Service Learning Reflection #4

While reading “Inventing the University,” the idea of privileged language and the discourse of academic writing seemed particularly relevant to experiences at NALC. I have always been somewhat uncomfortable writing in an academic setting.  I feel that there are so many technical details required and a certain way of writing to make one sound knowledgeable and authoritative of their work.  I feel I often do not possess these certain skills or rather, am not fully capable of accessing this particular language.  While thinking about my particular education in reading and writing it struck me that the people I have been tutoring have similar struggles.  Though they are not necessarily performing in an academic forum, I am the teacher and their audience.  My knowledge of the English language places me at a level where I am familiar with certain terms and discourse.  This is what the students of NALC are trying to learn.  They are trying to become a part of this world of privileged language.  It therefore becomes a comparable situation.  I am writing for an audience of which I am not familiar with their particular discourse and the NALC students, the non- native speakers, are trying to learn the ends and outs of the specific language.  Though we may both possess a basis of the language, we may not be particularly knowledgeable of the ‘insider’ vocabulary and terminology used.  This can prevent both of us from exploring these languages.  The fear of using the wrong term in front of our audience can hold us back from learning as much as possible.  Every time I sit down to compose a paper anxiety consumes me.  I am afraid that my point does not come across in their language and I will be deemed a bad writer or uninformed on the subject.  This is mimicked through the students of a foreign language.  Often times the students become very self-conscious about speaking at NALC because they are afraid they will use the wrong term or what they say will not make any sense.  In these situations we tend to filter ourselves.  Confidence level is diminished when I, as the writer, and the foreign speaker are aware that we are unfamiliar with the particular discourse.  We end up choosing our words carefully.  In order to overcome this barrier we have been told to practice what we learn.  We have to learn to integrate what we have learned into our basis of knowledge.  Though we may never be entirely comfortable with this “privileged language” whether it be academic writing or foreign speaking, we can get a basic understanding and knowledge that will help us in the future.