Anyway, it made me think - AGAIN - about my role as a teacher. I know how important it is for kids to learn all the "stuff", but what good is the "stuff" if the kid isn't good? And I don't mean "good" like they follow all the rules and do what they're told. I mean "good" like they know in their heart what's right and wrong - how treating people with kindness is one of the best ways to make the world a better place. How beneficial is it to have a bunch of skills if you just make people miserable?
My grandmother passed away on February 3rd. It was her 95th lunar birthday, and she took her last breath as we gathered around her in prayer. It was a quiet and peaceful way to leave this earth, but it still makes me sad. Like they all say, it is a selfish sadness. And truly, it is! I keep thinking that there's one less person on this earth who loves me. But then I think of all the people on earth and in Heaven who love me still, and I tell myself to stop being sad. My students and their families were so supportive and gracious. One of my students even brought in a sympathy card and had each of my homeroom kids sign it. I couldn't help but shed some tears!! Look at these 10- and 11-year olds being kind and caring people! 😍
Unfortunately, I've also fallen behind on grading and it's giving me serious anxiety. I like to think of myself as a big-picture person. So when I try and think of why I have to do all the grading, it's hard for me to find a good answer. Ultimately, I want my grade book to reflect the skill level of my students. I found that the more grades I put in the grade book, the better/more accurate the reflection of mastery. But... does it have to be like this??? Do I have to grade 5 different writing assignments to prove that FINALLY Jonny knows how to write a good paragraph?
Here's the issue... I need Jonny to write a good paragraph. But sometimes he doesn't try very hard. Or maybe he doesn't like the topic and decides to get it over with asap. OR maybe Jonny is sick of writing 500 paragraphs and we're all wasting time here - been there, done that. If he can prove to me - at least once - that he can write a good paragraph, can we just stop with the paragraph factory?
Maybe the answer is not MORE assessments, but MEANINGFUL assessments. It's time for some changes. Let's stop wasting each others' time, and learn how to make the world a better place.
