An E-mail from an Old Writing Teacher (to a New One)

Hi, Denise.

Glad to hear from you. I always like to hear from my former students. I see you are making yourself useful. Yes, you’re right—teaching is one of the most time-eating jobs there is!

I have never really taught journalism, so the task you ask about may be different. But when I am teaching creative writing, I have the same groups of people: those who can write; those who think they can write; those who can’t write.

All can learn to write better.

The trick you ask me for—to give students a goal and keep them improving without demoralizing them—is not so much in what you do as in how you do. You can tell people that their writing is bad without making them think you are saying they are.

In your letter you say, "Today I handed my journalism class back a bunch of their essays (from their test) as well as an in-class writing assignment. A bunch of them really missed the boat as far as in-class essay form (even though I had given them an explanatory handout). Then, their in-class writing assignments (though not done for a grade) showed me that most of them need a good bit of help in their journalistic writing.

"Without meaning to, I felt I had given them a ‘writing spanking’ in class today; they all seemed rather discouraged (or at least subdued) at the end. Even some of my really good writers (who made excellent grades on their test) seemed a bit discouraged after I went over the essays and what I expected and then gave them some tips on their journalistic writing (the in-class assignment)."

Perhaps what the students heard yesterday was that you were disappointed in them and that the writing was the main thing you were interested in.

What they want to hear (really!) is, yes, an honest evaluation of their work, but more importantly that it is they—not the work itself—that have your attention and care.

You can tell them the exact same things about their papers in two ways and have two entirely different reactions. The less effective way is to point out the ways the papers were not up to standard and to show how the example was different from what they handed in. Focusing on the results.

Better it is to focus on the goals still ahead. "This was a start. And we all have some things we can do better. Here’s where we want to get to. Now, let’s see what’s holding us up." Now the focus in on them, what you want for them—not from them.

It’s all in the prepositions.

Hope that helps.

Marianne