In an age of AI-generated polish, many students feel pressure to present flawless, hyper-edited work - often at the expense of their own thinking, learning, and authentic voice. This workshop invites faculty to rethink how we communicate expectations around writing, process, and originality. Together, we’ll explore ways to encourage students to “give us their bad grammar”: to share early thinking, imperfect drafts, and genuine attempts at meaning-making without the fear of being judged for every misplaced comma.

Participants will examine why students may feel anxious or hesitant to produce their own work, especially when surrounded by automated tools that promise instant correctness. We’ll discuss strategies for creating classroom climates that value process over perfection, support students as they grapple with complex ideas, and help them confidently showcase their own voices. Faculty will leave with concrete approaches to assignment design, framing, and feedback that reduce student anxiety, promote academic integrity, and emphasize learning as a human-centered, iterative practice.