by Saja Yim

It’s hard to know if students are actually reading and using the feedback you provide for them on their writing. One indication of this, however, is seeing improvements in their writing scores across the semester, rather than viewing each writing assignment as an isolated occurrence. In my Elementary Curriculum in Art Education course, 8 out of 22 students showed gains in their scores from their first writing assignment to their second. While I would like to see all of the students show improvements in their grades, the fact that over a third of the class did was encouraging and validating for me. Of course, it could all be a fluke, but if the student made improvements in their writing, I made sure to acknowledge this in their second feedback in the form of subdued praise. But quietly, deep down, I’m screaming, “THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THE FEEDBACK I SPENT SO MUCH TIME GIVING YOU!” However, there’s also the haunting thought lingering in the back of my mind: what if their writing gains have nothing to do with my feedback at all? Eek!

Then there are those students whose writing performance has plateaued, or even more frighteningly, gotten worse! This could be due to any number of reasons, from ghoulish mid-semester stress to simply not reading any of my prior feedback and repeating the same mistakes on their second written assignment. Or perhaps my feedback wasn’t clear or helpful enough to guide my students to make the necessary improvements on their subsequent papers? Whatever the case, I intend to double down and give more attention to these students so that they are given the support that they need to show progress on their third writing assignment. After all, third time’s a charm, right?

There are few things more rewarding than seeing my students incorporate feedback on previous writing into their future writing. I’ve even found that I have developed a greater rapport with these students in class. Unfortunately, I don’t seem to have as much of a connection with the students who are struggling in the class, and I secretly wonder if they view me as the wicked WIP TA lurking in the shadows of the classroom conjuring point-deduction spells on their papers. With only two more months left in the semester, I hope I can turn the tides for at least some of these undergrads and help them realize that I’m here to help, not haunt them. It can be hard to develop a rapport with each student in class, especially those whose work needs improvements and who haven’t shown gains over time. My attempts at communication also seem to fall on deaf ears when I try to reach out to them through email about their missing work or lowered grades. Using what I’ve learned in our WIPP class, I intend to make my written feedback even more personalized, specific, and positive for my students, so they don’t view my comments as a bunch of hocus pocus, and hopefully by the end of the semester, they’ll see my feedback as no tricks, just treats!