If you head down to Mrs. Hardy’s room, room 218, you’ll find the LGHS Writing Lab. Open Wednesday through Thursday, 11:30-12:25, the LGHS writing lab is an open space that aims to help students improve their literacy skills and assist with their writing assignments. The writing lab provides skilled student tutors and a calming space to work on their assignments.

I went down to the lab to scope out the experience and sit down for an interview with Mrs. Hardy. My first impressions walking through the door were how nice the mood was. The lights were dimmed, smooth classical music was faintly playing, and students were respectfully working quietly. This seems like exactly the mood that would be great for getting some writing done and I would even prefer this to the library in some regards.

I had a casual conversation about writing with the tutors, and they all seemed chill and knew what they were talking about. I then began a brief interview with the main instructor, Mrs. Hardy. I asked her what grade levels she has seen the most, and she said “The majority of them have been freshmen, but I think we’ll start seeing more juniors as essays start being assigned.” When asked how students mainly ask her for help, she said, “Mostly students want me to read over their first drafts and then show them how they can improve it. We also find a lot of students needing help finding a starting off point for an assignment.” 

Mrs. Hardy chose her tutors by asking them to email her a writing sample. She used this same sample to judge their writing levels and picked them based off that. I followed up by asking what the most important skills in a tutor are. She said that it is very important for tutors to get along well with others and to be very patient. I asked what she has found are the most common problems people come in with. She said, “Many students have trouble elaborating and structuring their writing. They also commonly struggle with making their writing truly express their thoughts.”

Mrs. Hardy finds that writing can be a challenge for most people, and she hopes the writing lab can be instrumental in overcoming writing challenges. She hopes to see you soon!