Building With Someone

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Two of the most challenging and frustrating aspects about incarceration that I have encountered are stagnation of the mind and helplessness towards those we interact with and value. In recent years, educational programs have increased at our maximum security prison Stateville Correctional Center, which has helped to relieve the anxieties felt by many with this disposition. Once North Park University extended the umbrella of their Writing Center to North Park students housed at Stateville in 2019, fourteen men including myself were given the opportunity to be trained Writing Advisors who work alongside one another in a community designed to serve others. As Writing Advisors functioning in a culture or social environment centered on immediate results, however, one challenge comes in shifting students’ focus to the process of writing instead of the final product. It can be fulfilling to help others tap into their potential or improve in certain areas when it comes to writing, but one of the real hidden beauties of being a Writing Advisor is in the reciprocation of learning found in consultations with students and interactions with fellow advisors.

Prison can be a microcosm of the attitudes and behavior patterns generated by a fast-paced, instant-result-oriented broader society made of guys who had previously been used to getting things the way they wanted and when they wanted, whether by force or taking shortcuts in the midst of a fast life. Even though prison restricts and forces patience in many areas, this instant-result-laden attitude can be prevalent when dealing with the few things in our control, such as writing. In terms of papers, for example, most of us would like to do one draft, maybe two at the most, of whatever material we are trying to produce. However, the process of writing requires patience and may include a series of revisions and rewriting, as noted by Charles Murray when he claims, “Revision is not the end of the writing process but the beginning” (1). As an aspiring writer myself, I did not have any knowledge of the importance of being prepared to revise and rewrite numerous times before encountering this idea while reading Murray’s book The Craft of Revision. As a Writing Advisor in training, taking part in “An Introduction to Writing Center Studies” instructed by Melissa Pavlik (Spring 2019) allowed me to learn revision tools that could aid in explaining the importance of the writing (and rewriting) process to others.

One specific tool I use when conferencing with a student is what Jo Mackiewicz and Isabelle Thompson call “motivational schaffolding.” This type of scaffolding is rooted in “politeness,” and it allows me to create an environment of comfort for a student based on an intuitive feel for that particular person. I usually start by asking questions that are equivalent to icebreakers, but that also serve as a way to help me define what that student’s immediate goals are. Once that is completed, I can then evaluate according to how much time is available and decide what the HOC’s (higher order concerns) are that need to be addressed. As Mackiewicz and Thompson say,

Five politeness strategies are connected to motivational scaffolding: praise, statements of encouragement or optimism about students’ possibilities of success, demonstrations of concern for the students, expressions of sympathy and empathy, reinforcement of students’ feelings of ownership and control. (428)

I consider these strategies as options when conferencing with peers.

Upon learning about the nuances of scaffolding, I immediately associated this tool with a term that I and others are familiar with at Stateville: “building with someone.” I am not sure where this term is derived from, but it is commonly used when cellmates bond or engage in conversations to get to know each other better. I have discovered that being a Writing Advisor depends on the ability to communicate or converse effectively. The ability to set a positive foundation and “build” on it by “building with someone” during conversation can go a long way towards gaining an understanding of what that student wants to accomplish. In turn, that understanding works in a way that allows me as a Writing Advisor to communicate clearly what adjustments are needed. Essentially, building with someone incorporates the same concepts as scaffolding; Stateville we have been using the term “building” unaware that the term “scaffolding” is a synonym.

I view the goal Stephen North claims in “The Idea of a Writing Center” of producing “better writers” instead of “better writing” as a long-term goal. When a student is focused only on getting the best grade possible for a specific paper or assignment, thinking big picture and maintaining long-term writing goals may be beneficial even towards a student who has short-term goals. As a Writing Advisor, I may only get one opportunity to ever help or work with a particular student. So the idea of being able to impact them in a way that not only helps with the specific product but also in future writing endeavors is something I subscribe to. I would like to think of it as leaving a lasting impression. In doing so, I recognize that with all activities that have a repetitive fashion, i.e. weightlifting, playing an instrument, bad habits or techniques can develop and hinder growth and progress. It is the same way with writing. Being able to locate and explain in a positive manner what those techniques or habits are becomes key to improving that student’s writing process. As the student becomes cognizant of those bad techniques or habits and is motivated to make the necessary adjustments, the consistency of the approach of recognizing and replacing bad writing habits with the repetition of good ones will produce better writers. In a conference, for example, I may work together with a student to place emphasis on repetition of building good habits and revision practices.

I am relatively new to writing advising, so there is a lot left to learn in the future. What I have learned so far is that the constant exchange of information keeps minds or at least my mind from stagnation, and there is always someone in Stateville in need of help to become a better writer. With the implementation of Writing Advisors at Stateville, fourteen men have embraced the patient approach to the writing process, and I believe have become better writers because of that. I also believe that many more will embrace the writing process as this writing center continues to expand.

Works Cited

Bruffee, Kenneth. “Peer Writing and the Conversation of Mankind.” (The Oxford Guide for Writing Tutors.) 2016. Oxford University Press.

Murray, Donald. The Craft of Revision. (Thomas Heinle, 2004).

North, Stephan. “The Idea of a Writing Center.” College English. Vol. 46 1984.

Author Bio

Rayon Sampson is a Jamaican immigrant and current MA candidate in Christian Ministry at North Park Theological Seminary's School of Restorative Arts. He is also a Writing Advisor, class representative, and aspires to be a youth minister.