Learn Which Course You’ll Support

Before the beginning of the term, you will find out your course assignment. You may have received this assignment because of your experience with the subject, familiarity with the professor, or simply the needs of the WA Program. Be sure to contact Kathy (kevertz@carleton.edu) or Robbie (rgroth@carleton.edu) if you have any questions.

Seek Out the Professor and Have a Conversation About Expectations and Roles

Invite the professor of the course you’re supporting as a WA to lunch at a dining hall during the first week of fall term:

• If you are on board, you can take the professor to lunch at no charge to you.  All you have to do is ask the checker for the charge slip and fill it out with your name and the name of the faculty member. 
• If you live off campus and don’t have a meal plan, Robbie Groth will put Schillers on your OneCard to cover the cost of lunch with the professor.

Use three documents to help you establish an effective working relationship with the professor and the students in the class; in fact, it might be helpful to bring these documents to your meetings with the professor:

• WA Job Description
  
• The Writing Assistant Program at Carleton: Writing Assistants’ Advice to New WAs and Their Wish List for Faculty
• The Writing Assistant Program at Carleton: Some Ways Faculty Can Integrate Writing Assistants in Writing-Rich Courses

Ask the professor for a copy of the syllabus and any writing assignments s/he has prepared.

Ask the professor to print out a photo roster of the class with e-mail addresses for you.

Ask the professor for a class list, and ask him/her to add you to the class email list/Moodle. Use the email list/Moodle to send reminders about your availability, meeting locations, etc.  Some WAs use the Moodle scheduler tool to set up meetings with students.

Explain the things you can and cannot do as a WA (see the Writing Assistant Job Description for more information on hours and what the duties of a WA are and aren’t).

Be sure that you and your prof are clear on your roles and responsibilities. You are a Writing Assistant, not a TA, a grader, or another kind of peer instructor. You are not to conduct class, grade papers, or ever speculate, even if a writer pleads with you, what grade a  paper might receive.

Ask questions that allow you to get some background on how the prof teaches the course: What is the policy on revision? How does the prof feel about well-argued papers that don’t follow the assignment? What kinds of advice does the prof tend to give his/her students on writing? How often should the prof and the WA meet?  What are the prof’s grading/evaluation criteria for assigned writing?

Introduce Yourself to the Students During the Class

Ask the professor when you can introduce yourself to the class.  Ideally, your schedule will permit you to attend class once a week—at least for the beginning of the term. Doing so makes you a visible part of the class, and you will have firsthand knowledge of at least some of the classroom dynamics.

Tell the class briefly what your role is (i.e., you’re not an editor, but you can facilitate their writing process and offer constructive feedback) and invite them to make use of your services.

If no writing is due during the first week, you might want to hold an hour-long orientation meeting one evening, in which you describe your own experiences with writing at Carleton and allow students to ask questions about college writing

Prepare for the First Assignment

As soon as the prof hands out the first assignment, students are going to start thinking about writing papers, and that’s where you come in. Make sure you get a copy of the assignment sheet, and be proactive in scheduling a short meeting with the prof to discuss it. Just have an idea of what to expect. It always looks bad to ask a student, “Now, what was the assignment again?”

Ask the professor to share with you his/her evaluation criteria.  Doing so will allow you to focus your suggestions to students on the things that matter.

Start Scheduling Appointments

Once the first assignment is out, it’s time to distribute a sign-up sheet or email the class with your office hours and location.

If a paper or draft is due on Friday, don’t put all your slots on Thursday. Starting a paper more than 24 hours before the deadline should not be a Herculean task for the students in the course.

Do: Meet in a place that is quiet enough to concentrate but casual enough to put your client at ease. Many WAs like Upper Sayles, Scoville 206, or the 4th floor of the Libe.

Don’t: Meet in a dorm room (too casual and too private), Great Space (too loud), during your shift at the writing center (others have priority on your time), or in the Libe Athenaeum (no talking there!)

Remind, Remind, Remind

After you get the sign-up sheet, send out e-mails, and then send additional reminders the day of the meetings. Do all you can to prevent the dreaded (and unproductive) no-show. If a student asks you to host an emergency session because he or she didn’t show for a scheduled appointment, tell the student that writing consultants at the writing center would be happy to work with him or her.

Your first set of WA meetings is the most important. It is here that you establish a relationship with the students. Make sure you are confident and prepared every step of the way.  Be friendly, approachable, and empathetic. If you don’t put people at ease, they will be reluctant to visit you again.

Your Studies Take Priority

Be sure to coordinate scheduling appointments with your own academic obligations in mind. This means that if you have a paper due on the same date as your WA class does, make sure that you schedule appointments such that you’re left with enough time to complete your work. And remember: if a student does not show for an appointment, you are under no obligation to host an emergency session. Noble sacrifices might be tempting to make, but we don’t expect martyrdom; in fact, we strongly discourage it.

When in Doubt, Contact Your Mentor or Supervisors