate in ongoing staff education, are Writing Center users ourselves, regularly update our knowledge of WCC and online resources, and continually reflect on our interactions with writers. In the Writing Center, we work to create a collaborative, safe, intellectually-stimulating environment that welcomes students' views and voices and supports energetic, genuine student scholarship.
Farhad and one of our "regulars".
Last year I had the opportunity to work at Whatcom Community College's writing center as a "peer reader." The work was amazing, and the community was even better. This experience prompted my curiosity about writing center work and how the writing center is founded on writing studies and composition pedagogy, especially social expressivism. I witnessed students of color or from non-traditional backgrounds opened up as they discussed their writing projects with our "peer readers."
To investigate how the writing center cultivated a open, welcoming and encouraging learning and writing environment I collect three kinds of data: