WHAT WE CALL OURSELVES

Praxis Editorial Board
The University of Texas at Austin

Part of who we are as writing center practitioners is defined for us by the job titles that we’re given. While the most common titles–coach, consultant, and tutor–carry their own advantages, none of them is entirely free of negative connotations. Not all undergraduates identify with an athletic model and want to be “coached,” and this model can also emphasize a power imbalance between writer and coach. While using the term consultant may solve the problem of hierarchy, students who already feel anonymous within corporatized universities may not relish the business feel of a “consultation.” Tutor may sound more personable, but this word’s frequently remedial connotation may demean the peer relationship that writing centers strive to foster. While there is clearly no perfect job title in our field, Haeli Colina, Jon-Carlos Evans, and Judith Rosenberg, offer three positive approaches to defining yourself in the writing center world.