To say I identify with every single emotional turn in this would be an understatement. I felt like I was reliving my own experiences of literally years ago while reading it, which I guess is a way of saying what you're going through is so common as to be inevitable and so potent that you'll never wholly escape it.
Clearly your students have learned important things, and in my experience those things will leave them better equipped to tackle the challenge of that Writing 102 paper, even if you arguably could have done more direct, prescriptive work to "prepare" them for it.
But it's incredibly hard to hold on to that notion inside a system where those non-quantifiable learnings are not appropriately valued. I can say that, in my experience, students greatly appreciate being given the chance to build their writing practices in ways that feel like their minds and ideas are valued, even if that seems like an outlier experience in college.
I also think it's the only way forward in a world with LLMs that can create passable college work without students learning anything.
My favorite reflection questions are similar to yours. 1. What do you know now that you didn't know before this class started? And, 2. What can you do now that you couldn't do before this class started?
If students can make their learning visible to themselves, they're going to continue to grow as writers even when teachers aren't present. That's gotta be the goal.
The point about LLMs is especially important. I occasionally get pushback for prioritizing labor, growth, and engagement with the writing process over the “quality” of student work. But I just keep thinking how much AI-generated slop I would get if I reverted to old ways of evaluating. What incentive do students have to do the work if ChatGPT can get an A while they can’t? And if we’re not incentivizing the work—what’s the point??
Exactly right. I think it's been a fallacy all along to solely judge work on how "finished" it seems at the time of turning in, often on fairly surface-level criteria when it comes down to it. That final artifact is important to consider in terms of learning, but it's not dispositive. This is even more true with AI-generated work easily fitting itself into the space of school.
What is the point? is the question we just have to keep asking. And I also think we have to be prepared for the answers to change over time and depending on what's going on with students.
Your reflection highlights a tension many educators face: the need to trust the messy process of learning while managing the discomfort of not seeing traditional markers of progress. It’s a testament to your commitment that you designed your course to cultivate "writerly habits of mind," focusing on long-term growth rather than short-term perfection.
What if the messy work itself is evidence of learning—students grappling with choices rather than formulas? Could this discomfort signal that you’ve succeeded in creating a space where students are willing to take risks and explore? Perhaps asking students not just “what” surprised them, but also “how” they will apply what they’ve learned, might deepen their awareness of the lasting impact of your process-oriented approach.
Thank you for this! The question of what they're taking forward from the class is on their final self-assessment, and I definitely hope to spend lots of time in our final conferences this week talking over how they'll apply their learning in other contexts.
I pay more attention to what students *say* they learned, in their own words, than what their final "products" look like. I expect those to be imperfect, especially because I write my assignments in ways that push them way out of the essay-writing zones they are comfortable in.
In my final reflection prompts, I mention that one of the reasons I use ungrading is that they know themselves and their experiences in the course way better than I ever could. When they tell me what they put into the course and what they learned, I believe them. And they say startling and wonderful things, often, and they also mirror the ideas and values of the course back to me in many ways.
Thanks for your kind words! On the subject of grading, I definitely recommend Blum's "Ungrading," as well as Clark and Talbert's "Grading for Growth." As far as teaching writing goes: I'm finding that learning more about reading, and how our students experience it, is helping me grow as a writing teacher. Books like Jenae Cohn's "Skim, Dive, Surface" have been helpful.
I too agree with your sentiments... it can be hard to tell what (or if) students have learned. So much of what we teach is ephemeral and untestable (another argument against overuse of standardized testing). There are a dozen times a semester that I am tempted to resort to traditional grading, but I know that in the end what I'm doing is more valuable (even if the students don't get it yet.)
I’ve been battling the end-of-semester blues especially hard this semester (taught my last class today!) and gosh I related to every single bit of this…thank you for writing and sharing it!
Emily, thank you for sharing this. I was feeling similar feelings this week, and similar apprehensions, for similar reasons. Next quarter, I am launching a major overhaul in both of my comp classes featuring a lot more freedom and flexibility, and using an ungrading scheme. I have been a little bit apprehensive about this, and I have wondered about the quality of my students' final products this quarter.
However, reading my students' final reflections, I have also been struck by comments very similar to the ones you shared. These comments gave me hope that they are learning what they need to and it is working.
Knowing this is a universal struggle is helpful for my soul, and your post was very encouraging.
To say I identify with every single emotional turn in this would be an understatement. I felt like I was reliving my own experiences of literally years ago while reading it, which I guess is a way of saying what you're going through is so common as to be inevitable and so potent that you'll never wholly escape it.
Clearly your students have learned important things, and in my experience those things will leave them better equipped to tackle the challenge of that Writing 102 paper, even if you arguably could have done more direct, prescriptive work to "prepare" them for it.
But it's incredibly hard to hold on to that notion inside a system where those non-quantifiable learnings are not appropriately valued. I can say that, in my experience, students greatly appreciate being given the chance to build their writing practices in ways that feel like their minds and ideas are valued, even if that seems like an outlier experience in college.
I also think it's the only way forward in a world with LLMs that can create passable college work without students learning anything.
My favorite reflection questions are similar to yours. 1. What do you know now that you didn't know before this class started? And, 2. What can you do now that you couldn't do before this class started?
If students can make their learning visible to themselves, they're going to continue to grow as writers even when teachers aren't present. That's gotta be the goal.
John, thank you for sharing this 😭
The point about LLMs is especially important. I occasionally get pushback for prioritizing labor, growth, and engagement with the writing process over the “quality” of student work. But I just keep thinking how much AI-generated slop I would get if I reverted to old ways of evaluating. What incentive do students have to do the work if ChatGPT can get an A while they can’t? And if we’re not incentivizing the work—what’s the point??
Exactly right. I think it's been a fallacy all along to solely judge work on how "finished" it seems at the time of turning in, often on fairly surface-level criteria when it comes down to it. That final artifact is important to consider in terms of learning, but it's not dispositive. This is even more true with AI-generated work easily fitting itself into the space of school.
What is the point? is the question we just have to keep asking. And I also think we have to be prepared for the answers to change over time and depending on what's going on with students.
Your reflection highlights a tension many educators face: the need to trust the messy process of learning while managing the discomfort of not seeing traditional markers of progress. It’s a testament to your commitment that you designed your course to cultivate "writerly habits of mind," focusing on long-term growth rather than short-term perfection.
What if the messy work itself is evidence of learning—students grappling with choices rather than formulas? Could this discomfort signal that you’ve succeeded in creating a space where students are willing to take risks and explore? Perhaps asking students not just “what” surprised them, but also “how” they will apply what they’ve learned, might deepen their awareness of the lasting impact of your process-oriented approach.
Thank you for this! The question of what they're taking forward from the class is on their final self-assessment, and I definitely hope to spend lots of time in our final conferences this week talking over how they'll apply their learning in other contexts.
I pay more attention to what students *say* they learned, in their own words, than what their final "products" look like. I expect those to be imperfect, especially because I write my assignments in ways that push them way out of the essay-writing zones they are comfortable in.
In my final reflection prompts, I mention that one of the reasons I use ungrading is that they know themselves and their experiences in the course way better than I ever could. When they tell me what they put into the course and what they learned, I believe them. And they say startling and wonderful things, often, and they also mirror the ideas and values of the course back to me in many ways.
Definitely! It's kind of magic when a student really buys into the value of self-reflection and engages in it authentically.
I love reading your reflections. I struggle being a writing teacher. Are there any books other than John Warner’s you;d recommend.
Thanks for your kind words! On the subject of grading, I definitely recommend Blum's "Ungrading," as well as Clark and Talbert's "Grading for Growth." As far as teaching writing goes: I'm finding that learning more about reading, and how our students experience it, is helping me grow as a writing teacher. Books like Jenae Cohn's "Skim, Dive, Surface" have been helpful.
I too agree with your sentiments... it can be hard to tell what (or if) students have learned. So much of what we teach is ephemeral and untestable (another argument against overuse of standardized testing). There are a dozen times a semester that I am tempted to resort to traditional grading, but I know that in the end what I'm doing is more valuable (even if the students don't get it yet.)
Thanks for your honest and vulnerable writing!
Thank you for reading! I constantly have to remind myself that "getting it" is a slow process.
I’ve been battling the end-of-semester blues especially hard this semester (taught my last class today!) and gosh I related to every single bit of this…thank you for writing and sharing it!
Thank you for reading!
Great piece. Timely and just optimistic enough. Thanks for the thoughtful insights and the empathy.
"Just optimistic enough" is the best compliment I've received all year 😂
Feeling very similarly this week! Thanks for writing!
Thanks for reading!
Emily, thank you for sharing this. I was feeling similar feelings this week, and similar apprehensions, for similar reasons. Next quarter, I am launching a major overhaul in both of my comp classes featuring a lot more freedom and flexibility, and using an ungrading scheme. I have been a little bit apprehensive about this, and I have wondered about the quality of my students' final products this quarter.
However, reading my students' final reflections, I have also been struck by comments very similar to the ones you shared. These comments gave me hope that they are learning what they need to and it is working.
Knowing this is a universal struggle is helpful for my soul, and your post was very encouraging.
Thank you, Matt! Always good to know we're not alone... Good luck with your overhaul; it sounds exciting.
Thank you! I needed to see this today :)
I'm so glad!