the encouragement lounge: Embrace the feedback

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Embrace the feedback

This morning I sent my Chronicle article to my high school composition teacher. To give you some background, we had been out of touch for years, and then I was given an award by my alumni association, and remembered Mrs. Capone as being the most important teacher in my high school years, in terms of teaching me how to write. So I contacted Mrs. Capone to thank her for her influence. We exchanged a few emails and that was that. And then this morning I sent her my article.

She wrote back, said that she enjoyed the article, and commented on two grammatical aspects of my writing that I should consider! Feedback from my high school comp teacher! Her note brought an immediate smile to my face. For the record, one of her comments is something I need to consider. The other regards an rule that I occasionally break on purpose... and I think I know enough to do so (though she may disagree).

This all got me thinking about the value of feedback. When we are in the thick of things, writing and submitting papers, and getting feedback... we sometimes hope for little criticism, instead yearning for the "A" and lots of positive remarks. However Mrs. Capone's note this morning reminded me that the critical feedback is what makes us better writers. The "A's" feel good, but the criticism has a more far-reaching and important impact.

Embrace the feedback.

All the best,

Harriet

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Working adult students, on my mind...

I hope this blog will be helpful to friends and others involved in a variety of endeavors. However, I created the blog with students in mind and continue to develop it with that specific group as my focus.

I believe that with the increase in evening, weekend, and low-residency programs, students are working more and more in isolation. If we were all full-time students on campus, we would have the informal support that comes with being able to go down the hall and talk with a colleague, etc. But instead, we are working late nights and weekends at home in front of the laptop.

With that in mind, I hope the encouragement lounge provides brief moments of respite and energizing connection. This does not at all replace valuable face-to-face contact. Many aspects of the academic journey can only be addressed via in-depth conversations with colleagues and teachers. And I would always rather sit down and talk with someone than to communicate online. Nonetheless, my aim is to give you one more channel for quick hits of support.