I mentioned yesterday in my post about the system that grading can help students be more successful. Now, I’m not talking about lowering standards or making grading less stringent; I’m saying we can help kids by not dooming them with our grading practices. Here are a few things to consider: 1. What does a grade represent? ...

Kids, fairly, want to know “why do we have to know this”—the flippant answer (and occasionally the most accurate one) is “because the state guidelines say so.” Leaving aside the specific mandates from the state, it’s still a worthwhile question, maybe the worthwhile question, when discussing curriculum. One tack is the Standard Educator ...

I don’t really believe a test should be entirely one style (multiple choice, true-false, matching, etc.), except for essay tests, but I do like using matching on occasion. However, I do think three tips help teachers compose a test which forces students to know the material and speeds up the time taking the test. 1. Always have more ...

I have decided to change my late work policy, partially based on the comments I received when posting my previous article about my late work policy. I had mentioned that my stated policy is that all late work needed to be turned in within a week of the due date, but I do make exceptions. One [...]

While I’m not completely restructuring my grading policy, I am providing an opportunity for students to take risks without fear of harming their grades (the old GPA concern). Since this is a common concern from students and parents, I’ve thought quite a bit about how to allow students to experiment, to take risks, without fear [...]

When handing back papers, especially among my honors students, I often run into some emotion. I tend to be a tough grader. fair but tough. My students realize this after their first writings are returned to them. For many students it’s the first time they haven’t “aced” a paper; this, of course, creates anxiety for [...]

When it comes to grading, I don’t mind the small assignments and daily check-off work. It’s the large papers and projects, which consume so much time and cause me stress. I want to get those papers back to the students and off my desk! Thus, I’ve changed my procedures when grading large assignments to reduce [...]

While I assess diction analysis papers, personal essay, and literary analysis essays this week in the evening, I have scheduled enrichment films for my students. Here they are: Reading A Gathering of Old Men Malcolm X Separate But Equal Mississippi Burning Reading Frankenstein Edward Scissorhands Frankenstein Reading The Iliad Troy 300 Any ...

I’m currently in my 9th year of full-time teaching, and I’ve learned a great many lessons the hard way as I’ve navigated my way through administrative minefields, labyrinthine bureaucracies, challenging curricula, and diverse students. Here are the five best lessons I’ve learned in the classroom as a teacher: 1. Due dates ...

It’s state testing day number 6 today! Woo-hoo! I’m amazed how much time it takes to give our state test, the WASL. Just reading the scripted introduction and providing the instructions can take ten minutes. Then, the exam itself takes 2-3 hours per test. Yikes! Those poor kids. On the bright side, I love proctoring the WASL. ...