An archived stack of papers: 'grading'
Don’t Call Home
In a stack of papers called Instruction.
- Dec
- 14
- 2006
It is December 14th. We start Winter Holiday tomorrow at 1:15. When we get back from break, there are only 2 weeks before semester finals. That means that, even though it’s a month away on the calendar, there are only 2 weeks left in this semester.
And this is the week that parents start to call or email teachers about their child who is failing or in danger of failing a course. Why are... read more
Drop Those Red Pens
In a stack of papers called Grading.
- Dec
- 11
- 2006
My hand sits poised over the last of 51 Oedipus the King essays to read for this year. “Since the end of October, jeez…” I mutter and shake my head, taking another swig of black coffee. Putting Sunday morning on hold to correct papers never proves easy. But these papers have gathered dust on my desk or in my bag for going on 2 months.
Painfully aware of the fact that... read more
Stats At Grading Period End
In a stack of papers called Instruction.
- Nov
- 30
- 2006
Total number of Ds and Fs earned: 35 (31% of my students)
Total number of Fs earned: 14 (12% of my students) With at least one F in other classes: 10 With at least one D in other classes, but no other Fs: 1 With Cs or higher in other classes: 3
Total number of Ds earned: 21 (18% of my students) With at least one F in other classes: 9 With at least one D in... read more
Use Your Data
In a stack of papers called Grading.
- Oct
- 06
- 2006
Just a quick note before I head off for the weekend. First of all, I have a stack of 20 essays I simply must finish by Sunday night. Add that to the fact that I and about 6 other teachers will be back in my classroom tomorrow morning at 9:00 (that’s right, 9:00 on a Saturday) to grade some schoolwide writing prompts, I’ll be grading a lot of writing this weekend. That usually means that... read more
A Diploma’s Significance
In a stack of papers called Reform.
- Sep
- 11
- 2006
What does a diploma mean? Is it such a huge accomplishment to graduate from high school? Upon graduation, does anyone really care what your GPA was or how many AP classes you took or how often you cut 6th and 7th periods? Is high school simply a gateway to college? Or should high school be about preparation for any kind of life beyond the world of education? How does a diploma fit into that scheme of... read more
The Gravity Of Graduation
In a stack of papers called Grading.
- Jun
- 02
- 2006
The excitement of the end of the school year, as infectious as any disease, prances around the room all day dressed in its summer finest. With the dawning of June, students see it and they often dance along, singing songs of the fair time off from school ahead. I see it, too, as vacations and airline tickets build up, though I keep my dancing shoes in the closet during the workday. But while the... read more
Teacher Comment Database
In a stack of papers called Grading.
- Mar
- 06
- 2006
As teachers, we spend time pouring over student papers, making comments along the way that we hope will create better writers. Given the amount of time it takes to comment on papers, this makes grading stacks of essays even more of a burden than simply reading that many pages.
Databases: Just Great Big Lists Of Stuff
To take the sting out of grading written pieces, I suggest that we... read more
Objectivity And The Art Of Grading Writing
In a stack of papers called Grading.
- Mar
- 02
- 2006
The chance to read another teacher’s papers presented itself with our schoolwide writing, which we completed back in the middle of January. I traded with the AP English Language teacher, so my opportunity to read writing from another class transformed into the opportunity to read writing produced by AP students. “This will be interesting,” my mind called out, staring at a few stacks of... read more
The Pain Of Autonomy
In a stack of papers called Grading.
- Mar
- 01
- 2006
Talking with a friend today about grades, the issue of writing came up. We landed on an obvious topic for two English teachers.
It’s easy to fall into the trap, not realizing that what you see as a breath of fresh air in a stack full of dullard papers really isn’t all that fabulous when compared to competent writing. It’s only a breath of fresh air when compared to all the other... read more
Quicker Ways to Grade Writing
In a stack of papers called Writing.
- Jun
- 02
- 2005
During lunch today, I rattled off a few suggestions to a student teacher who is facing having to read 4 batches of essays this weekend to get caught up. And I thought they might be kind of useful suggestions to remember, so here they are.
Here are what I see as some good alternatives to the thorough reading and commenting that so often prevents teachers from evaluating writing (by no means is... read more