When giving feedback to students it is extremely important to watch what you say and think about how the student may interpret your message. Words can be very inspiring and help a child soar, but they can also be extremely hurtful and crush a student’s drive. Personally, I had a comment left on one of my assignments this semester that was extremely rude and completely uncalled for. It ended up ruining the entire class for me and had attendance not be mandatory, I would have quit going. If I am a graduating university student and that was how I reacted to a comment left by a professor, imagine how a young student would take a rude comment, even if it was not meant in that spirit. If a teacher has a comment to make about a statement or they are not sure what the student is meaning, a message should be left on the assignment saying “please see me” or “let’s discuss this comment” as opposed to writing inappropriate comments on the assignment that could be taken in the wrong spirit. As the STF Code of Ethics states, teachers should address one another when having a conflict, teacher’s should also address students when there is a conflict before making condescending comments or jumping to conclusions.
It is always important to acknowledge the work a student has done well before giving a negative comment. For example, if a teacher is reading a story and the student has written, “once upon a time a girl kissed a boy and they rode away on horses together” begin by acknowledging the student’s story positively. Try saying, ” I really enjoy the outline of your story. I think it has a very good story line, however, I’m not sure where this boy came from? What does the girl look like? Where do they live? What kind of horses do they ride away on? Where are they going? etc”. As opposed to saying, ” I don’t understand what you’re trying to say”. That may cause the student to get defensive or feel their work is being invalidated.