One thing I’ve had to just make myself do (that you’ve helped me with!) is give students significant class time to reflect on their writing before and after grading. Then I ensure they do something with all those lovely comments I made.
It’s not a hack, but it was helpful to have students grade their own essays giving only positive feedback and encouraging them to fix negative things before submitting! It was fascinating to see what they thought was good, and I was more tender in comments that disagreed with their self-praise in those sections. I was also more focused on ways to help them achieve what they thought they were doing (like they wrote: “this is an interesting insight,” and I responded with ideas of how to explain it more clearly).
Thanks for the mention! I really appreciate your honest reflection about grading essays and balancing family time. I wish there was a better system that allowed teachers more time during the school day for planning and grading.
This is a wonderful post about a core truth of the life we lead as English teachers. I've been in the classroom for (literally!) three times as long as you have, and I am never NOT gobsmacked by the number of hours that go into doing this important work each day/week/month/year. So is my husband! And no, it's not a martyr thing: we do it because we know it matters. The trick, as you so powerfully point out, is to figure out how to get the feedback to matter to the students. The fact that you work so assiduously on figuring out that piece is just one of the many reasons I love following you. Thank you for the precious time you put into sharing all of this. Carry on!
I sort of accidentally stumbled on collective feedback when I didn't have enough time to read student drafts and it really changed how I thought about feedback in general. At first I thought I was being kind of lazy, but as I honed my approach I realized that I was encouraging students to take the reins of their own work. The necessity gave rise to a personal innovation.
This is a wonderful post. I don’t think there is any way around the time required for an ELA teacher.
I am seeing a lot of teachers completely abandon the assigning of writing or the grading of it. In middle school this looks like students coming in expecting to get As for “turning in an outline.” In high school this looks like giving a grade without any feedback to improve.
I teach middle and collective feedback is not as helpful for a group of students who can’t transfer that information to their own work. A lot of them struggle to read.
Matthew Johnson’s Flash Feedback is terrific.
Tyler Rablin has students highlight specific areas of growth the essay writing or essay feedback maybe working on; for example, thesis statements or elaboration etc.
My personal hack is that I have writing due date planned around what they will be doing independently next. This means that in class I can review work WITH them while they are working on the next unit launch or low-stakes activity. So, say, essays due Friday—in class I have them highlight the areas I am reviewing. We do this together. I often give feedback that day; by this time I have already viewed a lot of the writing and issues. Now, next week, they are doing something—reading and annotating two articles which will begin our new unit. Prep for our launch. So, I am grading. In class. Calling them up and meeting with them. I get through each class in about 2-3 days this way.
I just can’t do 20+ hours at home anymore. Maybe it would be different if I had AP students who had more invested.
It’s a different beast in middle school when they are coming in from different elementary schools often never having written anything but “a paragraph is 5 sentences.”
I love everything about this post, especially your feelings that this process cannot and should not be hacked. Personal comments are simply too important to let AI tackle.
I grade in batches of 5 essays, which takes about 30 mins. On grading weekends, I try to get 6 or 7 blocks of time in per day so I can get 3 classes done in a weekend.
Title: The Obstacles that were Thought to be insurmountable but were conquered by The Cultural Differences and Self-Empowerment as a ladder to a better character.
As I reflect on where the Yarders went and how the circumstances impacted their lives, I can't
help but wonder about the extent of the family's boldness and resilience despite all the odds.
What takes place among all of those who either read the novel or who do not, is the impact on
us that the main themes like race, dreams, and family issues the novel cast on every one of us.
The fact is, I am a teenage girl like the protagonist of the novel, and our intimacy and
aspirations lead us together to admire her experience of finding her way in the world of blazing
sun rays and heavy darkness, whereas I could also provide this planet with a change through
my varied multiculturalism and stubbornness strength.
Growing up as a child living in a low-income neighborhood, I only ever saw the scenery around
me that could be viewed at my front door, and within only a walking radius, all of which were
very routine for me. Though I faced such situations, I could never allow myself to be a prisoner
of those temporary circumstances of mine which would have been a restriction in the area of my
growth and full potential. I could tell Walter Younger was just another struggling young
African–Americans with the burden of finding the right job, with the ultimate goal of defining
success and making his family happy. I could spot him as my discipline provider. That was a
true encouragement for me to keep moving ahead all the time no matter what was happening to
me.
Being at the disadvantage of racial equality is the most heartfelt topic to me; it is what I have
been suffering on account of discrimination, stereotyping, as well as systematic discrimination.
Nevertheless, I was not going to do what society expected me to regarding how our peer groups
are organized and how people are labeled. I struggle with a societal lacuna in this quest to go
beyond the purview of traditional values during my senior year in high school. I matter to be the
person I want to be, not who people (mainly family) want me to be. I feel obligated to stand up
for the truth and fairness.
When I was a younger sibling similar to my elder siblings I noticed that my struggles with
them were some of my other x,y, and z. Apart from that, having observed how the whole crisis
has strengthened family ties, just like certain principles such as the need for communication,
empathy, and, on a basic level, forgiveness is so evidently portrayed in the movie, is
unforgettable for me. The essential knowledge that I got was that there are still some splendid
things to look forward to in life, even if the difficulties are at their greatest, to find the grace that
enables you to overcome all sorts of obstacles.
By "A Raisin in the Sun" play, I have learned that one’s soul cannot be broken by adversity, once
he is a strong-willed and hardworking man. On the one hand, the Younger family experiences
pain and gains companionship. On the other hand, they show the power of hope and pursue
their dreams with all their might. They have shown me what it is to defy the odds, and have
propelled me to discover the light within me, and to follow any path I wish to embark on.
Another thing is that being culturally diversified, I get a boost of motivation and strength to draw
upon. Growing up in a multicultural environment, I have become able to admire and empathize
with distinct traditions, thus facilitating communication and understanding. This is my worldview
broadened, to get my mind around the various complicated issues facing society today.
My cultural diversity is helping me to see the world from a different perspective and I hope to
use it towards making the world a better place.
I would not be the person I am today without the trial with which I have learned to be strong like
the Walter family against their struggles. Lately, I have been realizing that I endure hardships,
always bearing in mind my goals, and never giving up on my dreams. I build on the fact that I
know my strength is a key fundament to overcoming the struggles life produces and reaching
One thing I’ve had to just make myself do (that you’ve helped me with!) is give students significant class time to reflect on their writing before and after grading. Then I ensure they do something with all those lovely comments I made.
It’s not a hack, but it was helpful to have students grade their own essays giving only positive feedback and encouraging them to fix negative things before submitting! It was fascinating to see what they thought was good, and I was more tender in comments that disagreed with their self-praise in those sections. I was also more focused on ways to help them achieve what they thought they were doing (like they wrote: “this is an interesting insight,” and I responded with ideas of how to explain it more clearly).
Thanks for the mention! I really appreciate your honest reflection about grading essays and balancing family time. I wish there was a better system that allowed teachers more time during the school day for planning and grading.
This is a wonderful post about a core truth of the life we lead as English teachers. I've been in the classroom for (literally!) three times as long as you have, and I am never NOT gobsmacked by the number of hours that go into doing this important work each day/week/month/year. So is my husband! And no, it's not a martyr thing: we do it because we know it matters. The trick, as you so powerfully point out, is to figure out how to get the feedback to matter to the students. The fact that you work so assiduously on figuring out that piece is just one of the many reasons I love following you. Thank you for the precious time you put into sharing all of this. Carry on!
I sort of accidentally stumbled on collective feedback when I didn't have enough time to read student drafts and it really changed how I thought about feedback in general. At first I thought I was being kind of lazy, but as I honed my approach I realized that I was encouraging students to take the reins of their own work. The necessity gave rise to a personal innovation.
Hi Marcus,
This is a wonderful post. I don’t think there is any way around the time required for an ELA teacher.
I am seeing a lot of teachers completely abandon the assigning of writing or the grading of it. In middle school this looks like students coming in expecting to get As for “turning in an outline.” In high school this looks like giving a grade without any feedback to improve.
I teach middle and collective feedback is not as helpful for a group of students who can’t transfer that information to their own work. A lot of them struggle to read.
Matthew Johnson’s Flash Feedback is terrific.
Tyler Rablin has students highlight specific areas of growth the essay writing or essay feedback maybe working on; for example, thesis statements or elaboration etc.
My personal hack is that I have writing due date planned around what they will be doing independently next. This means that in class I can review work WITH them while they are working on the next unit launch or low-stakes activity. So, say, essays due Friday—in class I have them highlight the areas I am reviewing. We do this together. I often give feedback that day; by this time I have already viewed a lot of the writing and issues. Now, next week, they are doing something—reading and annotating two articles which will begin our new unit. Prep for our launch. So, I am grading. In class. Calling them up and meeting with them. I get through each class in about 2-3 days this way.
I just can’t do 20+ hours at home anymore. Maybe it would be different if I had AP students who had more invested.
It’s a different beast in middle school when they are coming in from different elementary schools often never having written anything but “a paragraph is 5 sentences.”
I love everything about this post, especially your feelings that this process cannot and should not be hacked. Personal comments are simply too important to let AI tackle.
I grade in batches of 5 essays, which takes about 30 mins. On grading weekends, I try to get 6 or 7 blocks of time in per day so I can get 3 classes done in a weekend.
Option 3
Title: The Obstacles that were Thought to be insurmountable but were conquered by The Cultural Differences and Self-Empowerment as a ladder to a better character.
As I reflect on where the Yarders went and how the circumstances impacted their lives, I can't
help but wonder about the extent of the family's boldness and resilience despite all the odds.
What takes place among all of those who either read the novel or who do not, is the impact on
us that the main themes like race, dreams, and family issues the novel cast on every one of us.
The fact is, I am a teenage girl like the protagonist of the novel, and our intimacy and
aspirations lead us together to admire her experience of finding her way in the world of blazing
sun rays and heavy darkness, whereas I could also provide this planet with a change through
my varied multiculturalism and stubbornness strength.
Growing up as a child living in a low-income neighborhood, I only ever saw the scenery around
me that could be viewed at my front door, and within only a walking radius, all of which were
very routine for me. Though I faced such situations, I could never allow myself to be a prisoner
of those temporary circumstances of mine which would have been a restriction in the area of my
growth and full potential. I could tell Walter Younger was just another struggling young
African–Americans with the burden of finding the right job, with the ultimate goal of defining
success and making his family happy. I could spot him as my discipline provider. That was a
true encouragement for me to keep moving ahead all the time no matter what was happening to
me.
Being at the disadvantage of racial equality is the most heartfelt topic to me; it is what I have
been suffering on account of discrimination, stereotyping, as well as systematic discrimination.
Nevertheless, I was not going to do what society expected me to regarding how our peer groups
are organized and how people are labeled. I struggle with a societal lacuna in this quest to go
beyond the purview of traditional values during my senior year in high school. I matter to be the
person I want to be, not who people (mainly family) want me to be. I feel obligated to stand up
for the truth and fairness.
When I was a younger sibling similar to my elder siblings I noticed that my struggles with
them were some of my other x,y, and z. Apart from that, having observed how the whole crisis
has strengthened family ties, just like certain principles such as the need for communication,
empathy, and, on a basic level, forgiveness is so evidently portrayed in the movie, is
unforgettable for me. The essential knowledge that I got was that there are still some splendid
things to look forward to in life, even if the difficulties are at their greatest, to find the grace that
enables you to overcome all sorts of obstacles.
By "A Raisin in the Sun" play, I have learned that one’s soul cannot be broken by adversity, once
he is a strong-willed and hardworking man. On the one hand, the Younger family experiences
pain and gains companionship. On the other hand, they show the power of hope and pursue
their dreams with all their might. They have shown me what it is to defy the odds, and have
propelled me to discover the light within me, and to follow any path I wish to embark on.
Another thing is that being culturally diversified, I get a boost of motivation and strength to draw
upon. Growing up in a multicultural environment, I have become able to admire and empathize
with distinct traditions, thus facilitating communication and understanding. This is my worldview
broadened, to get my mind around the various complicated issues facing society today.
My cultural diversity is helping me to see the world from a different perspective and I hope to
use it towards making the world a better place.
I would not be the person I am today without the trial with which I have learned to be strong like
the Walter family against their struggles. Lately, I have been realizing that I endure hardships,
always bearing in mind my goals, and never giving up on my dreams. I build on the fact that I
know my strength is a key fundament to overcoming the struggles life produces and reaching
my goal.