What a Paper Deserves

Assessment, one of the great conundrums a teacher faces. Honestly, grading and evaluating students is something I am most nervous about. It's not the worksheets or the spelling errors that worry me, it's the essays the student has been working on for the last two weeks. How do I grade 100+ papers, not just to give a grade but to benefit the writer. We all need that reinforcement, or the guidance saying, "you're doing this right." When did we get to the point where that is why we write, read, give our brain a workout? I don't want the writers in my classroom to work hard because the grade is important, I want them to work through their writing because what they are doing, the process, the product is important. Is an A really celebrating writing? Will an F, D or C improve writing? Will the student learn from fixed grammar? I would say no to all of these questions. Good writing needs to be celebrated, to be an example and to build confidence. A's will give a neurotic pleasure, until the next assignment has been turned in. Bad grades don't help bad writing. Bad writing needs to be supported, given attention and commitment from any party involved. A poor grade won't teach any of that, it will just work to destroy confidence. Grammar is something we need I guess, but it should not be the focus. Just like terrific verbs or adjectives, good grammar will benefit writing. Because writing is a process an individual must develop, like any other skill, it's important to work through the process , not just hand out answers. I still have no idea how I will grade or evaluate, but at least I have some opinions on the matter.