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By: Baognia Stoeckler
It started with a test.
A student who usually performed well got a low score. I handed it back with the usual instructions: “Do test corrections, and you can earn half your points back.” But she stared at the paper blankly. “I don’t even know what I did wrong,” she muttered. I realized she wasn’t being defiant—she was lost. And it hit me: how could I expect improvement when I hadn’t shown her the way forward?
Old Practices—Familiar Patterns
I used to give students assignments, they’d complete as much as they could, turn it in, I’d grade it, and we’d move on. The cycle repeated—assign, grade, return. Occasionally, I offered test corrections for half credit. But most students didn’t earn those points back, and more importantly, they didn’t really learn from their mistakes. Why? Because I never gave them a meaningful chance to understand what they missed or how to improve. I expected growth without guidance.
This wasn’t a technical issue—it was an adaptive challenge. I needed to rethink not just what I was doing, but why. If students didn’t understand the content the first time, what support was I giving them to succeed the second time?
Feedback: Lighting the Way
That’s when I understood: without feedback, students are navigating in the dark.
St. Jerome’s words ring true:
“Good, better, best—never let it rest, until your good is better, and your better is best.”
They remind me that growth is a journey, not a destination. As teachers, we’re called to guide students on that journey. But how can they move from good to better to best if they never know where they stand or how to take the next step?
In Just Teaching, Jon Eckert (2019) explains that feedback connects our desire to grow with the actions that drive real progress. This year, I shifted my classroom practices to prioritize consistent, meaningful feedback—both from me and from peers—helping students develop the resilience to engage deeply in learning. In Just Teaching, Eckert (2019) discusses our “innate desire to improve” and describes how feedback connects our efforts to actual growth. Through feedback, we develop habits that keep us moving toward our goals. This year, I shifted my classroom approach to ensure that students receive consistent, meaningful feedback, not only from me but also from their peers. This shift has allowed students to build resilience and perseverance as they work through the natural challenges of learning. John Hattie’s research on Visible Learning (2009) reinforces this idea, showing that effective feedback has one of the highest effect sizes in improving student achievement—0.73—outperforming nearly all other strategies.
What began as a shift in instructional strategy soon became a shared leadership model—students were no longer just participants but active contributors to one another’s learning journeys. It was an adaptive change in action because if we want to see our students thrive, feedback is critical.
Creating a Feedback Culture
To help students grow, I built a classroom culture around giving and receiving feedback. At first, we practiced what constructive feedback looked like. Students used checklists and rubrics to assess each other’s work and offer suggestions before submitting it for a grade. Over time, peer feedback became routine—and transformative.
At first, students chose a “bestie” to review their work. I leaned into the idea that a true friend wants what’s best for you. The classroom shifted from compliance to curiosity, energized by students who were eager to both give and receive support. Later, I assigned random partners to offer new perspectives. That shift created deeper insight—students said they received feedback they hadn’t considered before. They saw that improvement comes from many voices, not just one. They learned the importance of having a fresh set of eyes, unclouded by friendship biases, and could often identify areas for improvement that the student hadn’t seen or made aware of before.
Through this process, students learned to give feedback thoughtfully, recognizing each other’s strengths and areas for growth. They learned that others could see potential in them that they might not see in themselves. This community of mutual support transformed my classroom into a space where improvement was celebrated, not feared. This process empowered students to recognize that the real reward wasn’t finishing quickly or earning a grade—it was creating their best work through feedback. The classroom shifted from a culture of completion to one of collaboration.
Unexpected Outcomes: Collective Leadership and Community
This culture of feedback also deepened classroom relationships. Our practice was grounded in the biblical principle from the Second Greatest Commandment:
“Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mark 12:31)
Students learned that loving others well meant helping them grow. They gave feedback with compassion, received it with humility, and supported one another with honesty. They learned that leadership isn’t always about being in front—sometimes it’s about walking beside someone as they try again.
A New Confidence in Learning
After peer feedback rounds, students met with me or my co-teacher for final one-on-one conferences. What amazed me was how often students already knew what we were going to say. They had learned to self-assess. They knew what needed revision. They could anticipate the kind of feedback that would help them improve. That level of reflection didn’t come from a worksheet—it came from a feedback-rich environment where growth was constant.
This change wasn’t just about academics—it was about collective leadership. As Eckert argues, when people share responsibility and purpose, change becomes sustainable. By engaging students in giving and receiving feedback, I was no longer the sole instructional leader in the room. My students became leaders of their own learning and of each other’s success.
And when they saw how much better their work had become, the joy on their faces was unforgettable. Students often surprise themselves with what they are capable of, and witnessing their joy in the midst of this productive struggle reminded me of why feedback is so essential in teaching.
Conclusion: Feedback as a Path to Excellence
Teaching is humbling. Just when we think we’ve got it all figured out, we discover we’re still growing too. This shift—from grading to guiding, from correcting to coaching—has changed my teaching. It’s helped my students take ownership of their learning and become leaders in their own right.
The journey from good to better to best isn’t just for our students. It’s for us, too. When we build cultures of feedback, we’re creating classrooms where growth is shared, leadership is distributed, and every student believes they can improve—because someone took the time to show them how.
“I never thought I was good at science,” one student told me. “But now, I actually get it—and if I don’t yet, I know I will.”
That’s the power of feedback. That’s the promise of second chances—and the kind of transformation that happens when students feel both challenged and supported.
About the Author
Baognia Stoeckler is a dedicated educator from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She currently serves as the 8th Grade Science Teacher at Saint Augustine Preparatory Academy (Aug Prep), where she is recognized for her deep commitment to student growth, engaging hands-on instruction, and creating a classroom culture that fosters curiosity and a genuine love for science. Her approach to teaching emphasizes inquiry, relationship-building, and the belief that every student is capable of success. In 2025, Baognia was honored with the Herb Kohl Educational Foundation Teacher Fellowship—an award that recognizes outstanding educators for their leadership, service, and dedication to student success. Outside of the classroom, Baognia treasures time with her husband and their three children. Together, they enjoy exploring new places, trying out new crafts, and getting lost in a good book. Whether teaching or spending time with family, she brings joy, creativity, and intentionality to everything she does.