How to Work Effectively with Teenage Writers

Many teachers when correcting a paper will write all over it correcting grammar and spelling mistakes and many times this will upset a student and make them not want to write ever again. I know that in my English classes I didn't enjoy writing because I was afraid of all the marks the teachers would make on my paper. The day that the teacher was returning the papers was the most nerve racking day because you weren't sure what to expect. Tom Romano writes in his book Clearing the Way, his experience on how to work with teens so that you don't discourage them from writing but the opposite, you get them to continue to write.
 
In his book, he gives many real life examples of how to work with students and give them feedback but in a way that doesn't involve a red pen and lots of writing. There is a certain way to respond to writing or help improve a students writing without fixing grammar and worrying about that. Of course as a teacher that is important but it is also important that students improve other aspects of writing. The University of Carnegie Mellon gives a great website about how to respond to student work and what teachers should really look for. I also think that it is important to make sure that teachers are reading the papers for content not just for grammar. Honestly when I was in school, I worried more about grammar and mechanics than I did about the actual content. The content was important but I knew that the teachers I had would worry more about the grammar. It is sad to think that many students out there struggle with the same idea. I think they should be more worried about content but also just improving from one draft to another. Writing is something creative and each student needs to create their own voice and make their own decision about their writing.