Feeling our Feelings in the Writing Center 

Chances are that every consultant in the writing center has experienced a conference like this: the student is sitting with their arms crossed, glancing at the door every couple minutes, and nodding because they simply want the greenlight for their paper. 

It hurts, doesn't it?

When students are passive towards us, their body language conveys what they cannot say out loud:

"I'm bored, 

I don't really care about the paper,

I don't really want to be here".

Quite a blow to these consultants' ego. As writers ourselves, we often strive to make sure our words matter and that our commentary is purposeful. Students who are disengaged from our space can spark a wide variety of emotions, but what is this called? 

Emotional labor! 

Without realizing it, we engage in emotional labor before, during, and after a session. As described by Arlie Hochschild, emotional labor is about how we express and regulate our emotions in order to fit with the organizations' display rules. The Emotional Sponge Perceived Reasons for Emotionally Laborious Sessions and Coping Strategies of Peer Writing Tutors on JSTOR

When display rules set the guidelines for how we express and manage our emotions in the context of the writing center, what does this implicate for consultants? 

It implicates that our organization has influenced what we say, how we act, and how we should to try makes others feel. A simple hello as we walk in for our shift, the immediate attention when a client comes in, the goodbye to fellow co workers as we leave are all examples of the effects of display rules. 

This comes as no surprise. The writing center is known for its welcoming environment, and therefore, the faces that consultants put forward. What may come as a shock is that the faces we put forward are part of a perpetual cycle to show up as the best version of ourselves in classes, in workspaces, and in daily interactions. 

Every day, we find that working at the writing center is not your typical 9-5 job. With it, come many liberties and responsibilities. Among these responsibilities is showing the engagement for our clients in and out of the writing center. These clients may be the people sitting next to us in class, standing behind us in the lunch line, or in our path toward the mailroom. 

Everyday, our engagement as consultants is a part of who we are. Pair this with a personality conflict and an emotionally laborious session, and you can feel a range of emotions. 

From feeling annoyed to disappointed with clients, personality conflicts with clients can have a significant impact on consultants. Given that personality conflicts pertain to when a writer's behavior makes it hard for the consultant to work with the tutor, shedding a light on the consultant in the aftermath of a session is important. 

When asked about a time when a writer showed no interest in engaging in the conference, Hailey Schipper, a senior consultant,  said: "I felt dissatisfied." 

Feelings of dissatisfaction and exhaustion are not uncommon, but learning to cope with them is. 

Displaying and Disclosing 

The writing center may not have outward display rules, but what about the display rules we may have for ourselves? As consultants, we come from different backgrounds and upbringings. We may not share the same display rules as requested by our organization, but we could come to an agreement on what display rules we want to partake in.

For a long time, the writing center's display rules have been in the shadows, always along the lines of "Make sure you're not talking bad about clients." It's important to not badmouth clients, but it's also important to understand why clients might feel the need to divulge the contents of their session to others. 

As mentioned in the Enchiridion, the focus of our work as writing center consultants requires “complex skills, and the situations can often be frustrating. Some papers are difficult to comprehend, some students can be difficult to motivate…student writers become defensive as they protect their texts from alien readers."

Bella Journet, an upcoming Junior consultant, said: "Yes, it can be so hard when I don't know what to say or if I'm even being helpful...I feel so bad, and then they're gone and I'm just unmotivated to do my work."

As students too, we are often in a state of overwhelm with papers to write, resumes to build, and work to uphold. Often, we'll find ourselves operating after pulling an all-nighter, having eaten no lunch or breakfast, and feeling the residue of classes that we are struggling in. 

So what can we do to make consultants a part of the feel-good experience we give to clients? 

We can start by using the emotion wheel! 

Coping With The Feeling 

By learning to identify our primary emotions, we can explore the layers of those emotions in depth, leading to an increase in reflection and understanding for our experiences. 

Once consultants have an idea of the emotions they are facing, they can take active steps towards coping and bouncing back from these emotions. Introducing cognitive restructuring, relaxation practices, and reenergizing are some of the many tools that consultants can choose from. The Emotional Sponge Perceived Reasons for Emotionally Laborious Sessions and Coping Strategies of Peer Writing Tutors on JSTOR

Not only can the emotional wheel be an excellent toolkit for helping consultants grow their emotional vocabulary, but checks ins with coworkers and from our supervisors can play a big role in increasing employee productivity and satisfaction.

Short and simple check in questions such as these can help consultants feel seen and heard:

"How are you, really?"

"How can I better support you in your work?"

"What is your greatest challenge at the moment?"

These questions can prompt supervisors to go beyond the superficiality of their employees and get to know them on a closer level. Hearing consultants' answers may provide insight into how the writing center can continue to build resilient and motivating workers alongside students.

When people feel cared for, they function better, knowing that someone is interested in their day, their stressors', or their emotionally laborious conferences. 

What are the implications for bringing emotions into the workplace? A lot! Research has found that “employees working in cultures of joy and compassion show increased commitment and reduced burnout.” Bringing Emotions Into The Workplace (forbes.com)

The writing center is already halfway there, with our never-ending jar of jolly ranchers, white board jokes and questions, and available coffee and tea for all students and employees.

Coping with our emotions as consultants can be challenging, but it will also prompt us into reflection and get us in touch with our humanity.

Next time you finish an emotionally laborious session, give yourself a pat on the back

and ask yourself "What am I feeling right now?"

Lau, Y. (2020, May 6). Bringing Emotions Into The Workplace. Forbes. Bringing Emotions Into The Workplace (forbes.com)

Chen, C. Im, H. Shao, J. (2020). The Emotional Sponge: Perceived Reasons for Emotionally Laborious Sessions and Coping Strategies of Peer Writing Tutors. The Writing Center Journal, Volume 38. 1-2, 204-223). The Emotional Sponge Perceived Reasons for Emotionally Laborious Sessions and Coping Strategies of Peer Writing Tutors on JSTOR