Writing Tip #7 (of 9): Revise Only As Needed

Educators as Writers series

“Hey Mr. Renwick, I am working on this book called Walk Through Life. Can you review it and give me a rating out of ten? And tell me about my misspellings or punctuation errors? Thanks a lot!”

Previously, this 5th grader’s teacher had asked if I would read his work and provide some feedback on it. “He loves to write, and I think it would be nice if he had someone else to read his work besides me.”

While I always enjoy reading students’ writing, I have become more reluctant to offer feedback beyond noticing strengths and asking questions around the piece. I think this comes from my own experience as a writer. Most of the time, I am not looking to make it better, but just to be read.

In fact, revision itself may not be necessary. Much of my writing – journaling, staff newsletters, emails, tweets – never experience anything more than light editing or replacing a word or two. Yet in education, how often do we say a piece is “done” without expecting kids to go through at least one round of re…