This morning I went to Rite Aide to buy some new red pens and hot tamales. It is time to begin. It is time to awaken from my spring break bliss and face reality. I am a teacher. I have nearly 160 essays that need grading. Two classes of sophomore essays and two classes of senior essays. I love teaching. I actually enjoy reading my students' writings. The only issue is that there are so many goobers in each of my classes. They are wise, they are hilarious, they are many. I probably should have started grading their essays earlier this week, but contrary to what they may believe... I also needed a break from school. The sophomores wrote about three animals or groups of animals that contributed to the failure of Animal Farm. Those essays should be easier to read and grade than the senior essays. The seniors wrote about truth. They were supposed to use the literature we have read to help them create a definition of what they believe truth to be. Grading essays is difficult for me because of little things that high school students seldom find imperative. Punctuation. Grammar. Spacing. Contractions. First person pronouns. Citation of quotations. Informal language. Fragments. Run on sentences. I understand why this generation of students struggles with formal writing, but it still never ceases to frustrate me. Facebook. Myspace. Text Messages. Instant Messages. The world of communication has come far. When did it become "normal" to leave out necessary punctuation when writing? Anyways, I do love my students and it is time to begin reading what they have to say about the failure of Animal Farm and Truth. Good thing I have my new red pens and hot tamales to keep me interested!
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