We're All Over the Place: Responding to Writing

It's true--we care about grading essays: when, where, how. Of my twenty posts, over half of the hits have been on the one called "Grading Efficiently: I Will No Longer Disparage Someone for Being Efficient." With responses I've seen to that one (where I admit to my less efficient grading), ELA teachers seem kind of all over the place with their approach to responding to papers. There are people who absolutely can't get it done at school, and those leaning into AI who can do a set of 25-30 during a class period; online rubrics help some speed things up, and Sunday afternoons are for hours of grading for others. 

One person posted, "Working outside the school day is unpaid labor. Remember that." That kind of startled me. I mean, I know that. But I have always assumed that to teach (especially English) will involve time outside of school: for me, it currently is what it is and what it has been. For me, this equals a lot of time--especially right now, as I teach both AP Lit and AP Lang and the tests are approaching. I bank on weekends for hours of grading and lots of prep time. Could some people judge me for it? 

So to her post about unpaid labor, I made a comment in turn about not being in it for the money, and that maybe someday the system will change "so we can all grade on the school's dimes."

Then I talked to my husband and he called it a philosophical difference. And with her next post she pointed out that waiting for the system to change things would not work--we need to push them to change.

That is the philosophical difference. I am fighting a different fight.  Her fight is noble--she sees the big picture and is interested in teachers' rights. My philosophy drives me to put lots of comments in the margins of the papers. One person wrote, "Premise One: Writing Instruction Does Not Start with Comments in the Margins." Since that's how I finally learned to write, I assume personal feedback is what kids need.  When I write my own pieces I still have human editors who help me with wording and taking out some filler (my husband et al.). However, others feel AI helps them better address students' individual needs. Maybe they use it when doing their own writing as well?

Guy (husband) said that just because it has always been this way for me doesn't mean it shouldn't change.  He asked, "What if you had more free periods due to grading AP---would it make a difference?" (He also called me an "old timer" which has connotations I don't appreciate, and I told him so. But he's right.)

He is a freelance graphic illustrator--don't get me started on AI and art :(.  But every hour he puts in he makes good money.  I think the $30 an hour I get for reading AP tests in the summer is like--"wow--money for grading." I would not do it otherwise...no way.  Grading AP tests is monotonous and hard.

But, in my normal teaching life,  if I read about 700 pages of writing per semester--just for my AP classes--what if I got 50 cents per page?  That would be.....$350.  You know what?  It would definitely be nice. Even that.

Ultimately, I am hoping people continue to respond to this discussion. Like I said in that last post, I want to be done disparaging those with a method (or philosophy) different than mine. 

I have to admit though, that it was fun this weekend to see how much progress my kids have made as writers. My juniors' four-page poetry explication essays have been impressive--much more so than those Purple Hibiscus analysis papers in September.  I think my approach plus their hard work made a difference. 

But then, I have never tried to grade with AI. Maybe those teachers see the same kind of growth and can assign more writing. 

It's a philosophical thing--I really think so. (I kind of hate when Guy is right.)