Constructive Criticism

Today in class, we got into a debate centered around the idea of positive vs negative comments. Do students come to writing centers looking for compliments on their papers? Our general consensus was no. Do students come to writing centers looking for a cure-all, an easy route to an "A" paper? We said that yes, some students, and even professors, may view the writing center as a "fix it shop". My stance on giving positive comments to students is this: writing tutors should by no means look for reasons to compliment students on their writing. If a paper needs a lot of work and doesn't merit a compliment, don't give one. However, if a student comes in and gives you an exceptional paper, or even an exceptionally organized or stylized paper, then point it out. This may give the student the encouragement they need to continue to enjoy writing. Additionally, as I pointed out in class, often times positive comments are remembered by the writer and that will help them become better writers by using the same methods they used in that paper.

Writing tutors are students and by no means experts. Therefore, who are we to simply tear apart their paper without giving them some type of compliment or reason to keep writing?