In this article, the author discusses how instructors' feedback on their students' texts can exact a toll on the students. Based from her own experiences, the author relates that teachers often do not have enough time to grade their students' writing. Even so, she argues that teachers like her should adopt strategies that promote self-reflective assessment practices and require instructors to call into question and critique their own evaluative tendencies. In addition, she also advocates for a more humane and generous mode of assessment, one that never forgets its student audience. To illustrate how teachers' negative comments can adversely affect students, the author presents a case study in this article. (Contains 4 notes.)