Getting Out of Our Comfort Zone

It is only as we develop others that we permanently succeed.

--Harvey S. Firestone

Our discussions this week about conflict resolution and experiencing the limits of “comfortable” collaboration really struck a chord with me.  I feel that all too often we shield our knowledge from others out of a fear that the writers asking for our help will see right through our guidance and only see opposition.  But what we have to offer the writers at Boise State is so much more than questions of clarity, mechanics, and form. 

I feel that sometimes what a writer needs is for the session to get “dirty”.  Ask the tougher questions that open their eyes to the opposition when their assignment calls for it.  Just as we need to understand that they aren’t attacking us as people when their claim goes against what we personally believe, they need to realize that we aren’t attacking theirs when we advise them to seek out their opposition.  Understand their “enemy” if you will.  Because, at the end of the day, one of the most fundamental qualities one must demonstrate in the real world is the art of rhetorical effectiveness. 

I believe that our center carries the burden of not just being there to help writers write but to help students understand their role as citizens of the world.  And it’s not so much as a burden but an opportunity to remind us that we have the ability to learn just as much from them as they do from us. 

I didn’t have the pleasure of witnessing a consultation this week.  However, in talks with consultants this week I found that this dance of advising students is a tricky one.  Once we’ve struck a chord in some writers, they can see us as more than writing consultants but as student guides and we must be careful in that we don’t have the luxury of holding their hand throughout their college experience.  Remember that we are there to instill the foundation, teach them to think critically for themselves. 

Maybe it’s a generational gap that I’m experiencing but I have to admit that this week was a bit difficult for me in that I saw the major issue of uncomfortable collaboration as something to look forward to.  The writing process is messy, and downright ugly-- at least for me—so as a writer I want a consultant that isn’t afraid to question my stance on an issue, force me to look outside of my little protective cocoon made up of my beliefs and values to see what my paper is lacking.  And in the end, I will know that my consultant is trying to make me a better writer; a better citizen of the world.  If we can take this approach with us when we consult will all writers, then I believe that success is truly ours for the taking.