How personal is too personal?

So I think we all got the point, writing should be personal. I couldn't agree more. The best "creative" writing I have ever done was inspired by my parents divorce and my relationship with them since then. But I believe that there are serious repercussions for students and teachers alike when the sharing becomes too personal. Rex stated "But you may be more concerned about Linda, about all the Lindas who came before her and who made themselves vulnerable in such a potentially damaging way. As teachers are we not responsible for the repercussions? To that question I unerringly answer 'yes.' We have to hold ourselves responsible" (125). Rex continues with the idea that teachers need to "manage" experiences where students share personal experiences. But what I want to know is how do we manage such experiences?

My brother is a freshman at Mechanicsburg and his English teacher asked the class to write about the worst experience of their life. My little brother, like his sister, chose to write about our father and his alcohol abuse. I am ashamed to admit that I tried to talk him out of it. I thought it would be more appropriate for him to write about the bike accident that left him with a 14 inch scar on his leg but he assured me that it would be okay to write about dad since only the teacher would read what he wrote. I felt reassured after that and dropped the subject. I realize now though that I behaved hypocritically. I too would have choose to write about dad. More importantly, what is the purpose of the assignment if the teacher is the only one who reads it and provides feedback? Are the students in my brother's class really learning anything about writing and sharing if the only person they are trying to satisfy is the teacher? Is the assigment really about finding their voice?