Blog Post #4 (Ian)

This week's readings had me thinking a lot about the value of praise in doing writing center work. So often I think both students and tutors approach tutoring as basically an exercise in constructive criticism: students want to know where and how they have erred, and tutors - red pens in hand - are all too ready to comply, knowing that they are looking at a "rough draft" as chapter four of the Bedford Guide advises. My issue, I think, is with the connotations of the term "rough draft." When I think of a rough draft, my mind immediately jumps to editing, and I start to envision necessary cuts, reorganization, and language tightening. What I think about less - and what feels even more essential to the tutoring process - is identifying those aspects of the rough draft that will make it into the final version. Put another way, I think we do a disservice to ourselves and our students by construing praise as "kindness," or by thinking of compliments as a useful tool for softening the blow of more serious, critical feedback (as with the infamous "compliment sandwich" approach to delivering revision advice). Instead, I think it's worth recognizing that our job is fundamentally about helping our students understand what GOOD writing looks like, the areas where they're already doing it, and why their ideas matter.

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