The National Conference on Peer Tutoring in Writing

Karaghen Hudson shares her thoughts on the conference:
Describe your favorite session:
I liked the first session I attended by the Edison student and a recent graduate about the WAC program she started. It was inspiring to see how one person made a difference and that her positive change continued to be implemented by current students. If I was to make one suggestion on how to improve the session, I would have liked them to lay out the steps of how they suggest starting the WAC program and how they continue to gain teacher support. However over all, the demonstration of a student’s effectiveness helped me see that what we learned during our self-study would be possible to create within its own environment and that our own mark could remain, even we ourselves are gone.

Describe your own experience presenting?
I enjoyed presenting immensely. Although there were only eight people in the audience, they were very engaged and responsive to what we said, unlike a few of the sessions we attended. Their positive energy combined with the commitment we had to this project got us through the session without any errors and helped ease the nerves any of us had beforehand. I presented with a big smile on my face. I was elated to be there to finally share the major aspects of our study. The forty five minutes went by quickly, and it’s hard to believe even now that it is over. But the neat thing is that the whole process has barely even started; it's just the beginning.

What did you learn from the conference as a whole?
From each individual session I learned about both effective and non-effective presentation techniques and ways to engage the audience. While meeting with the Glenbrook North students I realized how important the art of conversation truly is and how shyness can sometimes get the better of us. Although awkward at times, I felt the visit to the school was a very valuable experience. Actually being at the first place we Skyped with, from a heavily pixilated computer screen to actually standing next to their tea maker and seeing students in the room actually being tutoring, helped me see the bigger picture and the importance high school writing centers within their own community.

What did you learn overall?
The importance of long term planning and vision increased. I also learned that I could love the city, an unexpected gain from this whole process. My passion for implementation of neat ideas grew throughout this process.