Sigh, Bry, All This Grading Makes You Want To Cry - Your Eyes are Buggin'

I knew it was coming. Because I spent the last few weeks semi-distracted by large literacy events, I never found any time to keep up with the grading (although I'm proud that I kept up with the planning for my classes). The result? I have been super behind, and my students need my feedback as it is formative to the summative projects ahead.

It's all a puzzle, and my feedback along the way coaches them to get to a stronger final piece (as I teach the National Writing Project way).

With that noted, I've got middle-age eyeballs now. I can't see anything close up and reading on the computer makes my brain go wonky. Maybe it's because I'm simply tired, but doing a 14-hour grading marathon yesterday has my eyes in doobie-doo land. I can proudly admit, however, that I got through the writing of one class, and tomorrow I will tackle the other (which may take a little longer, but will be educational to read).

I did stop grading about 60 minutes before bed, only because I knew if I went to sleep right after, there would be no sleeping. I would be seeing flashes of light and text flying across a word-documented page (it's like this when reviewing manuscripts and quickly judging writing contests, too). At some point, your eyes give up.

Ah, but I'm hoping a good night's sleep will refuel this morning marathon of starting all over again. The prize? Well, another week of coursework and more writing coming in.

"If you don't like grading, then don't assign it."

Well, if I didn't assign it, I couldn't assure you're meeting the objectives of what it takes to be a great teacher and writer yourself.

It's a double-edged sword.