I volunteer in Staley's class on Thursday mornings. I usually help with learning centers while the teacher pulls back small groups of kids to work on reading and spelling. I actually really enjoy it. When staley tells a story about a child, I know who she is talking about. I think staley likes to see me there. I get to see what they are learning.
ANYWAY, This week they were doing some future problem solvers something and they were rotating through the classes. So the teacher didn't need my help. I said, "well can I cut anything out, or grade papers, or clean something?" So I graded papers for one hour. I could not believe it. It took FOREVER... it was very simple math worksheets and it still took forever. In one hour I graded three (of the entire classes) worksheets (so 80 something). What an enormous waste of time. I was grading and just getting more and more mad. This teacher must do this for hours on end.
I want her to be spending her time thinking of fun new things to teach and do. Not correcting papers for hours each night. If the kids are doing a worksheet I want her to be watching them to see if they are struggling or chatting or helping. Not grading papers from the last subject.
I thought for the entire hour how can this be solved. This is ridiculous. Her education and training and insight (observing my child in a learning environment for 8hours), is wasted on correcting these papers.
So kudos to the teachers for being willing to correct papers. I think she is a fabulous teacher and have seen great things from staley in just 6 weeks or so.
Some may say don't make the kids do busy work. well they are only in second grade. How else do you teach basic math to a bunch of second graders.
Some may say let the kids correct each others. I think a lot of cheating happens this way and embarrassment to the kids.
Some may just put a smiley on it and not correct each question?? I don't know I would definitely be tempted.
I thought maybe she could just send each childs papers home and let the parents correct it. It would take 5 minutes out of my day. I don't think parents would. It would be hard to get them all back and record there scores.
ANYWAY, I think teaching is a VERY admirable job.. I want to do anything to ease their burden and hope in kind they will take a few extra minutes with my child.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Shout out to all the teachers!!!
Posted by melissa smith at 12:08 PM
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It's funny you mention this. Unfortunatly I am not a fan of Deja's teacher at all. I wish for all the things you just mentioned. However, I am the one grading the kids papers. Since I could not volunteer to be a room mother, I wanted to do something. So she sends home a folder with the classes homework in it for us to grade. Deja tells me she sits behind her desk and is on the computer all day.... SORRY, just a frustrating topic for me! I miss you too, and would love to hang out again. I think this is your get-away weekend with the girls. Tell everybody that I say HI :)
FYI, you have been tagged... View my blog :)
Talk to Angie for ideas -- she was so amazing at making good use of time as a teacher. Thanks for being one of those parents who gets involved -- it can make all of the difference in a child's education, and in the success of the school. You are such a great mom!!!
I think I should get back to really enjoying the part of life that doesn't bother with grading papers or school!!! kudos to you.
This is what teachers are "paid" to do. Teachers who find alterante means of correctin papers i.e. pass your paper to your neighbor and lets all correct these in ten seconds so I don't have to is nothing more than a cop-out. how often does your kid have a spelling test and it takes the teacher weeks to correct 20 of them and had them back, mabye she/he needs a spelling test.
I am biased as I've had less than 3 good teachers in 22 years of academia.
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