A few years ago, a former academic colleague and I were reminiscing about another colleague, who was a mentor to me during my first year of teaching.

Reflecting on our different journeys as writing teachers, Colleague #1 said of Colleague #2, “She always seemed to me rather obsessed with assessment.”

Peacemaker that I am, I smiled at this comment–but internally I did a mental fist pump. 

“You’re darn right!” I thought to myself. “If there’s one thing a writing instructor should be obsessed wi…