Have I mentioned how much I hate grading?
Part of it derives from my own issues, I’m sure. But another part involves the extent to which I devote vast stores of energy to building up goodwill between teacher and students, to constructing an ephemeral community of shared interest and inquiry — which seems to require a kind of attention almost exactly opposite to that required for a standard academic exercise. One reason I hate grading is that although some people write sterling papers that unquestionably enthusiastic applause, others hand in hasty schlock that they ought clearly to recognize as a transparently offhand, pro forma gesture (But do they? Will I break the spell if I say, “This is terrible, it insults our friendship for you to hand this to me?”).
I suspect that the right answer to this sort of frustration would entail an alternative to customary assignments and grading (and thank heavens, Seabury courses are mostly pass-fail). But I still believe in the assignments I’ve constructed —it’s the grading that kills me. I’d rather just help students with assignments. Maybe next term I’ll rig something that works along those lines. Maybe I won’t assign several classes’ worth of papers to come in all at once. Maybe the weather will be nicer, and I won’t have so many other things to do. And an angel will tap my stack of papers with a glowing pen, and they’ll all be graded, perfectly, in an instant.
In the meantime, I hate marking papers.
Posted by AKMA at February 17, 2004 10:18 PM | TrackBackJust remember that prior to 1793, there was no such thing as grading. And, contrary to the popular saying, clocks CAN be turned back.
Posted by: Paul Baxter at February 18, 2004 07:56 AMRight on, AKMA!
What I hate is when students turn in those pieces of schlock and then pretend that they did something worthwhile, acting as if they had created something worth my time and skills. And they act like they can fool me, which is even worse -- I'm a professional educator and wouldn't it be sensible for them to understand that I can smell this sort of b---s--- pretty far away. I may not have many other skills, but evaluating a paper for quality and content is in my "skillset." They they get mad when they get a bad grade, either because they think that they somehow bought a good grade by paying their tuition (I have to constantly remind students that education is not an economic transaction), or because they put "lots of effort" into the work and the effort should count for something. Perhaps in the karmic calculus the effort counts, but a bad paper, whether written in one hour or twenty, is still a bad paper.
But if the bad paper is a result of lots of effort gone wrong, at least you can work with that. When it's just because it's "transparently offhand", I am more than annoyed. I don't think I have ever said that a paper is "bad" but I have indicated that it's clearly below the standard I expect. Usually by handing out a drastically low grade.
Posted by: Nate at February 18, 2004 09:42 AMi have to say - as a student, i'm not all that crazy about marked papers either...
Posted by: heather at February 18, 2004 09:33 PMI just received a double helping of papers to be marked yesterday, and they've sat skulking in the depths of my school bag since. I've found that my willingness to ignore the offhanded schlock has taken a drastic beating in the last couple of years.
I think you picked up on something important, Rev. Adam: their turning in 'work' to which they've obviously not committed any appreciable effort really is a violation of the implicit contract between teacher and student. I was trying to think of the inverse. Perhaps if I graded papers and gave them no feedback? Maybe if I had them pull grades out of a hat? I wonder whether a stunt like that would make the point or completely backfire (absent, of course, the royal rump-chewing that would ensue from TPTB).
Posted by: MisterBS at February 18, 2004 10:39 PM