Non-Trads & Ethics

Gardner, E. et. al. "Writing Center Ethics & Non-traditional Students." Writing Lab Newsletter 26.6 (Feb. 2002

As I read this article a lot of different thoughts crossed my mind. 1) (Even though I am not an official writing consultant) I have had moments when people have asked me to proof-read their papers and I may have committed and unethical act by assuming something about them or their paper before actually reading it. 2) Will I ever encounter a “typical” “non-traditional” student in the writing center and will I be prepared having read this article. 3) Will I ever be in the “non-traditional” student’s position later on in life and if so will I be treated this way? Other random thoughts crossed my mind as well but these were the most salient. One of the biggest points however, was the consultant’s feelings regarding older students. The consultant admitted, “With older students I worry about whether they will see me as too “unprofessional,” or another time when the consultant compared advising an older tutee to “reminding [their] grandmother to wear her coat and hat before she goes outside.” How does a consultant handle these situations professional without feeling compromised as to whether or not they are treating each student equally? In some cases the very nature of our upbringing or teachings regarding authority play some role in how we will interact with different students especially the “non-traditional” and even more so when they remind us of an authority figure in our life (a mother, father, aunt, etc).