You're not going to tell, are you?
Promise? Cross your heart? Spit in your hand and -- wait, I've changed my mind about the necessity of spit for the current proceedings.
OK, here it is: I hate grading papers.
I know feedback (and at least giving back their homework with a checkmark in the upper right corner, or even a smiley face or star) is integral to what happens in school.
I must confess, however, that it is one of my least favorite things to do. Well, cleaning out some mystery pile of papers that keeps growing and taking over my desk is higher on the list of least-favorite tasks. But still.
I have been guilty of tossing an enormous heap of papers to be graded into my backpack, then lugging it back and forth for longer than I'd like to say right now.
However, tonight I am patting myself on the back for plowing through a pile of papers. I think it helped that I half-watched/half-listened to "American Idol" on TV while I corrected student work. It also helps that I started displaying exemplary vocabulary sentences and vocabulary stories, and I am trying to stay current with the display. I type up 2 of the best stories, then let the writers title them and decorate the margins before they are posted on the board.
Vocabulary stories were a challenging homework assignment at first. I had many students writing disconnected sentences because they couldn't figure out how to weave a story out of 7 vocab words. However, I'm pleased to see that the stories are becoming more cohesive. Maybe they're getting a little help at home, or just figuring out on their own how to connect the words. Either way, I think it's a good higher-level exercise for them.
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