Summary, Scope, and Responsibilities
Course Attached Tutors for Writing, or W-CATs, are empathetic listeners, self-reflective learners, and adaptive communicators and collaborators drawn to helping others and supporting their peers in writing-attentive (W) courses with curiosity, care, and respect for linguistic diversity. A W-CAT’s main goal is to listen deeply to and ask questions of student writers taking a particular writing-attentive course (usually an FYS/W1) so those student writers can articulate and reach their writing goals in the course though, often, W-CATs do much more than this! W-CATs also play an important role in helping students in a writing-attentive course understand the professor’s expectations for writing and speaking assignments and even sometimes to simply navigate the unique challenges posed by the college-level writing process. Though having a relationship with a specific course professor is definitely a plus, it is not required to apply for the job. Strong communication skills are definitely important, but anyone with the desire and willingness to work on their writing and tutoring skills while supporting their peers as writers can apply to be a W-CAT for a W-course.
W-CATs work as part of a team of tutors who staff Bates’ Writing & Language Center (WLC). All hired W-CATs will be paid $13.80/hour for all tutoring sessions during which they work with a student and for every staff meeting they attend. They will also be granted permission to (and must!) enroll in the .5-credit course EXDS 201 Writing Tutoring: Supporting Your Peers as Writers, Thinkers, & Communicators while working in the Fall semester as an FYS W-CAT. In the course, W-CATs will work closely with a supportive cohort of other peer tutors to develop and hone the pedagogical tools, self-reflective capacity, and time management skills they need to effectively support the writing goals and voices of a diverse group of students in a W-course. They will also receive peer mentoring and encouragement from experienced Writing Tutors while on the job and in the course. Overall, W-CATs will learn to build student writers’ confidence, draw out students’ unique voices, experiences, and ideas, and challenge oppressive language and linguistic hierarchy, while engaging in reciprocal relationships with the writers with whom they are in community. In this way, W-CATs play an integral role in providing more equitable footing for students in W-courses that use writing as a tool for learning and as a means of access to knowledge and knowledge creation.
The Basics
Department:Writing and Language Center
Supervisor:
Bridget Fullerton
Office Location:
Coram 221
Email:
bfullert@bates.edu
Pay Grade:
Hours:
4
Workers:
35
Qualifications, Requirements, and Responsibilities
Responsibilities
W-CATs are responsible for
--> attending 4 hours of pre-semester orientation at the start of the semester (this is paid work);
--> attending biweekly (once every two weeks) 1-hour staff meetings throughout the semester (this is paid work);
--> enrolling in the .5-credit course EXDS 201 Writing Tutoring: Supporting Your Peers as Writers, Thinkers, & Communicators while working as an FYS W-CAT (coursework is not paid work);
--> communicating on a regular basis with the W-course professor to assure a clear understanding of the professor’s assignment expectations and ways the W-CAT can support the student-writers in the course (may be paid work or part of coursework);
--> designing and setting up a weekly drop-in and/or appointment support schedule of an average of 1-2 hours per week using the Penji app and notifying students in the W-course on a weekly basis of their hours of availability (all tutoring is paid work);
--> showing up for any tutoring appointments in the WLC a few minutes early, and checking the status of their scheduled Penji on a daily basis (all tutoring is paid work);
--> completing end-of-session reports and any other written reflections or reports on tutoring sessions in a timely fashion (this is paid work);
--> occasionally, designing and presenting workshops to students in the W-course on relevant and appropriate topics (may be paid work or part of coursework);
--> communicating and responding through phone and email to Writing & Language Center professional staff and Student Managers, as well as to fellow WLC tutors, in a timely and efficient manner; and
--> listening to and integrating feedback from the professional staff and Student Managers, course professor, other WLC tutors and W-CATs, and tutees/clients to improve tutoring, collaboration, and professional skills.
Requirements
W-CATs must be rising sophomores, juniors, or seniors who are
--> empathetic listeners interested in talking to other students about their ideas and writing;
--> effective communicators willing to improve their writing and communication skills;
--> curious about teaching and tutoring;
--> interested in collaboration, self-reflection, and life-long learning;
open to engaging with antiracist and linguistic justice-minded tutoring practices; and
--> willing to take and integrate feedback from professors, supervisors, fellow tutors, and clients/tutees in order to grow and develop as writers, as tutors, as working professionals.
Before they apply, W-CATs will have
--> worked to improve their own writing process and writing skills;
--> earned a final grade of B or higher in an FYS/W1 course;
--> met with a writing tutor for at least one tutoring session (if you haven’t done this yet, please do so before you apply! Make an appointment with a Writing Tutor on Penji today!).
Reporting
W-CATs must treat their tutees/clients with respect, anonymity, and care and participate as peer equals in the collaborative community of all writing and language tutors who work in the Writing & Language Center (WLC). They must seek to have a collaborative and respectful relationship with the W-course professor. They must also be willing to enthusiastically and respectfully engage with the many other tutors and staff who work in our peer tutoring centers at Bates. W-CATs are hired, trained, and supervised by the professional staff of the Writing & Language Center; Writing Fellows and experienced writing tutors also provide mentoring for new W-CATs. All W-CATs report directly to the professional staff of the Writing & Language Center and are expected to communicate with them and their Student Managers regularly and efficiently.
Working Conditions
W-CATs work in the Writing & Language Center and must be able to work for at least 1.5 hour shifts with other students.