This paragraph really stuck out to me while I was reading Mechanically Inclined: "If parents don't understand why you're not marking papers, take a peice of children's art and stick a transparency over it. Then, start marking all over it, crossing things out, redrawing other parts, putting notes on it. Of course, everyone gasps. Then ask, why would we do this to student writing?"

I actually read this after I finished correcting WIFYS papers and felt bad that I had marked so much stuff incorrectly or wanted to basically change their paper. They obviously wrote the paper they did a certain way, because it had a great impact in/on their lives. I believe that by changing it to the way I think it should be told may completely change the outlook on their paper. I realize that I did need to make corrections on the paper though, because I cannot meet formally with each student. However, I will be considering doing this when I am paired up with a student in a few weeks.

By comparing a child's work of art to a college/high school student's writing, it really helped me fully understand what teacher's are doing. I would never consider reconstructing a child's work of art or telling him/her to add or take away certain pieces that they drew. THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT WE ARE DOING TO STUDENTS THOUGH. We are telling them how to write and then when they write, if we do not like their style of writing we make them change it! "Marking every error did about as much good as yelling down a hole." --I believe that this is why teachers get so frustrated at times. They may not realize that they are in fact damaging their students instead of helping them succeed. As future educators, I think that we need to begin focusing on the approach that Anderson and Weaver are taking.