Picture this: It’s your second day as a cherub. You finished your first assignment the night before, feeling fairly confident. But as you open your article, you see 49 new comments and most of your writing sliced with red lines.
The cherubs received feedback on their stories after a day or two. Devin Berkowitz of New York said it was a jarring experience.
“I’d never received such detailed feedback and feedback that was so specific to journalism,” she said. “At school, it was mostly just English class stuff. I’d never really gotten feedback on an article like that.”
As cherubs had the opportunity to revise their work, they were able to learn from their mistakes. After a few weeks, Abby Kronenberg of New York said she learned to appreciate her instructor’s criticism.
“At first, I took the amount of comments on my assignment to heart,” said Kronenberg. “But then I accepted that my instructors are only here to help me. In the end, their comments made me a better writer and a better journalist.”
Although she also received harsh feedback, Reese Lorton of Jerseyville, Illinois, said she learned to take it in stride.
Lorton said her instructor, J.A. Adande, said, “Your pat on the back, your ‘good job,’ was getting in. At this point, it’s about improving you and making you better. Giving you positive feedback isn’t as effective as giving you real criticism.”
For instructors, finding the balance between criticism and compliments can be complicated.
“When you’re an instructor, there’s not a lot of time,” said instructor Mary Lou Song. “Sometimes, your tendency is just to point out what’s wrong. It’s hard to pause, but I think it’s important to point out what’s right. We want people to learn here.”
Cherubs don’t earn grades or credits, so intrinsic motivation is essential, said instructor John Kupetz.
“This is an ideal program because there are no grades,” he said. “You’re under no threat. Nobody’s going to hurt you. Nothing’s going to happen. We give you an assignment, you mess it up, and then you do it again.”
