Students Hate to Revise (Figuring out how to get past the Do It Once paradigm)
Cartoon of an Angry Man who hate revision, Image Source: MemeGenerator.net
So, I don’t usually talk about teaching or my students or anything like on my blog as the purpose of the blog and my teaching endeavors don’t usually mix. However, something happened in a class a couple of days ago that I really feel merits discussion. I don’t have a lot of time so I’ll be brief: a discussion came up about revising and having the opportunity to revise and change an essay, and the comment was made (and I’m paraphrasing): I know its not quite right, but I just don’t want to have to go in and work on it again.
That’s the whole point of Revising/the Revision Process. We got into a short discussion about it and I tried to make it a “teachable moment” by telling them that’s how real writers write. They weren’t having it (for the most part–I think I got through to some of them). To them, the whole I idea of revision stinks because it means more work on their part–not the it is to make it better part.
Yesterday, I had to reread Kate Chopin’s The Awakening for class. I’d already read it in High School, but I went back and dutifully read it again. I got much more out of it than I had before just by going over it a second time and I revised my opinion of the work (see what I did there). In addition, I got a Rejection Notice on a story. The editor was nice enough to provide feedback and gave two places where the story broke down for her. I went in, revised the story, “fixing” those to places (i.e., adding in more detail that I thought would explain those places better) and resubmitted it to another publisher, but I will submit another story to that market until I get one that sells.
Not to dilute my message, but I’m convinced that’s the reason that people also don’t want to outline either. Too much work involved. So, no (or little preparation) to write something, and no (or little) revision after the work is written. I, as an educator, have to break down these barriers if I want my students to truly be successful writers.
