Writing Center

By: Catherine Wu, Ashley jJiang, Clark Wu, Anna Kim, Andrea Nystedt

Long loved by the Exeter community, the Writing Center reopened its doors on Monday, September 13 with a new addition of the Language Center.

As a part of the Center of Teaching and Learning, faculty and staff members in the Writing Center will assist students in designated classrooms of Phillips Hall on Monday to Thursday nights from 7 to 9:30p.m. upon appointments or drop-ins. Other faculty and peer tutors at the Center of Teaching and Learning will assist students in math, Latin, and modern languages.

English Instructor Alex Myers ran a “little pilot” of the Writing Center around five or six years ago. “Students and parents all wanted it and teachers were of course willing to help, but it felt catch-as-catch-can, didn’t feel organized,” he said. “Teachers would run all over the place to meet the students and there was no way to compensate them for putting in extra time.”

History Instructor and Writing Center staff Meg Foley explained the motivation behind the return of the student center following an ease in COVID restrictions. “We never wanted the center to stop,” Foley said, “it just proved logistically challenging to have teachers here and not overload them with work. Due to the pandemic last year, we felt a renewed commitment to re-start the center.” 

When Myers and Foley reintroduced the Writing Center to the faculty, Latin and Modern Languages Instructors also got involved. “I loved it when I would go to the library and see a faculty member at the table next to a little sign saying ‘Writing Center.’ I would think to myself: the students are so lucky to have that support, why can’t we have that for our students?” Spanish Instructor Jackie Flores said. “So the department banded together and we decided that we wanted to do it. When Mr. Myers gave us the green light, we were so excited.”

The Writing Center is seeing excellent turnout: in its first six nights of operation, students made 36 appointments. “Students are coming in to work on their college essays and their papers, but they’re also coming in for feedback on the poems and short stories that they’ve written in their free time,” Myers said.

“That’s really the long term goal of the Writing Center,” Myers continued, “to help students who feel that writing takes a long time and is this frustrating enterprise actually enjoy engaging in a writing process that is pleasant and meaningful.”

English Instructor Genny Moriarty, Director of the Writing Center, added that she was excited to launch additional programs as well. “I'm hoping to introduce some additional, targeted programming in collaboration with the History, Religion, and English Departments,” Moriarty said. “Like short workshops on moving from topic to thesis, or writing strong intros and conclusions—to complement and reinforce the work of teachers in the classroom.”

“Tutors assigned to drop-ins will be able to help students just as they would with a scheduled appointment. If several students show up at the same time, the tutors can suggest relevant exercises and have one student working quietly while they help another,” Moriarty continued.

Casey Kimball-Marfongelli, a dining service staff member and an English graduate, expressed his excitement for the center. “I loved writing in college and high school while taking creative writing lessons on my own,” Kimball-Marfongelli said, “I’m excited to help students feel that enthusiasm again.”

Myers added, “I think this is a great opportunity for students to see that there are adults in the community who aren’t faculty members but can still be sources of support. They’re interesting people and they can teach everyone in this community a lot outside of a classroom setting.”

English Instructor Lundy Smith discussed various works he. “I've helped with college essays, a couple of English narratives, and I worked on a poem the other night with a student... In the past, I've worked on history papers and religion papers. I had a student one time who was writing a letter to an ambassador, so I helped her with formatting and the correct way to address a letter to an ambassador. You get all kinds of cool stuff going on.”

“One of my hopes that we're seeing right away is the kids are using it [Writing Center]. I think that's outstanding, and the kids aren't afraid to come in and ask for help on something. It's a great situation because there's no pressure since I'm not the student's teacher. It's kind of just a chance to talk about writing without any of the pressures of a grade or something else associated with it,” Smith said.

As the year progresses, students may find themselves using the Writing Center more often. “I'm assuming once teachers start assigning more papers, things are going to pick up,” Smith said. “We may find that during a certain time of the year, we need to add staff members for papers, if it gets really crazy around midterms. I think one of the things to do is to track the number of people who use it. For example, I had two signups last Thursday, but I also had three drop-ins, they just jumped in and got help,” Smith continued.

The Language Center works similarly as the Writing Center, but with the addition of student proctors. “In the Language Center, we help students review their lessons, answer language related questions and help them prepare for class assessment,” Zhou said. “It is for any student who might have some difficulties or just want to come to practice speaking the language. Also, we have a dedicated quiet space for students who want to work on their assignments in the Language Center.”

“The proctors were nominated by the faculty… The first week for the Center, we gave some training to student proctors. I think learning what their role is and how they can best serve the students is very useful,” Zhou said.

“I’m excited because I want our kids to take advantage of all resources, especially from strong students in our languages,” Flores added. “Coming to the Language Center isn’t a form of punishment, it’s just an opportunity to tie up loose ends and get explanation and practice from other students in what may be a less intimidating environment. Now there’s no excuse for not understanding.”

“We want this to fulfill the needs of each and every student’s needs, be it grammar explanation or pronunciation or just wanting to read a chapter of a book together with someone more experienced with the language. We’re not here to give them the answers, but tools they can use in and outside of their classes,” Flores said.

Regarding this year’s new addition of the Language Center, STEM, and math tutoring, Smith commented, “Fantastic. It's such a great resource for the kids... I like the fact that they can plan their evening around to go get help from somebody who's going to give them really helpful advice because they probably know what's going on.”

 Many students have benefited from the Writing and Language Center. “I was having trouble writing an English paper, so I went to speak with Mr. Harrington, a teacher I had never met before. He helped me to organize my thoughts and pointed to places in the essay that needed to be developed in order to show the reader what I was really trying to get across,” senior Oliver Riordan said.

“I think that the Writing Center’s reintroduction has enabled students to receive the help they need in English and modern language, while also connecting them with teachers that they might not have met otherwise,” Riordan added. 

Senior Mana Vale agreed. “[This year,] I took my college essay to the writing center. I did not know how to go forward with it because I was like, ‘Okay, how do I make this better,” Vale said. “It was really nice to hear an English teacher tell me what I could do even more to improve it.”

Senior Mana Vale expressed that more students should turn to the Writing Center. “I hope that younger students, not just seniors will utilize this, because it is really helpful. If you take the time to go and do it, then it can make a really big difference.”

Teachers also hoped the Writing and Language Centers would gain more recognition amongst the student body. “I think word of mouth from the kids [is one way for more recognition of the Center]. We sent out emails to the student body but I know a lot of times emails come in and we just throw them away. I am on with a number of my peers in the English Department and we've actually posted a link to sign up for the Writing Center right on our Canvas homepage. It's always there so the kids know, and I encourage them to use it because I think it's a great resource,” Smith said.

Chinese Instructor Ning Zhou also discussed possible ways for the Centers to popularize. “The first way is for language teachers to share this news to their students in class. Second, Mr. Myers sent out an email to all advisors with the hope that advisors can mention these resources to their advisees. There are also various posters around campus and inside Phillips Hall for students to get to know about the Language Center,” Zhou said.

French Instructor Katherine Fair talked about her expectations for the center. “We hope that the Language Center will provide a new source of effective support to our language students,” she said. “We are optimistic that students will benefit significantly from the new program.” 

  Vale, who is a French proctor, discussed how she chose to become a Language proctor. “I proctor on Wednesday nights every other week and it fits in my schedule quite nicely,” she said. “I personally signed up [to become a proctor] because I’m not taking the language [class’ this year, but I wanted to stay connected with French, and this was just one way for me to do it. I really hope that people come so that I can also reinforce my language skills,” Vale continued.

Senior and French proctor Sava Thurber shared similar thoughts. “Some students come in with a particular question in mind and other students come in just wanting a place to do their language homework. I have had a few students just do their reading in front of me to practice reading and speaking the language and I have also spent time memorizing spellings with other students.” 

“I think the language teachers should openly advertise the Center as a place where students can go to do their work even if they don't need help from a proctor or a teacher,” Thurber continued.

Upper and Spanish proctor Sofia Morais spoke about her goals for the Centers. “Hopefully, I can help other students gain more confidence in their speaking and writing skills, as well as gain an appreciation for their language.” 

Lower and German proctor Rex Bedwick agreed. “I hope that the center grows in popularity as the year goes on. It really is a unique resource for students who might not want to go to their teachers for help.” 

Bedwick continued, “I think that as long as people know that we’re a resource for help, students who need it will naturally come — we don’t need to force anyone into it.” 

Upper and Japanese proctor Grace Nivera discussed the pros to attending the Centers. “It's a really welcoming and informal setting, so it removes the pressures one would normally feel in a classroom. It's really easy to talk to the proctors and ask for help.” 

Thurber agreed. “I hope that it remains a casual place where students can go to get help or just do their work individually. Obviously, there is no stigma against getting help, but I want to make sure that the culture surrounding the Language Center stays positive and encouraging.”

Myers elaborated on the Centers’ atmosphere and purpose. “I would just love to open the door of Phillips Hall at eight o’ clock on any given weeknight and walk around and see students writing up problems on the whiteboard in the Elting room and hear French being spoken down the hallway and say hi to the students quietly studying on their own as they wait for an appointment,” Myers said. “I just want there to be a hub where students know they can go and ask for help. That would make me so happy.”