When I was in school, in 2nd grade, I remember getting a "D" on an English assignment. It was a story about a bear and we were supposed to answer the questions. I was a very avid writer, so the lines were never long enough for me. I then started writing up the page and around the whole perimeter of the sheet, anywhere I could find space. When I had the paper returned, there sat in unholy red ink, a giant "D" with the note: "Hanna, (nobody ever spells my name with an "h" at the end and I would really like to meet these other "Hannas" that are ruining the way the world spells my name) if you spent more time reading the stories and writing on the lines, you would do better." I was HORRIFIED obviously because I remember it so well. I was also discouraged and I don't want to emblazon any bad memories on my students, so that was my biggest concern going into the grading. I want to give my students feedback that is understood but not crippling. As a second grader, I honestly thought I was a "D" writer for the longest time. It was never explained to me WHY writing was important in the case of this sheet about a bear and maybe I shouldn't cram as much as I could on one page, regardless of how many trees I would be saving...
My main concerns are having the authority to grade and feeling confident in the grading I complete. I also want to make sure I give the student feedback that steers them in the proper direction. I don’t want to miss something major about a student’s writing and it slips through the cracks. I didn't have any MAJOR concerns just because I have worked as a tutor and a large part of being an English tutor is looking at papers and making suggestions, so I had some experience with reviewing papers.
It was much more difficult than I expected because of the time constraint. When I have tutored in the past, I would typically have thirty minutes per paper and be discussing it with the student. The 15 minutes really opened my eyes because I was worried about making sure I caught or applauded all the details. I think encouragement is so important to a student and I didn't want to be on an English pedestal judging a student that was really trying to do their best. Writing well takes practice and I never want to discourage a student on their first attempt at writing and then ruin it for them completely.
I just hear horror English stories of students losing interest in English because of a teacher who was not constructive in their grading practices. Grades aren't just about applauding a student or pointing out every wrong detail of what they completed but it also is about showing the path to improvement. Telling a student, this is what worked for your paper and this is what didn't builds on their writing skills instead of just slapping a grade on it and that is what I realized was important to me after I had completed grading.
I really want to continue strengthening my skills in order to benefit students because the larger knowledge base I have, the better I can assist students. I know Dr. Montz has been a great example for me because I knew from the first class I took that she invested her time and energy into the class and so she expected a lot from us but in a good way where it was a positive challenge. I have had teachers in the past where I didn't really know what they wanted but when a teacher gives very clear instructions to a paper or assignment, the student knows what the teacher expects. This helps in the grading process because as a teacher, you know the students know what is expected of them. When all the materials have been provided, they can thus rise to the occasion.
My main concerns are having the authority to grade and feeling confident in the grading I complete. I also want to make sure I give the student feedback that steers them in the proper direction. I don’t want to miss something major about a student’s writing and it slips through the cracks. I didn't have any MAJOR concerns just because I have worked as a tutor and a large part of being an English tutor is looking at papers and making suggestions, so I had some experience with reviewing papers.
It was much more difficult than I expected because of the time constraint. When I have tutored in the past, I would typically have thirty minutes per paper and be discussing it with the student. The 15 minutes really opened my eyes because I was worried about making sure I caught or applauded all the details. I think encouragement is so important to a student and I didn't want to be on an English pedestal judging a student that was really trying to do their best. Writing well takes practice and I never want to discourage a student on their first attempt at writing and then ruin it for them completely.
I just hear horror English stories of students losing interest in English because of a teacher who was not constructive in their grading practices. Grades aren't just about applauding a student or pointing out every wrong detail of what they completed but it also is about showing the path to improvement. Telling a student, this is what worked for your paper and this is what didn't builds on their writing skills instead of just slapping a grade on it and that is what I realized was important to me after I had completed grading.
I really want to continue strengthening my skills in order to benefit students because the larger knowledge base I have, the better I can assist students. I know Dr. Montz has been a great example for me because I knew from the first class I took that she invested her time and energy into the class and so she expected a lot from us but in a good way where it was a positive challenge. I have had teachers in the past where I didn't really know what they wanted but when a teacher gives very clear instructions to a paper or assignment, the student knows what the teacher expects. This helps in the grading process because as a teacher, you know the students know what is expected of them. When all the materials have been provided, they can thus rise to the occasion.