Re: Magic

["Julie L Bevins" <bevinsju@pilot.msu.edu>]

Maybe (to return, yet again, to the idea of what to name ourselves) we should
be called, not tutors or consultant, but WIZARDS! :)

                                Julie


> > One of the current
practices in the area of magic is to capture the
> testimonials of others, distill them down to an essence, grind the essence
> into dust (you will notice the sparkles immediately), and bottle it: this is
> the dust that Tinkerbell scatters. Commoners called it fairy dust, though in
> the writing center it is known to turn into well-placed commas and
> semi-colons when sprinkled on paper, and is often referred to as miracle motes
..
>
> I have noticed, however, that even after several applications of miracle
> motes, admininstrators' memos do not change: they still require that you
> provide evidence of your magic. (It is rumored that the motes don't work
> because admininstrators--not all-- but many are subject to the cursed black
> wall which weaves its way aroung their hearts preventing any mote miracle.)
>
>
> At 08:25 PM 9/17/96 -0500, you wrote:
> >I have a really embarrassing message.  Bear with me.  It's hard to get it
> >out.
> >
> >I have recently found that the most effective pr I do, for both students
> >and faculty, is to say that visits to the Writing Center create magic.
> >
> >The testimony of the lead faculty member in our basic writing course is
> >typical.  When I added assessment of the WC as one of our assessment goals
> >in the first Freshman Comp Committee meetings, she said, "Why assess the
> Writing
> >Center?  Students go  there, they write better.  What else can we assess?"
> >Sounds like magic to me.
> >
> >Similar testimony comes from students.  "I hated my conferences.  They were
> >awful.  Unfortunately, I had to go because my writing kept getting better."
> >
> >My question:  How do we quantify magic?
> >
> >Clearly this "testifyin'" is not real assessment, and indeed poses a problem
> >for assessment.
> >
> >I still think I will feature TInkerbell (that's the appropriate level, isn't
> >it?) in any promotion I do this semester.
> >
> >I think I know where the magic origninates, but when I tell *outsiders* about

> >WC theory and practice, their eyes glaze over.  So why not present it in term
s
> >of magic?
> >Linda Coblentz
> >UH-Downtown
> >
>
> joan
>
> Writing Center
> Univerity of Toledo
> Toledo, Ohio 43606-3390
> 419-530-4913
> 419-530-4752 (fax)
> jmullin@uoft02.utoledo.edu
>
>
>