The TWU Writing Centre\u00a0<\/span>is designed for exceptionality.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Its space is highly moldable<\/span>, its\u00a0<\/span>sessions<\/span>\u00a0highly\u00a0<\/span>multimodal.\u00a0<\/span>It is not afraid to be experimental<\/span>\u00a0for the sake of supporting growth and learning.\u00a0<\/span>It was, to an extent, equipped to\u00a0<\/span>take on the most<\/span>\u00a0exceptional<\/span>\u00a0of<\/span>\u00a0circumstance<\/span>s.\u00a0<\/span>But the Covid-19 pandemic, in return,\u00a0<\/span>was not always equipped to accommodate its staff and students.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>In 3 years at the Writing Centre,\u00a0<\/span>this semester was the single most challenging one for me.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>The transition from\u00a0<\/span>in-person to fully online left me<\/span>, almost overnight, confronted\u00a0<\/span>by\u00a0<\/span>brain malfunctions in each of the following areas.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n object permanence<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201c<\/span><\/i>I<\/span><\/i>f I can\u2019t see it, it doesn\u2019t exist.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Where is the<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>note paper<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>whiteboard\u00a0<\/span>+\u00a0<\/span>marker,\u00a0<\/span>APA<\/span>\u00a0guide<\/span>book,<\/span>\u00a0grammar handout,<\/span>\u00a0client report form<\/span>, student survey device<\/span>?<\/span>\u00a0Laid out on a Writing Centre table, I can see them<\/span>\u00a0all. Hiding behind\u00a0<\/span>layers of browser tabs, they don\u2019t exist.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n motor processing<\/span><\/b>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201c<\/span><\/i>When b<\/span><\/i>rain, eyes, mouth, and hands<\/span><\/i>\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0<\/span><\/i>talk to each other.\u201d<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Oh, right, the Zoom chat box exists. I totally k<\/span>new that<\/span>; I use it every session. But<\/span>\u00a0how\u00a0<\/span>do I<\/span>\u00a0access it<\/span>?\u00a0<\/span>Nope,<\/span>\u00a0that says<\/span>\u00a0\u2018Leave Meeting<\/span>.<\/span>\u2019<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>T<\/span>ype<\/span>, delete, type<\/span>, oh,\u00a0<\/span>hands\u00a0<\/span>accidentally landed a little too far left on the keyboard<\/span>\u00a0– would\u00a0<\/span>the student know what a<\/span>\u00a0\u201c<\/span>rgwaua<\/span>\u00a0statement\u201d<\/span>\u00a0is?<\/span>\u00a0Is<\/span>\u00a0it more efficient to<\/span>\u00a0hit Enter<\/span>, say \u201csorry typo<\/span>\u201d out loud and type *thesis?<\/span>\u00a0Or\u00a0<\/span>backspace everything and start again?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Or can I just backspace the one word? Oh, right,\u00a0<\/span>the cursor exists<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n There is so much\u00a0<\/span>internal coordination needed to<\/span>\u00a0show a student a website,<\/span>\u00a0sketch a\u00a0<\/span>quick\u00a0<\/span>visual of<\/span>\u00a0a funnel,\u00a0<\/span>inconspicuously check for the next appointment,\u00a0<\/span>cough, sneeze, burp without making the student\u00a0<\/span>wince.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n sensory integration<\/span><\/b>\u00a0and regulation<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201c<\/span><\/i>P<\/span><\/i>ungent visuals<\/span><\/i>,\u00a0<\/span><\/i>fl<\/span><\/i>ickering<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/i>discussions, chatty textures.\u201d<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n How do we brainstorm all these cool ideas and\u00a0<\/span>explore these<\/span>\u00a0media<\/span>\u00a0when everything is flat and nothing makes sense?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>How do<\/span>\u00a0I\u00a0<\/span>point out our<\/span>\u00a0Higher Order Concerns (HOCs) and Lower Order Concerns (LOCs) when<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>the essay\u2019s structure\u00a0<\/span>is misspelled and the<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>singular\/plural nouns<\/span>\u00a0are making a circular argument?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>There are so many different stimuli to regulate, coming from only two sources of output: computer screen, headphones.\u00a0<\/span>It\u2019s possible these topic sentences need more a<\/span>ctive verbs, but\u00a0<\/span>really,\u00a0<\/span>it\u2019s hard to know when everything is too bright and too loud.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n working memory<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cSieve memory.\u201d<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n So the thesis statement wants to\u00a0<\/span>pull together the ideas from\u00a0<\/span>this, this,\u00a0<\/span><\/i>and\u2026<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>what was the\u00a0<\/span>idea from<\/span>\u00a0para 3\u00a0<\/span>that was just<\/span>\u00a0mentioned?\u00a0<\/span>I can\u2019t just\u00a0<\/span>casually\u00a0<\/span>glance<\/span>\u00a0over\u00a0<\/span>the student\u2019s<\/span>\u00a0shoulder to refer to<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0<\/span>outline anymore.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Did\u00a0<\/span>they\u00a0<\/span>just say an evaluative thesis is\u00a0<\/span>required<\/span><\/i>, or\u00a0<\/span>recommended<\/span><\/i>,\u00a0<\/span>and<\/span>\u00a0now that I\u2019ve found a pen,<\/span>\u00a0what was the word count and\u00a0<\/span>due date again? I can\u2019t just casually glance\u00a0<\/span>over\u00a0<\/span>their\u00a0<\/span>shoulder to refer to<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>the<\/span>\u00a0syllabus<\/span>\u00a0anymore.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Everyone has had to adapt to new changes and new technologies this semester. Some of these changes make learning more manageable, more accessible. Some do the opposite. Everyone experiences learning differently. The most striking thing about tackling learning curves as a collective is how important it is to work together. I have met numerous students who feel similarly impaired by aspects of the technology, but they trust me to not be too quick to point out their\u00a0<\/span>grammar\u00a0<\/span>mistakes when they\u2019re\u00a0<\/span>transcribing\u00a0<\/span>notes under time pressure<\/span>; they trust me<\/span>\u00a0to leverage on their strengths when they disclose a learning disorder.<\/span>\u00a0I trust them to not plagiarize when I copy-paste something into the chat box instead of sharing my desktop screen. And as tricky as it is to do drop-in sessions when you can\u2019t see who all is in the Writing Centre space, my embedded students and I trust each other to make sure session allocation is as balanced and fair as possible. This semester, we all put our heads together and pooled our creativity, skills, and strategies to make progress exceptionally memorable through the exceptional challenges.<\/span>\u00a0But oh boy. It\u2019s been a wild ride.<\/span>