English 690: Writing Center Theory

North’s essay makes clearer to me what he believes a writing center to be—and what he believes a writing center not to be. What he describes strikes me as noble and good—and therefore desirable. It also strikes me as the sort of thing that administrators are unlikely to value. That it is difficult to persuade composition instructors that this vision is reasonable does not say much for its chances outside the department. And, alas, that a fix-it shop approach does not work is for some not by itself a sufficient recommendation of the model that North describes. Some no doubt conclude that if the fix-it approach is not viable the writing center should be abandoned as a failed endeavor. I wonder if the writing center is destined to struggle for resources and understanding because it is incompatible with the “better life through efficiency” model of education that seems to have prevailed.