T-E-A-C-H-E-R

Today was a busy day, one of those days when once you get going, you can’t stop or you would collapse in a heap and be unable to drive yourself home.

One hundred forty-six students times 5 assignments is a whole lot of paperwork for one person to handle in one day—while those 146 students are in the classroom generating some of the 730 pieces of paper that then have to be read, graded, and recorded.

I walked out the door with 3 sets of short answer responses, all that remains of the deluge of paperwork. Really.

Page 1072 was due; pages 1073-74 were due; there was a quiz on the week’s lesson; anyone who has missed a quiz had to do make-up work by the end of the day; and everyone was treated to a “surprise” in-class short answer essay response based on a key quote from the story of the week.

And, yeah, I actually read and respond to every piece of paper handed in by a student: that’s what they pay me the big bucks for doing, isn’t it?

The quizzes are a cinch: alphabetize the answer sheets and staple them to prevent losing a paper; make sure everyone uses the same size paper as the key; set the key to the left, put 2-3 quizzes to the right of the key—and put the master class alpha list to the far right of the quizzes. Mark incorrect answers; total up the number correct and write it on the paper, then record it onto a master alpha list. Don’t worry about inputting the scores to the computer database until you have all of the work for that class recorded onto the master alpha list: why do the task more than once?

Homework is trickier: still involves alpha order and a staple, but … spot check 1/2 of the questions, marking through each one as you finish so if someone interrupts, you don’t have to start over. Always use scores by 5 so you can add/subtract quickly. Put the total points at the top of the page, record it onto the master list, and keep on moving on. Don’t stop until the class set is finished as you’ll shove it to the side of the desk and never get back to it! Remember: don’t input the data to the grading program until all the work for that class is on the master list.

Move onto the pile of make-up quizzes, sorting them by quiz #1, #2, #3, #4: the full unit’s worth of quizzes. Grade all #1 quizzes, alphabetizing as you total and write the number on the quiz,, staple that pile together, then do all the #2, all the #3, and all the #4 quizzes the same way. Once they are graded and stapled in alpha order, open the computer program and put the scores directly into the on-line roster. While you’re at it, input all the other scores off the master list for that class. Piece-a-cake.

Alpha the short answer response and mark the master list with a 1 to show that you’ve received it, then fasten firmly, put into a bag and take these home: it’s been a long day and your brain is fried, so give it up while you still have your sanity.

There are many skills I wish I had, but the one skill I possess that sets me apart from the crowd is task analysis: I can look at the problem/task and figure how to do it quickly, efficiently, and effectively. What I haven’t figured out in almost 30 years is how to leave my job at school.

Good news? I only have 3 weekends of doing schoolwork at home left!