Robinson High School Essays

After reading all of my assigned essays, I sat back and thought. This sounds cliche, but it is nevertheless very true. I understand that these were drafts and the students were rushed, but the essays had major problems that high school essays should not have. I was taken aback by the lack of paragraphs and run-on sentences. Moreover, the thesises were unclear and not supported by the details. I honestly did not know where to start at the beginning.

The more I thought about it, the more I gained a little understanding. I knew that I could not be "mean" to the students (obviously), but I wanted to provide valid constructive criticism to help them on their next draft. I started correcting mechanical errors, and then I told each of them to look at some of the errors I fixed (and that I didn't fix everything) and look for similar mistakes in their essays. I also told them if their topic worked and to make sure their details fixed. Obviously all of the essays were different, but I definitely saw common errors in all of the essays.

Most importantly, at first, I was nervous about providing feedback to the students. I wanted to make sure I made sense and that all of my advice would be approved by a current teacher. However, the more I started to correct the essays, the more I felt confident in what I was saying. One thing I have learned throughout my own education is that all feedback is helpful. Whether or not I take it is my own decision, but multiple viewpoints will only help me as a writer. I thought of the students thinking the same about my feedback. I am not their teacher, but if they want to take my advice, I was there to offer it.

Overall, I thought the experience was very humbling. Not only did I see what real high school writing may look like in my future, I also learned how to provide constructive criticism while being honest at the same time (and somewhat nice!). I look forward to future exercises like this one with Robinson High School.

~*~Tara~*~