First Week Reflections

I started out the week by comparing everything to the Loft, and by Wednesday I was feeling sort of inferior:

"By this point in the quarter in the Loft, I'd have already seen at least ten students! What's wrong with me?"

I had to stop and force myself to reflect on why I was comparing two programs that shouldn't really be compared. The Loft is a well-established program that has existed for years and years; CWU-Des Moines isn't even three years old yet, and the writing center was only really established there last quarter. Most students don't even know it's there at all (yet). The Loft is open six days a week, while last quarter at CWU-Des Moines, the consultant was only on campus two days a week. Students aren't used to someone being available five days a week. The Loft has many tutors; at CWU-Des Moines, there's only me, and I'm not a face the students recognize yet. Everything about my new job is, well--new--so why was I beating myself up because students weren't knocking down my door? It's not like I'm stepping into a well-established writing center, and all I have to do is make sure it keeps running. I'm starting from scratch, and that's going to take a while.

When I reached this point in my reflections, I began to compile a list of the week's small successes, and within a little while, I was starting to feel much better. On Monday, I had no email, no access to the shared files on the computer, no voice mail, no faculty contact list, and no appointments for classroom orientations of consultations. I had an empty office that none of the students knew was there, and there was no real way for me to contact anyone to let them know where I was. By the end of Monday, I had email and a faculty contact list, and two faculty members had invited me in to talk with their classes. On Tuesday, I talked with two more classes, reaching nearly 100 of the 700 students I'm supposed to be serving. On Wednesday, I gained access to the shared files and was able to put my name on the official brochures and print them off so I had something official to give to students. A student actually signed up for a consultation on Wednesday. On Thursday I visited more classes, and as I went, I started to notice more how many students were smiling and nodding at what I had to say. More students were grinning at me in the hallways or when I was sitting at my table in the study hall, with my basket of candy and stack of brochures. On Friday, I had three student consultations and I finally got voice mail, so that next week, students and faculty members will have all the contact possibilities they're supposed to have for me. All things considered, I think I've had a pretty successful week. I think things will continue to improve in the upcoming weeks and months as students get to know me better.

I'm completely exhausted, of course, after worrying all week about how to get students' interest. To prove this, let's look at last night as an example. I'm normally an extremely light sleeper, so light that any little noise will wake me up, and I've slept in ear plugs since high school just to get a full night's sleep. Last night, not only did I conk out at an embarrassingly early hour, but when Michael spilled a soda, cursed, turned on the light to mop it up, rearranged his night stand, and turned out the light again ten minutes later, I didn't even wake up. I'm enjoying my new job thoroughly, because the challenge of starting a writing center is thrilling, but I think the first few quarters will make me very ready for summer vacation!