I have never been so overwhelmed with anything in my life. The first day of school was a piece of cake compared to this.
I hadn't set up my grades yet before last week because I wasn't sure how I wanted to do them. I kept flipping back and forth between just straight up A,B,C etc... to having different points values for different things. It ends up that I do want everything to have different points values because I feel like it gives the student a chance to earn points instead of just take them away. (I know there are names for these two techniques but I am literally a zombie right now and can not think of either.) This ends up being a whole lot more work for me, but I am so happy that I am able to give my kids bonus points on certain things.
Now that I have set up grades, which was a whole fiasco in itself (basically because I am a new teacher and don't know the people to call when something doesn't work), I tried to input grades from home but lo and behold there were no tasks for me to enter grades under. Tasks are the different assignments that I spent til almost 7:30 on Friday entering into my gradebook.
#$%?!!!! Why does everything have to be un uphill battle? Can't it ever slope off for a while? And yes, I do realize that I have spent almost no time grading up until then so I have overwhelmed myself, but still this is ridiculous.
Luckily I have a cut and paste assignment today that will probably take all period. Then I assigned another follow up worksheet because we are still not getting the concept of electrons. I will start the students on those and then I hope that I will be able to go class by class today and finish up what little grading is still left all while being the most awesome question answerer, balancing on one foot, hopping uphill in the snow and holding a chicken... ok, not really, but that's what I feel like right now!!
have a grade-ful day today... or not!!! but make it a good one!!!- coach b
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2 comments:
I am sure that you have already exhausted all possibilities, but what do other teachers do on campus for grading? Our district has grading guidelines that all teachers must follow for each grade level and subject. Is it not so much like this in "Don't Blink, You'll Miss Us", Texas? I am SOOOOOO sorry for your grading nightmare. That, as a librarian, is one thing I don't miss. Perhaps you can have a D.E.A.R. marathon tomorrow (Drop Everything And Read) so you can get some grading done. And tell them not to ask you a single question or utter a syllable in your direction until they have asked 6 other people the question first. Seriously. ;)
I promise as each day goes by, it will get easier, but you do have to experience everything at least once before it seems so...
try to clear the decks this week as much as possible and this weekend too to get this either finished or under control...
on some simpler things do a check for completion grade...grant credit for a complete homework instead of grading it per se...or do peer to peer gradings as review and then take a completion grade
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