Group Editing Circles-What an experience!

I really felt like the group editing teams were very beneficial. It was a way to reflect on your writing, which most of us never really get a chance to do. I realized how hard it really is for my student to sit beside me and have a critique over their work. It's a humbling experience if anything to have your work critiqued in this manner. It was very frustrating at first to have my first draft gutted by my group, but after my initial frustration I realized how beneficial it was supposed to be.

One thing I took out of it is repeatedly having many sets of eyes look over a piece of copy. For each group, five to seven people were looking over their copy. In my newspaper this year, it was usually two times for me and two times for my editor. This isn't enough! There was one issue that had a couple errors, and no one really is to blame but myself. The credibility of the staff, your program, and yourself are at stake. I focused more on design and copy, and at times lost focus of GSP. It was easy for me to do this with such a small staff of freshmen and sophomores. I need to monitor ALL aspects of the paper. Being thorough at all parts is what will take my publication to the next level.

I feel like this activity of peer editing will be transferred right over onto my staff. It is monotonous and time consuming, but in the long run it will be worth it. From my first rough draft to my final draft was a night to day difference, and it's because of the feedback of my group. Great leadership skills from Juli McClain during this process!

Good stuff people

Spencer O'Daniel
Wichita High School West
Wichita, Kan.