"I'm on...that one carnival ride"

My mind quickly created images with each word my student spoke as she explained her internal writing process compared to her classmates. “Some people…they just rollercoaster through it and they don't look back. I'm on…it's not even a loop, it's like that one carnival ride that's just a ring with a roller coaster cart on it…” The student pointed with her right index finger upward and closed the rest tightly. Then she started moving her hand and arm synced together in horizontal circles, faster and faster, while making a whooshing sound between her teeth. “The thing you can vomit on and it lands on your own head?” I nodded and smiled because I understood what writing on a tilt-a-whirl was like, probably more than she realized.

Superhero, Changemaker, Advocate: Exploring Neurodiversity in the Writing Center

In this article, published in the Spring 2025 issue of the JPTSS, Dr. Harrison explores the intricacies of the various experiences of neurodivergent high schoolers visiting their writing center and how those experiences as student writers, as well as those of the tutors and director, have informed neuro-inclusive writing center practices.

“Not perfect is okay?”: Exploring the use of AI in the Writing Classroom

In the upcoming issue of the Mid-Atlantic Review, Dr. Harrison's article exploring the complexities of students, especially students whose native language isn't English, and AI illuminates the growing debate over how we as writing educators might choose to embrace the  unique writing voice of our students as well as show them how to leverage their AI resources without compromising their author authenticity. Harrison concludes that as writing pedagogues, we must accept that "not perfect is okay," and in fact, perhaps it should be preferred in the classroom in order to preserve the student's natural voice.