When I signed up for Intro to Composition Theory/Pedagogy, I didn't really know what I was getting into. I thought we might be learning some grammar, some editing techniques, hopefully learn how to become a better writer and editor in the process but I honestly thought it would be a fairly boring, technical class. I had no idea that I would be put on the hot seat per say, that I would be placed on the other side of the desk as the person whose essay was being edited. To be honest, I had never gone to the writing center, and so this was a new experience for me. I had edited friends' and siblings' papers before, and I had always been quite skeptical about people who are sensitive about their writing. I had always had the perspective that people should disattach themselves from their writing, allow it to be commented on and criticized, in an effort to better themselves and their essays. I had the idea that I was this way, disattached and unemotional when it came to my writing. Oh how wrong I was.
Sitting up there and having people take apart my essay, though very politely and constructively, not negatively, I realized how personal writing is. It's a creation, a child, a part of my brain and my thoughts and my fingers. And this is not something to be embarrassed about. What is important is finding that balance between cherishing your writing and being able to take critiques and mold your writing. As I have been editing my essay I have tried to take both of these sides of a writer's identity into account.
This is so interesting, Rachel! I agree with you...when editing papers it seems that people should be fine with having their papers critiqued. I mean, most of these papers are drafts written for classes they don't care that much about. And more than likely, the papers brought to the writing center are not in their final stages. Nevertheless, writing is both difficult and personal. Thus, we have to be careful about this when providing feedback to students.
ReplyDeleteMichael, that's a good connection. I was only thinking about my experience, but this definitely connects to how we should treat every student who comes to the writing center. It's hard to find a balance between helping someone change their essay and overstepping your boundaries as a consultant.
ReplyDelete