Turned in the first of my three essays today and I'm reflecting a lot on how impactful feedback and criticism can be (in part because it ended up being the topic of my essay, advocating for more value to be placed on student voice and experience and joy in the classroom). I've gotten some tricky comments on my last few essays, which honestly I think I'm taking harder than they're meant but that doesn't quite change the impact it has had; I've really struggled to get myself to focus and work on my essays this term because it feels so out of my control and sort of pointless to try since I don't expect to score well even if I feel good about my work.
So idk here's to pushing through it and turning in work that you feel good about without worrying about the grade. It's so much more important to do the work for your own processing and integration and it's helping me a lot to think of the essay as for me, even if I also have to turn it in and get a score back. Writing is so personal and tender and I don't want to forget how much I enjoy it.
