Ed Blog / Writing About Students Without Exposing Them

The Test That Settles Most Cases Quickly

If you would not show the post to the student, do not publish the post.

There is one test that resolves the majority of these questions in about ten seconds. Picture the student reading the post, sitting next to you, knowing it is about them. If any part of that scene makes you wince, the post is not ready. The wince is not squeamishness. It is accurate detection of something you know is not yours to publish, arriving faster than your reasoning can talk you out of it.

The test is strict, and it should be. It fails posts that are affectionate as well as posts that are critical, because being written about admiringly in public without a say is also an imposition. It fails posts where the tone is fine but the detail is too close. It fails posts you have spent two hours on, which is when it earns its keep, because effort already spent is the most common reason people publish something they had doubts about.

When a post fails, the fix is usually not deletion but redirection. Take out the person and write about the decision. Take out the anecdote and write about the pattern it prompted you to notice. What remains is frequently the better post: less vivid, more useful, and free of the low background worry that follows you around after publishing something you were not certain about. That worry is a real cost and avoiding it is a good enough reason on its own.