Expression: "Sometimes we just have assess ourselves..."

[Tom]

Hi

Could you please explain to me the following line--especially the red part? This has been said by a teacher to his student on his failure to write a good essay.

[Yankee]

Hi Tom

"The circular file" is a humorous reference to a trash can. So, if someone tells you they put something in the circular file, it means they threw it away.

I'd say the teacher was basically telling the student that if they really assessed the essay objectively, they'd realize the essay needs to be completely rewritten -- i.e. the student needs to throw the first one away and start from scratch.
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Amy
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ESL teacher, translator, and a native speaker of American English

[Torsten]

Hi Tom,

Your sentence should probably read Sometimes we just have to assess ourselves...."?
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Test Of English for International Communication
TOEIC Preparation & TOEIC Vocabulary

[Jamie (K)]