I really need to sort through my thoughts
At times like this, when I have a ton to do, I just shut down and do nothing. I'm not productive. Oh, and I eat a lot on top of it. So now I feel like an unproductive fatty. Fantastic.
Okay. Last night I was able to get my Queens College application done because I sat down and talked about it with my mom.
I'm going to just spill my thoughts right now. This may be boring.
I have to grade a pile of papers. It's actually not a lot. I used to take grading writing very seriously. For example, I would sit down with a stack of index cards and the pile of papers. I would read over the paper and then write each student a long note about what I liked/could be improved. Students seem to appreciate it. They should! If they put the effort in then they should receive a grade that was thought through.
However, our current unit, journalism, requires very little writing - in terms of length. I've been asking them to write articles of up to 100 words. At this point I can skim them and be able to tell if they deserve a 1, 2, 3, or 4 (1 being failing). So I guess I will grade those first.
Then I have a pile of papers that are not final copies. These papers require me to highlight grammatical, spelling, and usage mistakes. It's scary how many students leave out really important words. However, they don't know the parts of speech so I can leave them a note saying "put a pronoun here" because then they would be lost. Yes, this sucks for me, but watch me get in trouble if I start to teach grammar on a regular basis. I'm JUST an English teacher, people!
Okay finally I have my graduate school work. The final copy of my thesis is not due until the end of April. I have one week off in April. Until that week I'm going to get the bare minimum done and then hole myself up in the library for two or three days and pound this baby out. I'm supposed to have a draft done next Tuesday, but obviously if I haven't finished collecting all of my data then I can't have a completed draft: this is something that my professor has recognized. HOWEVER, I do have to have a presentation of my research ready by the Tuesday after Easter.
Okay. Game plan:
1. Grade "easy" papers
2. Highlight other papers
3. Get something produced for class tomorrow, but don't stress about it.
4. Clean up my disgusting bedroom.
5. Get ready for the next couple of days at work.
By the way, my foot which I thought was going to fall off, is fine. I really thought I had some nerve damage. The podiatrist told me to take some tylenol. I'm an idiot.
Okay. Last night I was able to get my Queens College application done because I sat down and talked about it with my mom.
I'm going to just spill my thoughts right now. This may be boring.
I have to grade a pile of papers. It's actually not a lot. I used to take grading writing very seriously. For example, I would sit down with a stack of index cards and the pile of papers. I would read over the paper and then write each student a long note about what I liked/could be improved. Students seem to appreciate it. They should! If they put the effort in then they should receive a grade that was thought through.
However, our current unit, journalism, requires very little writing - in terms of length. I've been asking them to write articles of up to 100 words. At this point I can skim them and be able to tell if they deserve a 1, 2, 3, or 4 (1 being failing). So I guess I will grade those first.
Then I have a pile of papers that are not final copies. These papers require me to highlight grammatical, spelling, and usage mistakes. It's scary how many students leave out really important words. However, they don't know the parts of speech so I can leave them a note saying "put a pronoun here" because then they would be lost. Yes, this sucks for me, but watch me get in trouble if I start to teach grammar on a regular basis. I'm JUST an English teacher, people!
Okay finally I have my graduate school work. The final copy of my thesis is not due until the end of April. I have one week off in April. Until that week I'm going to get the bare minimum done and then hole myself up in the library for two or three days and pound this baby out. I'm supposed to have a draft done next Tuesday, but obviously if I haven't finished collecting all of my data then I can't have a completed draft: this is something that my professor has recognized. HOWEVER, I do have to have a presentation of my research ready by the Tuesday after Easter.
Okay. Game plan:
1. Grade "easy" papers
2. Highlight other papers
3. Get something produced for class tomorrow, but don't stress about it.
4. Clean up my disgusting bedroom.
5. Get ready for the next couple of days at work.
By the way, my foot which I thought was going to fall off, is fine. I really thought I had some nerve damage. The podiatrist told me to take some tylenol. I'm an idiot.