If you’re a college or high school student, I’m sure you’ve been advised to accept feedback and not take it as criticism. Often, this is good advice. However, in some cases, professors or teachers give students feedback that will discourage them.
I have experienced this while seeking feedback on my own work. When I’m looking for feedback on a piece of writing, I’m expecting the truth. I’m aware that professors are blunt, and that’s simply how they normally react. What isn’t okay is an instructor looking at a student’s work, saying everything is all good, and giving the student a poor grade. I’m a firm believer that students should get grades that they deserve. ,However, if a student’s work was unsatisfactory for some reason or another, then I believe instructors should include this in initial feedback. Especially if it’s spelling, grammar, or style errors, I believe that instructors should be straightforward in the feedback they give to students. In my own experience, I’ve had a professor who viewed an error in my writing and giggled at it. Although this can be taken as something light-hearted, it was very disencouraging.
According to Sarah Griffin’s ‘Why Criticism Lasts Longer Than Praise‘, “negative comments can be damaging at any age, especially during times when we are particularly impressionable or vulnerable.” When students are looking for feedback, they are likely hoping that their instructor likes their work, and they are taught to receive the feedback without letting it hurt their feelings. When they get a snarky comment or gesture on a piece of writing, it is like saying “no offense” after insulting them. This is disencouraging to the writer.
Writing is subjective, which is why good feedback is helpful. Rude remarks towards someone’s work can be very harmful to adolescence, especially if a career in writing is in the making. Students want advice, not discouragement.