I’d like to write a little about what to do when your child comes to you with a finished draft. Often, I’ve found that some students do not like any input, nor do they like anyone to read their writing until they have produced a draft. Whatever the case, when you read your child’s draft (and they are all drafts, even the final ones), please keep a few things in mind.

First, never talk about what grade the paper will receive. Trust me, you really cannot have any idea. Even as a teacher, I try not to discuss grades with my tutees. How I grade a paper will be very different than how their teacher may grade it. My job as tutor, and your job as parent, is simply to help them improve their writing, not get an A. If my tutee only has 24 hours to improve her essay, I may not be able to help her turn a nonpassing essay into an A, nor should I try. However, I may be able to make sure she revises the essay to fulfill the assignment enough to pass. So, when your child comes to you with a draft, especially if you have not been part of the process up to that point, here are a few things to think about:

1. Make sure she can clearly explain the assignment to you. This way, you can make sure she fulfills it. A brilliant piece of writing won’t pass if it is off topic.
2. Respond to the big picture first: Are her main ideas clear? Do you leave the paper with any questions for the writer? Can you find a thesis statement and does it answer the assignment? Are the examples or points original, thoughtful and comprehensive. These are the areas of an essay that turn a C paper into a B or an A.
3. Don’t worry about grammar unless you have to. Sure, if you see a typo or glaring error, let her know. But even a grammatically correct essay can still fail.

I just want to reiterate that last point. Sure, a paper littered with grammatical errors will not do well either. But I have given plenty grammatically correct essays a D because they were off topic or underdeveloped and supported. If your child just wants you to check the grammar, then he or she is asking you to proof read. I see this as your child cracking the door open and you needing to open it the rest of the way.