The "Needs Grading" box seems to fill as soon as I get it emptied. My own "inbox" fills up almost as fast with reasons why things are late or why someone needs another few hours, days..... It's that time of the semester when those of us who teach college students are trying to finish up grading final papers and projects.
It's a "push" to get done in a tight time crunch that can hang over your head like dirigible in your office or in my case, in my living room! I try to read each and every paper carefully and score respectfully with the rubric. I try to keep my mind fresh with walks and sit ups between papers. Most importantly, I try to give meaningful and valuable feedback. That's the hard and time consuming part. That's the important part! Our words matter - a lot!
Teachers have the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of our students by the words and comments we share about their work. Trust me, not every paper I get, even on the graduate level, is a joy to read and grade. Sometimes, I have to comment again and again about making broad generalizations or assumptions about students or learning. Sometimes, I have to comment again and again about conventions of English grammar or about APA format. Sometimes, I have to comment about writing succinctly and efficiently or about writing in a manner that does not fill the paper with words rather than ideas. Teachers, all of us, have this job of nudging our students to reach beyond where they are at this moment into a place of greater achievement.
This year, with stressors sky high for teachers and students alike, it is most important to remember our students are stressed and our words often have heightened significance.
This year, with stressors sky high for parents and friends and neighbors and family members, it is important to remember that everyone is stressed and our words as well as our actions may have heightened significance.
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