To comment or not to comment? This is the question.

Lindemann discusses the concept of diagnostic reading, where teachers read to know how students write, what they are having difficulties with and why. Rather than slapping a grade onto a paper indicating the closing of the process, Lindemann suggests evaluating and determining a student’s weaknesses and strengths, so that they have room for improvement and revision. As a teacher, I agree that we should read to figure out the how’s, what’s, and why’s of our students’ writing. However, I do wonder how a teacher is to make time to individualize writing practices and instruction when a teacher has 5-55min classes , with an average of 38 students per class. Don’t get me wrong, I do the best I can with the time allotted. I do not simply rule it out and continue a tyrannical rule in my classroom. I just find it difficult to manage all 190 students without writing any comments on essays.

Many of my students do look at the comments, ask questions about them, and work to improve on those comments. Hillocks states that “teacher comment has little impact on student writing,” I beg to differ. I believe that students desire to see the comments with the intention of improving; however, many do not know how to use the comments in application. I agree with Lindemann’s criteria for commenting on students’ work which includes: focused comments and the opportunity to apply criteria for good writing to their own work. In addition, to these two criteria, I would like to include a third important aspect: teaching students HOW to apply the comments to their paper.

More than often, I feel as though my students do not look at my comments. Ugh! I wasted an entire weekend trying to figure out the how’s, what’s, and why’s, and for NOTHING! No one reads them, no one improves,….lalalalala. But then, students begin to improve, ask questions, look for suggestions, and when spring time comes along, I notice something, a change, an improvement. I know that as a student I seek the comments for improvements, understanding, the strong and the weak. As a teacher, I also look for immediate feedback, the good and the bad. And, as a teacher, I will continue commenting on student’s papers. As long as I am not killing their paper, or on a tyrannical rampage, I think a balance between positive and negative comments are more productive than not.