Editing is often seen as one item on a list of steps in the writing process—usually put somewhere near the end, and often completely crowded out of writer’s workshop. Too many times daily editing lessons happen in a vacuum, with no relationship to what students are writing.

In Everyday Editing, Jeff Anderson asks teachers to reflect on what sort of message this approach sends to students. Does it tell them that editing and revision are meaningful parts of the writing process, or just a hunt for errors with a 50/50 chance of getting it right—comma or no comma?