On learning to help others learn successful writing

It is amazing how we as writers can overlook the simplest concepts in our attempts to produce effective writing, or in our attempts to help others do so.  Never once have I considered the extreme significance of the assignment sheet as Anna Kendall does in her article "The Assignment Sheet Mystery."  While I am in the regular habit of reading and re-reading the professor's assignment sheet or writing prompt and striving to gear my ideas toward the provided information/guidelines, it has never occurred to me that others may disregard or misunderstand said assignment sheet.  I feel that I have been so drilled (by both high school and college professors, if not others as well) to "get" what is asked of me so that I may deliver it in the manner requested to the best of my ability.  In college, I can say that I have especially learned how to craft my writing toward certain teachers' preferences and have become more experienced in deciphering the verbose and abstract assignment sheets.  In helping someone else with a paper or other writing, I honestly don't think that I would really think to even question their use or understanding of the assignment sheet.  However, I am glad that I have read this article, because I do feel that it could be key in helping a person to develop their writing skills as well as their academic success.