Peer Editing 101

The peer editing of the 101 students' papers taught me how difficult it is to be in the position of a student and teacher. As a student, writing can be difficult especially when you are nervous, insecure or afraid of how someone may criticize or judge your writing. As a teacher it is just as difficult when you want to help the students as much as possible by providing them with corrective criticism; however, you also don’t want to come off too harsh, and discourage them. It is very hard trying to find that right balance of providing enough corrective instruction and encouragement.

This experience has helped me realized how far I have come in my writing since first attending La Guardia Community College, in 2009, and that I still have a long way to go to accomplish my educational and professional goals. Although, I have become more confident in my writing abilities, I often still have some fears or insecurities about my writings. In helping the 101 student, I was reminded of how it felt to be in their shoes, which I believe allowed me to be a better peer advisor. I gained valuable experience that I can use in the future to help guide and encourage the potential in others in the future.

Hence, in editing and reviewing my work, I am now able to identify the most important aspects of a paper: 1) Is the thesis clear? 2) Are the main ideas well developed, and do they support the thesis? 3) Are there any grammatical errors? (missing words, misspelled, or sentence fragments) and 4) Do the sentences connect with each other, and are they well organized? Following this checklist will definitely help me spot out the mistakes in my work and correct them.

Ultimately, through this experience of editing the 101 students’ papers, I was able to reacquaint myself again with the natural spirit presented and/or expressed in our writings that we sometimes lose in the process of growth and maturity, and also when we are constantly critiqued by others. When writing a paper, I feel that sometimes I am so concerned about writing the perfect paper that I tend to forget how to just write. Unfortunately, once our individual voices are gone or lost, it can be difficult to get it back. In the process and journey of learning and improving oneself, one must never forget to also strive to stay true to oneself.