Raise or Raze?

I feel that when the teacher is thoughtful and well-organized, it can make the classroom environment so much better. As a teacher, I hope to foster an environment that is safe for students to explore their writing, and to get feedback from their peers and myself to improve their writing. Students need to feel that their ideas are worthy and good, and not that they are just going to get “marked down” on all of their mistakes. If I foster a learning environment where students are working collaboratively to encourage each other, and it is understood that all writing is valid, then they will be more willing to share their writing with their classmates and open themselves up to feedback. Perhaps they will buy into the system once they see that they will be graded on their participation as much as they will be graded on their writing assignments. They will be graded on their reading and annotating, participation in the process, their contributions to their classmates’ drafts (constructive and supportive feedback), and also their writing. Perhaps once they see that the earlier drafts will be graded in addition to their final drafts (not equally, but in some way) it will give them a better awareness about themselves as writers, and give them confidence to participate fully – as it is for their own benefits.