(Re) Inventing the University with a Purple Pen

One of the exciting things I had coming into 2025 was that I had the opportunity to start a new job. It turns out that I am teaching at the college level again. This time I'm teaching sections of a Literature and Culture class, which is different from when I taught Composition.

Since Literature and Culture is more of an elective, I can worry a little less about feeling like I am shoving reading and writing down their throats. I try to come to class every week with the same energy: this is book club for me, and I am so excited to talk to you about what you read. I'm hoping that this gives them room to love what I love too.

That being said, I just finished a round of feedback drafts for their first assignment, and it made me think about when I got hired and how I got to this point. So that is what I am going to reflect on today's blog post.

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The Day I Was Hired

I was lucky enough that they knew they wanted me when I came in for my interview, so I went into the office once we were done talking. As they were in the process of onboarding me, the receptionist turned to me with two purple pens in her hands.

She proceeds to tell me that sometimes, students need a little kindness. Red can be very harsh for them and make them feel like they're doing something wrong. Green is nice, but might be misleading if they aren't doing completely well. So she liked to suggest that grading be done in purple, because it is a nicer color.

It's my favorite color, and I found myself empathizing with the students that I would meet once I started this new job. I loved this approach of soft guidance, and found that it already aligned with the way that I taught.

What is a Feedback Draft?

Something that was built into the structure of Composition when I taught it at UCF was this cycle of peer review, feedback draft, and then a final draft. I don't know if everyone implemented it in the same way, but the way I did it was would tell my students they could turn in whatever draft they had. They would receive full credit no matter the state of the draft and receive my feedback before turning in their final draft.

It typically meant that the next night after they turned it in I wouldn't sleep in an attempt to get it all done before I saw them for the next class, but I found that it was worth it. I believe that my feedback actually helped them, and there was a part of me that believed they might appreciate that their professor wanted them to succeed.

I believed in it so much that I brought it with me to my new school, and that even though I'm not teaching Composition right now, it is a practice that can be applied to other classes too. As a student, I know that I was always seeking for validation from my professors, and this is one of the ways that I can offer it to my students in a low-stakes way.

Signing Off Today with a Purple Pen

I truly do think it is worth it to supplement young writers with useful feedback. Not just constructive criticism, but also support. My favorite moment in class this week was probably having one of my students open up my feedback on his paper and then saying out loud, "Oh, this is awesome."

I don't think he was referring to the fact that I had marked up his entire paper, but the fact that I had taken the time to help him make his paper better. And that is who I would want to be as an educator: someone who fosters collaboration when developing young writers.