A Day in the Writing Center

II Jackson Bylund II

 

It’s a beautiful new day, plenty of studying to be done.

But it’s time to go to the Writing Center, where morning shifts just begun!

You go to clock in and the supervisor is there, waiting at the door.

Fill in the time sheet, go off to your space, wait just a few minutes more.

No matter the day, there’s always a nice, productive session to be had,

Full of brainstorms, good grammar, and writing that’s not in the least half-bad

When the student leaves you’re fulfilled, and their survey makes you feel good

You go back to chilling like you’re a villain in your Writing Center hood.

When times are quiet, and all is well, you talk with your coworkers and friends,

Not politics or religion, just Parks and Rec and hipster fashion trends

You learn lots about your coworkers: nice, normal things like their Hogwarts house

Or perhaps about their Facebook stalking habit, or far too much about their spouse.

But after a short time, the old Writing Center is busy once again.

You’ll tutor some students with names like Allison, Jerry, or Ben.

Sometimes you work with near-perfect papers, beautifully written and verbose,

But I swear I’ll jump in a lake if I hear more Ethos, Pathos, or Logos.

It’s not bad, I’m really trying to be patient and kind and all that,

But dear sweet heavens I’m freaking tired of explaining MLA format!

These are the rough sessions that no one likes, full of grief, gripes, and frustration.

It’s nobody’s fault, just a textbook case of poor communication.

You start to feel sad as they head out the door, your mood is just a bit terse.

When you think of their negative exit survey, well, you feel even worse.

Now get over yourself. Let’s be real, sometimes a session or two can suck.

But, seriously! Pull yourself together, next time you’ll have better luck.

So, yeah, working at the good old Writing Center is really lots of fun.

You blink once, then twice, and before you know it your tutoring shift is done.

 

Author Bio:

Jackson Bylund is studying English and journalism at Utah State University, where he works at the Writing Center, his favorite job he has ever had. Jackson discovered a love for writing when the Lord of the Rings movies blew away him away when he was eight-years-old. His interest in comedy and humor began in high school after experiencing one too many sitcoms. He hopes to work as an editor after finishing his education. Jackson’s other interests and hobbies include swimming, religious studies, and takeout Chinese food.

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