Westchester Community College, State University of New York

Beth: I was interested in teaching writing. At the time, I had experience as a published writer and experience running writing workshops. I was working as a freelance writer, and it wasn’t long before I realized I needed to get out of the house a few days a week for some socialization. As we’ve all learned in the last few years with COVID, working from home can be so isolating. I remember when I was doing freelance writing, I would get excited to see another human in the form of the UPS person delivering a package. It was then that I realized I needed to get out of the house a few days a week.

Also, Westchester Community College was always special to me. College was not an option in my family, so I went into hairdressing and earned my license as a cosmetologist and did that for many years. I burned out from that profession. One of my friends at the time was a teacher at the Bronx High School of Science. That inspired me and I thought maybe I could do something else with my life, but I didn’t have enough money to go to school and afford my apartment, so I answered an ad in the newspaper for a widower who needed a nanny for his four children. So, I gave up my single life, packed up my apartment in the Bronx, moved in with them, and enrolled as a student at WCC. I identify with a lot of our students for many reasons; when I came to WCC I was a 26-year-old student with all of the fears that a lot of our students have. I didn’t know how to use a keyboard or use a computer. I hadn’t written a paper in ten years, and I couldn’t do math to save my life. I was anxious, didn’t know if I could do it and I felt old. I’ll be 64 in January, and I look back on that and think who was that girl who thought she was old at 26? At any rate, I wanted to give back to the college that opened so many doors for me and to encourage students that they too could do it.

Beth: The students. Most definitely. I’ve worked with so many of them over the years both tutoring them and working with them as co-workers. I wanted to be an inspiration and a mentor to them. I wanted to be that person I didn’t have growing up so much. The person who said, “You can do this. It may not be easy, but you can do this, and it will be worth every amount of effort you put into it.” Our students’ stories are inspiring and humbling. It’s not easy for a lot of them, but still, they persist against the odds. I never fail to get choked up at graduation when I see a student we’ve worked with, and I know their back story and I know how hard they’ve struggled to get through their courses. When I see the smiles on their faces when they walk across that stage and get their degree and their parents and relatives are beaming at them from the audience, I feel like I contributed a little bit.

I’d also be remiss if I didn’t mention my colleagues both in the department in the form of coordinators and tutors and teaching and non-teaching faculty members across the campus who have helped me along the way. Before I came here and after I earned my degree from NYU, I worked in some pretty cutthroat industries, and I always marveled at how helpful everyone here was helping me learn the ropes. When I didn’t know or understand something, one of my colleagues would take the time to help. Then it dawned on me—they are teachers, that’s why. Sometimes it takes me awhile to get things. LOL!

Beth: I think one of the most helpful things I’ve been able to incorporate has been the collaboration I have created with Paige Ackerson-Kiely, the Director of the MFA Writing Program at Sarah Lawrence College. Every semester, we do outreach to students working on their MFA in writing and offer them tutoring opportunities. It’s a great collaboration as the Sarah Lawrence students are great with writing and can relate to the struggles that go into creating a piece of writing — the process of brainstorming, drafting, etc. They work really well with our students and are also interested in teaching and building a resume. It’s been a real challenge for the ASC to find tutors for a myriad of reasons and the collaboration that Paige and I have created really helps us to bridge that gap when we are looking for writing tutors.

Beth: Ha! I can’t even think about that at the moment. I’m just trying to tie things up on this end. I’m not calling it retirement. I’m calling it “rewirement.” This was not an easy decision for me to make and is coming a bit earlier than I expected due to a number of things. I do have some pieces I’ve written that I would like to find homes for and I’ve been working on a book project for forever. Having worked on the computer for the last three years I’ve developed an aversion to going near it after work hours which is a huge detriment to my own writing. After I detox from the computer in January, I would like to devote some time to my own writing and see where it lands. Publishing has changed so much from when I was freelancing, so it will be a new learning process for sure.

Beth: Our tutors are the real unsung heroes of the Academic Support Center. We have a lot of very accomplished people working for us. Many have multiple degrees, some hold PhDs and were quite accomplished in their fields before they came to us. They work tirelessly day after day, attend training often unpaid, stay late, come in early, or fill in at the last minute for someone who is out sick. They work really hard and for the same $15.00 an hour that I was making 21 years ago when I started here. This isn’t easy work. It is rewarding, but it would be great if they could be awarded more monetarily for all of the work they put in. We couldn’t have a thriving tutorial without their selflessness. We salute you, Beth! You will be sorely missed.

October 20th was the National Day on Writing, a celebration of writing across the country. This day was founded by the National Council of Teachers of English back in 2009 because of how important writing is to literacy. To celebrate at WCC, the Academic Support Center asked students to share one of their favorite words. We published them in this fun word cloud.

FALL 2022 NEWSLETTER

The Academic Support Center
Building Minds, Building Futures

Professor Joanna Peters: One Classy Coordinator

by Beth Holden

Any student who has ever spent any amount of time in the Academic Support Center is sure to recall the smiling face of Joanna Peters, ESL/Reading and Study Skills Coordinator greeting them, helping them sign in and out, encouraging them to succeed in their studies, or just checking in to see how they were doing. She did this no matter how busy she was, and make no mistake, she was always busy. While managing the daily activities of the ESL/Reading and Study Skills Tutorial, she remained active all over campus, teaching as an adjunct in both the Reading and English Departments, serving on DEAC, Middle States, Title V, the WCCFT Union Executive Board, the Union Scholarship Committee, and others too numerous to list. No matter what, she always made time for the students. Students were drawn to her rare combination of mentor, mother, instructor, nurturer, you-can-do-it cheerleader, task master (only when necessary), all rolled together with a sprinkle of non-conformity and a dab of mischief.

Although soft spoken and petite in stature, Joanna, a powerhouse resolute in her ideas and in her staunch advocacy for students, was always determined to cheer students on and see them through to graduation. Recently, I had the privilege to reminisce with her about her career.

“I was hired part-time by Marilee Silverman, Chair of the Reading and Study Skills Department, to be an adjunct instructor. Towards the end of that year, she felt bad she couldn’t give me more than one class, so she suggested I go to the ASC to see if they would give me some hours so that I wasn’t coming all the way in for just one class. Andy Wainer was the Reading Coordinator at the time, and Susan Markman, the head of the ASC, hired me to be a reading tutor.” The following year, there was an opening for an overall Coordinator position. “Susan Arietta and I were hired on one line, so Andy, Susan and I shared one office on the 3rd floor of the old library. Susan and I always sat in the middle of everything, and we liked it.” She laughs, “I don’t know how we survived working out in the open all the time.”

And although Joanna was hired as an overall Coordinator, eventually there became a need for an ESL tutorial and a Coordinator to run it.

“ESL students really didn’t have a place to go and that’s how we established the ESL area. It wasn’t until later that reading and ESL were combined.” It was a perfect fit because Joanna could relate to our ESL students on many levels. She was an immigrant who came to this country as a baby in her parents’ arms after they fled the Nazis in Poland. My parents best way possible. We always talked about being ‘in loco parentis.’ You’re taking the place of parents in some ways. It puts a tremendous burden on kids who are living in two cultures. It does mold who you are.” Once settled in the Southeast Bronx, her parents had little means, but they made sure they had an Encyclopedia Britannica and Joanna and her sister had as much access to education as their parents could give them. Joanna tells me that for two girls from immigrant parents, they have fared well. “My sister is a geriatric endocrinologist, and I’ve had the pleasure of being at the college all these years. I understand what it means to come from nothing and work toward a goal, and I wanted to help students get to their goals, whatever they happened to be.”

And like a lot of our adult students, life’s twists and turns lead Joanna to a place where, as an adult, she had to go back to work full time to support herself and her small children. “It was scary, because I didn’t have any support.”

In true Joanna fashion, she figured out a way. “You always figure out a way. If you can’t have plan A you have to have a plan B.” Her plan B was to draw from her long teaching career. Prior to working at WCC, Joanna had put herself through school and had held positions as a nursery schoolteacher, an elementary schoolteacher, and an English Instructor at Hunter College. So, when the time came for her to go back to work full time and be the sole supporter of her family, she had the experience and education behind her to apply for a full-time position at WCC.

Once landing the full-time coordinator position, Joanna didn’t stop pursuing her love of learning. In her early fifties, she earned her ESL degree by taking evening classes, with her colleague, Susan Arietta, at the College of New Rochelle after work. And this experience helped her to relate to our adult returning students taking evening classes while holding down full-time jobs.

Joanna’s advice to students: “Never give up the pursuit of education, learn every day. Understand what’s most important in life. It might be if they understand the value of education that people can be transformed like those little girls from the Bronx. I think that’s a big deal, the transformative nature of our jobs. You’re watching a total transformation take place. I’ve seen that in students across the years, and I attribute that to education and the opening of minds.”

I hear the excitement in her voice as she recalls the countless student experiences she’s had over the years: there was the part-time evening student in her College Reading and Study Skills class who had four part-time jobs and was the father of four boys who went on to graduate from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and started a career at IBM. There was the “huge six-foot, two-inch, booming man” in the Moms on the Move Program who enrolled in a doctorate program, and the student Joanna traveled to Pennsylvania with to watch her present her paper at the Beacon Conference. “I related to the obstacles and the challenges these students had returning to school. The fact that they were opening a door to a new life is what motivated me to spend more time with those students, because they were juggling a lot of balls.” And Joanna was no stranger to juggling. “I did two master’s degrees with a husband, two children, a dog, a home, and a full-time job, and I wondered how I did that in retrospect.” She tells me she did it by putting one foot in front of the other. Not only does she instruct students to put one foot in front of the other, but she also literally puts students in a position to place both feet in the shoes of others by engaging them in experiential learning that takes place outside of the classroom. I remember her running out of the ASC one night, a stack of books and papers under her arm. She was excited. “We’re going to a halfway house tonight!” I looked at her quizzically.“We’re doing a paper on haves and have nots.” And with that she was out the door. Another time one of her students wanted to be a film writer, so she took her class to the Jacob Burns Film Center. She took students to scholarship meetings so they could see first-hand what was available to them and to motivate them to apply for a scholarship or to work hard so they could get one. “I loved doing these kinds of things. If you helped one person who was really struggling for whatever reason, then you’ve done some good with your life.” Nicoleta Rista, one student who was struggling just to walk into the door of the ASC, remembers Joanna’s kindness. “It was January of 2016 after I finished my first class. I was afraid to come into the ASC, and I just stood and looked at the entrance. I was thinking, ‘How can I ask for help? My English is not good enough. I think Joanna saw that I hesitated.

She was on her way out the door, but she came to me and said, ‘Do you need help?’ Then she took me to the ESL tutorial and introduced me to the tutors. She was the first person who helped me, and for me it was a huge step. Because of that, I am where I am today: working at the ASC and enrolled in my final year at Lehman College. I will always be grateful to her.” Aside from working with and inspiring students, Joanna says that one of the things that she really liked about working in the ASC was all the people she worked with every day and all the others that she met and collaborated with from various departments. “We were one Academic Support Center. We interacted well with the English, Math, and ESL/Reading Departments. All of them were a part of my job.” And then she stops to think about the tutors she’s supervised over the years. “How lucky we’ve been to have the quality and level of expertise that the tutors brought with them. They were pivotal in helping these students, too. The ESL tutorial started with one tutor four hours a week and then grew and grew. That was beautiful to watch.” She muses about the difference between a classroom experience and a tutorial session. “A teacher has 25 students or more in a classroom and they can’t possibly deal with every single student on the kind of level the tutorial can address. What an important thing it was for the tutor to bring out the student to develop the students’ ideas and help them see that once they had these ideas they could put them down on paper.” She pauses thoughtfully. “And that complicates things twice as much for an ESL student when they are not working in their native language.” She believes tutorials are now more important than ever. “We want to give our students the best experience they can have. I think the tutors I’ve hired over the years have this innate desire to help others. You can’t quantify that. You get that through a conversation about why they came for this job. We are so lucky to have the kind of work we’ve had, because we are doing a good thing and not everyone can say that about their jobs. I’ve listened to so many people complain about their jobs, and I think how grateful I am to have had a job that I loved. I find it really hard to disassociate with something that’s been a great pleasure in my life.”

Joanna says one of the things she’ll miss is the energy of the ASC, “That hum of students busy doing positive things to improve their future. That’s the energy I will miss the most.” And we will most certainly miss Joanna’s energy, but after thirty years of unwavering dedication and service to the students, the Academic Support Center, the division, and the college, it is time for her to take time for herself. Please join me in wishing her well. Long may you run, Professor Peters.

Joanna Peters Keeps on Giving and Giving!

By Janet Knight

In fall 2020, three very conscientious and dedicated students—having used the ESL/Reading tutorial frequently—won the Joanna Peters Academic Improvement Award. Those three students shared portions of a $5,000 award that will help finance their education during the fall 2022 semester. Any full or part-time student with at least 2.5 GPA, showing great improvement because of using the ESL/Reading tutorial, was eligible and encouraged to apply. Subsequently, the three winners were selected, and enjoyed assistance to cover tuition, books, miscellaneous expenses, and fees.

This scholarship award was created by the ESL/Reading tutors in honor of Joanna’s retirement and her more than 30 years as Academic Support Center ESL and Reading Coordinator, constantly aiding and facilitating the needs of students. We will all greatly miss her big, bright, beautiful smiling face and warm welcome upon entering the Academic Support Center.

Congratulations to all three students, and thank you, Joanna!

The Reading/ESL/Study Skills Tutorial Presents

Workshop Weeks

Week of September 12th: Time Management
Week of September 19: Note Taking
Week of September 26: Building Memory
Week of October 10: Test Anxiety
Week of October 24: Predict, Prepare & Take the Test
Week of December 5: Review for Finals & Projects

The Academic Support Center is a service provided by

Westchester Community College to help you achieve your very best.
Any questions? Call us at (914) 606-6470, or email us at asc-group@sunywcc.edu

Spring 2021 Academic Support Center NEWS

The ASC Newsletter is published once a semester by the Academic Support Center. Managing Editor: Beth Holden Layout/ Designer: Linda Araya

Surviving another Semester of Remote Learning By: Beth Holden I was thinking about writing an article about how to thrive in the spring semester, but I had to ask myself, are students, faculty and staff really thriving in this environment? With COVID-19 fatigue, Zoom fatigue, just plain any-oldday fatigue, kids being home, food insecurity, joblessness, illness and everything else going on, are we really thriving? So, I consulted Professor Kristy Robinson, acting Director of the Personal Counseling Department and Licensed Clinical Social Worker, to ask for suggestions on how students and faculty can make it easier on ourselves to get through another semester of COVIDinduced remote learning. Prof. Robinson reassured me that it was enough just to survive, and offered tips below.

Feel your Feelings!

On a good day, feelings and emotions can be difficult to manage, but when all of the factors present now—stress from classes, prolonged working and studying from home, financial & health strains—are added, Prof. Robinson says it’s important to give yourself permission to feel what you’re feeling even if those feelings aren’t feeling so good. “These are not typical times. A lot of humans are struggling emotionally, so it’s okay not to be okay. Give yourself permission to feel those feelings.” She continues, “Saying, ‘Don’t be sad’ is like saying don’t be tired or don’t be hungry. Loneliness and sadness are human experiences. It’s important to validate them.”

To the Dickens with Great Expectations!

Prof. Robinson says it’s important for us to manage our expectations and set realistic goals, reminding ourselves that how we’re going to function in today’s world will look different from what it may have looked like a year ago. For example, she says, “If you are a taskmaster, you might need to change your expectations of yourself and set realistic goals, making sure that those goals are manageable.” In other words, don’t put too much pressure on yourself right now. Sometimes, just getting through the day is enough. And for students, this scenario may equate to grades, “You might have gotten straight A’s when you were on campus and things were functioning in a different way. You might find your grades look different, and it’s hard to get an A. You have to show compassion to yourself.” And remember, compassionate tutors are just one email or Zoom away at the Academic Support Center tutorials. Whether you’re doing well or struggling with classes, email us at asc-group@sunywcc.edu to be directed to the tutorial that corresponds with your subject.

Tick Your Tock – Throw Yourself a Dance Party!

Another thing to remember is to keep physically fit. “We can’t forget that even the walk from a bus stop to a classroom is a form of movement that a lot of us aren’t getting now. Any movement or activity can make a difference,” says Prof. Robinson. Something as simple as standing or stretching in between Zoom sessions can be impactful. Prof. Robinsons’ personal favorite way of getting exercise in is to put on your favorite song, and throw yourself an impromptu dance party. She explains, “Dancing it out increases your endorphins, which can give a boost to your mood.” If dance isn’t your thing, Prof. Robinson says, “There are so many home workouts that you can do in the safety and comfort of your home. Move your body, and stay as active as possible. All of these things are accessible, and they’re free.” So, put a song on your phone or laptop, stand, stretch or dance the night away.

Commune with Community

Although there’s no replacement for that in-person feeling of being on campus, in a classroom, or hanging out with friends & family, there are things you can do to connect. Prof. Robinson tells us that getting and staying connected is critical to mental well-being, and personal counseling can help. “Some of the things we’re doing in Personal Counseling is to increase the amount and frequency of virtual support groups, creating spaces for students to talk and connect with their peers around similar struggles. We’ve been intentionally emphasizing peer support in our area.” Students can find out about Personal Counseling Department events, support groups, and programs on their website www.sunywcc.edu/personalcounseling, on their Instagram @personalCounselingWCC or by e-mailing PersonalCounseling@sunywcc.edu. “While it may be hard to take that first step, connecting in whichever way we are able is super important for mental health,” Professor Robinson says. So, get involved with Personal Counseling or Student Involvement. “Student Involvement has done an amazing job making student events accessible online. Even though it’s not the same as being in person, they have a robust array of programs for students to connect about interests and subject matters. Their website is always up to date at https://www.sunywcc.edu/student-services/getinvolved. Email GetInvolved@sunywcc.edu to find out about clubs and activities.” So, from tutoring at the ASC tutorials to Personal Counseling and Student Involvement, you don’t have to go it alone. We are here for you!

Spring 2021 Spring 2021 Common Read: Across That Bridge by John Lewis—By Joanna Peters

With all the news that happened this last year – the election, the climate change controversy, the economy, and the demonstrations, the Common Read Committee decided to focus on the issue of racial equality when it reviewed and considered books for the campus wide Common Read book selection. Across that Bridge, by the late Senator John Lewis, is the spring Common Read book. This book was selected because it: a) promotes a vision of change for the future of America, b) is very accessible and c) won the most votes in a college wide vote of faculty members. If you are already reading it in your class, wonderful, if not, please consider adding the book to your syllabus, and your reading list. There were several lead up online events in the fall. One was Howard Bryant’s talk hosted by Dr. Erik Fortune, about the book, Full Dissidence on November 12 and Professor Don Simmons Jr. hosted a discussion with Ibram X. Kendi author of How to Be an Antiracist which was held on October 28th through the White Plains Library. This talk and other discussions helped set the stage for the Common Read choice this year. These discussions and the multiple and interesting events designed for the spring semester will help us focus on finding and achieving racial equality in the United States. Look for related topics to be covered through monthly symposiums, discussions, and films. The e-link for the book is currently available. Contact Margaret Eiden or Helen O’Brien for more information. ZOOM IN | Study Skills for Success Wednesdays @ 11 AM Online (or anytime with a tutor), Spring 2021

Avoiding Zoom Gloom – By Beth Holden

It’s fifteen minutes before class. You’re searching through your email box — a tangle of messages for all of the classes or meetings you have that day. Where is it? You thought you had it. Your heart pounds. Your palms sweat. Finally, you find it. You click. It’s not connecting. Wait! It’s working now. You’re plopped unceremoniously into a class or meeting. Your face stares out into a sea of other faces. You see yourself and notice that your hair’s a mess. Your child darts across the room behind you and shrieks, “Where is my bunny?” The faces are chuckling. Should you turn the camera off? Would that be rude? And all of this is happening before the class or meeting. It’s exhausting. So exhausting in fact, that neuroscientists have been studying it since the pandemic began and have coined a term for it “Zoom fatigue.” It’s just one of the many new words that have been added to our collective lexicon since COVID crashed our planet. So, how do you refresh yourself? Again, we turned to Professor Kristy Robinson, Acting Director of the Personal Counseling Department, and Licensed Clinical Social Worker for some answers.

“The fatigue is real. The brain is working harder when we are on camera calls than when we are in person. It’s more work for your brain to process. There are tech issues and mishaps. It’s more exhausting on our brains, and the exposure to the screen light is also tiring on the eyes. It can give you headaches.”

Class after class, meeting after meeting and then socializing with friends and family at night after being on a screen all day is enough to give anyone a headache, so what’s a Zoomer to do? Professor Robinson says be strategic about your schedule and recommends scheduling breaks between Zoom sessions if you can. She says that, “Even if it’s just two minutes in between your class and your meetings, it can make a big difference,” and adds, “We forget how important transition times from class one to class two are during our days. Those little transitions are mental breaks that we need to go from one place to another. Having those breaks can give the feeling of those transitions.” Some of her students have even scheduled “mock commutes” as part of their morning routines. “I thought it was amazing — having that time where they would make their coffee and sit on the couch like they would sit on the bus. That time is an important part of our daily lives that we forget about and maybe don’t give enough credit.”

She also encourages students to advocate for themselves. “Check in with your professors and club advisors. See what the expectation is about having the camera on. If you are in a class or a club meeting or some type of call where the expectation is that you don’t have to have the camera on, turn it off, and have that time to not be “ON.” She recommends checking in with yourself too. “Students taking that moment to check in with themselves to see what they need and what the appropriate response is such a powerful mental health tool.” Also, remember that although we are in a Zoom Boom where everyone is Zooming from here to there, we do have other methods of communication that can serve us just fine. “Limit unnecessary video calls. If something can be completed in an email, phone call or a text make sure that you are exploring alternative options so you don’t feel like you are tied to one technology all the time.”

Designated Tutor Program Spring 21—By Joanna Peters

By now, you may have heard of the Designated Tutor program in the ASC. The program was designed to provide greater access to students for academic support and to assist in helping motivate students to use ASC services. This last fall, forty-four sections including Math, English, Reading, and ESL had a tutor assigned to a specific class one hour a week. Faculty members participated in various ways: some were interactive with the tutor, speaking weekly and organizing topics to be covered in the session; others offered the extra hour for students to get additional support. In the end, ASC surveys showed that students were hesitant to come to these sessions, but when they did, it worked for them, and they had positive experiences. Faculty, tutors and students agreed that overall, the program was positive for students. Judy Marano tells us, “Having Phyllis as my DT has been a wonderful experience. Many of my students stayed on each week, as Phyllis reiterated the points discussed in class and the next steps for them. Having this supported teaching has helped many of the students find success.” This spring we are suggesting a first come, first served approach for faculty to be part of the program, and the deadline is the second week of the semester. For further information, please contact Joanna.Peters@sunywcc.edu, or your ASC coordinator for more information.