We had a fantastic Q&A session. She is a foodie. She does restaurant reviews for the Arizona Republic. When asked if she thinks food bloggers bastardize her art, she said no. She offered the difference between a real reviewer and a blogger, all of the extra steps she goes through to make sure that her audience has a fair and honest review of the restaurants that she visits.
When we met today, she gave us some great feedback. Some of her comments were based on style, but most of it was just strong writing tips. It is easy, as an English teacher, to feel confident in my writing. That is, until I have to write something that is going to be read by a professional.
She was really constructive with all of her feedback. She made sure to tell us what we did that was really good, as well as the areas that we needed some help. She noted that we weren't follow AP style because we were spelling all the states out, instead of using the shorter version. It was nice to see that someone in the field, has to be as much on her toes as educators need to be.
She didn't have to, but Jennifer encouraged us to send her our student's work, so she could offer the same service. I will be sure to take her up on that offer. I know my students would love to hear a real professional critique their work. I think that will add value to their writing, and their work as student journalists. It will also help me focus better on their writing, as if it were my writing that was going to be critiqued.
Kristen Morey
Fremont High School
Ogden, Utah
Kristen, I am so with you on this post! Our mentor, Amy, actually modeled how she would have conducted a revision session in class by having the writer to read the piece aloud. We were actually able to hear our mistakes! How great is that!!
ReplyDeleteGreat points on what it feels like to be critiqued, but I actually wanted to comment and say that your picture is totally rad. It has a unique angle, good action, and tells a story about sharing ideas. Killer!
ReplyDeleteThanks Bobby!
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