HS teacher not grading papers for two straight semesters. Does FCPS have a policy on this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I spent a few hours this past weekend grading labs for a HS science honors class. Returned them to students today. Most immediately threw them in the recycling bin. They only care about the grade and don't even read my comments. Super motivating to spend all that time for the handful that care.

But you graded them. That's all OP is asking for.

You do see why a teacher would be frustrated, correct? If I spend 20+ hours of my OWN time away from my family grading essays, it actually hurts to see students toss my hard work into the trash. You can clearly see why a teacher would figure it isn’t worth the trouble.

I combat this by forcing my students to read my comments, fill out reflections, and then submit a revised copy. Guess what? I then have to grade THOSE! So now one essay can represent 40+ hours of extra work for me. I’m still teaching all my classes, grading all my other assignments, attending all my meetings, responding to all my emails, writing all my student recommendations, etc.

I received an email last week from a parent wondering why I didn’t get an essay back after 6 days. Because I need to sleep? Because I’d like to sit down with my family for dinner a couple times a week? Because that was one essay out of 120?

I am a mother, a daughter, a member of a community group. Occasionally, I like to put down the stack of papers and take care of my family and ME.

Have five minutes of class where the kids read the responses you gave them on their assignments before starting new work. Problem solved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you have more classes now than years ago? More kids? I am not understanding why I went through FCPS and got grades back within a week for short answer assignments and maybe 3 weeks if it was a large project and nowadays it's asking for the moon. I remember government had three long essays a week every Monday that we got back by Friday to prepare for the next Monday test.

1. Class sizes have increased. It’s quicker to grade 18 essays than 30. It’s quicker to do 4 classes with a total of 80 students than 5 with a total of 145.
2. Schedules have changed. I now teach more classes (and preps) than I did 20 years ago.
3. Grading expectations have changed. My teachers in the 90s put holistic numbers at the top of my papers. Now I have to align to rubrics and write comments justifying each score.
4. Kids can now do retakes. Instead of grading a stack and moving on, I now have several stacks, all with varying due dates. I may have to look at one assignment 3-4 times, which can triple my work on one assignment alone.
5. More meetings. More emails. More documentation. More expectations (extra duties)

We aren’t being lazy. The job is exponentially harder than it used to be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you have more classes now than years ago? More kids? I am not understanding why I went through FCPS and got grades back within a week for short answer assignments and maybe 3 weeks if it was a large project and nowadays it's asking for the moon. I remember government had three long essays a week every Monday that we got back by Friday to prepare for the next Monday test.

More kids in each classes, and more redos/accepting late work. If a kid can retake every assignment, that's double the amount of assignments I have to create and grade. If a kid can turn in an assignment from September in March, that's more time grading now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you have more classes now than years ago? More kids? I am not understanding why I went through FCPS and got grades back within a week for short answer assignments and maybe 3 weeks if it was a large project and nowadays it's asking for the moon. I remember government had three long essays a week every Monday that we got back by Friday to prepare for the next Monday test.

Uh, yeah, lots has changed since “years ago.” More students per class, more behavioral problems taking up class time, less planning/free time due to useless PD, CTs and covering other classes… I’m sure others have other things to add to the list.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you have more classes now than years ago? More kids? I am not understanding why I went through FCPS and got grades back within a week for short answer assignments and maybe 3 weeks if it was a large project and nowadays it's asking for the moon. I remember government had three long essays a week every Monday that we got back by Friday to prepare for the next Monday test.

1. Class sizes have increased. It’s quicker to grade 18 essays than 30. It’s quicker to do 4 classes with a total of 80 students than 5 with a total of 145.
2. Schedules have changed. I now teach more classes (and preps) than I did 20 years ago.
3. Grading expectations have changed. My teachers in the 90s put holistic numbers at the top of my papers. Now I have to align to rubrics and write comments justifying each score.
4. Kids can now do retakes. Instead of grading a stack and moving on, I now have several stacks, all with varying due dates. I may have to look at one assignment 3-4 times, which can triple my work on one assignment alone.
5. More meetings. More emails. More documentation. More expectations (extra duties)

We aren’t being lazy. The job is exponentially harder than it used to be.

+1000

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you have more classes now than years ago? More kids? I am not understanding why I went through FCPS and got grades back within a week for short answer assignments and maybe 3 weeks if it was a large project and nowadays it's asking for the moon. I remember government had three long essays a week every Monday that we got back by Friday to prepare for the next Monday test.

Your question was answered in the previous 8 pages and in multiple previous DCUM posts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I spent a few hours this past weekend grading labs for a HS science honors class. Returned them to students today. Most immediately threw them in the recycling bin. They only care about the grade and don't even read my comments. Super motivating to spend all that time for the handful that care.

But you graded them. That's all OP is asking for.

You do see why a teacher would be frustrated, correct? If I spend 20+ hours of my OWN time away from my family grading essays, it actually hurts to see students toss my hard work into the trash. You can clearly see why a teacher would figure it isn’t worth the trouble.

I combat this by forcing my students to read my comments, fill out reflections, and then submit a revised copy. Guess what? I then have to grade THOSE! So now one essay can represent 40+ hours of extra work for me. I’m still teaching all my classes, grading all my other assignments, attending all my meetings, responding to all my emails, writing all my student recommendations, etc.

I received an email last week from a parent wondering why I didn’t get an essay back after 6 days. Because I need to sleep? Because I’d like to sit down with my family for dinner a couple times a week? Because that was one essay out of 120?

I am a mother, a daughter, a member of a community group. Occasionally, I like to put down the stack of papers and take care of my family and ME.

Have five minutes of class where the kids read the responses you gave them on their assignments before starting new work. Problem solved.

Oh that’s cute…. You think because we ask them to read them and sit quietly while doing so, that’ll happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you have more classes now than years ago? More kids? I am not understanding why I went through FCPS and got grades back within a week for short answer assignments and maybe 3 weeks if it was a large project and nowadays it's asking for the moon. I remember government had three long essays a week every Monday that we got back by Friday to prepare for the next Monday test.

1. Class sizes have increased. It’s quicker to grade 18 essays than 30. It’s quicker to do 4 classes with a total of 80 students than 5 with a total of 145. This isn't always true. It may be true but class sizes at my child's high school are about the same as what I had minus high level math classes which at the time didn't have a lot of kids taking them. There were regularly over 25 kids and my child regularly has about the same.
2. Schedules have changed. I now teach more classes (and preps) than I did 20 years ago. Why is this? Why can't FCPS just give teachers the same number of classes as 20 years ago? Is this documented somewhere?
3. Grading expectations have changed. My teachers in the 90s put holistic numbers at the top of my papers. Now I have to align to rubrics and write comments justifying each score. I had comments on each of my English and government assignments although no rubric and lets not kid ourselves that many teachers just put a grade in SIS, don't grade and just mark not for grading, or just give a rubric number these days.
4. Kids can now do retakes. Instead of grading a stack and moving on, I now have several stacks, all with varying due dates. I may have to look at one assignment 3-4 times, which can triple my work on one assignment alone. This seems to be school based. I remember being able to drop two grades a semester and do a couple of assignments late.
5. More meetings. More emails. More documentation. More expectations (extra duties) I don't see this at all from a parent's perspective. They certainly aren't communicating with parents. When I ask principals they seem to know nothing, so not sure where this time is going.

We aren’t being lazy. The job is exponentially harder than it used to be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I spent a few hours this past weekend grading labs for a HS science honors class. Returned them to students today. Most immediately threw them in the recycling bin. They only care about the grade and don't even read my comments. Super motivating to spend all that time for the handful that care.

But you graded them. That's all OP is asking for.

You do see why a teacher would be frustrated, correct? If I spend 20+ hours of my OWN time away from my family grading essays, it actually hurts to see students toss my hard work into the trash. You can clearly see why a teacher would figure it isn’t worth the trouble.

I combat this by forcing my students to read my comments, fill out reflections, and then submit a revised copy. Guess what? I then have to grade THOSE! So now one essay can represent 40+ hours of extra work for me. I’m still teaching all my classes, grading all my other assignments, attending all my meetings, responding to all my emails, writing all my student recommendations, etc.

I received an email last week from a parent wondering why I didn’t get an essay back after 6 days. Because I need to sleep? Because I’d like to sit down with my family for dinner a couple times a week? Because that was one essay out of 120?

I am a mother, a daughter, a member of a community group. Occasionally, I like to put down the stack of papers and take care of my family and ME.

Have five minutes of class where the kids read the responses you gave them on their assignments before starting new work. Problem solved.

Oh that’s cute…. You think because we ask them to read them and sit quietly while doing so, that’ll happen.

You are the one who is upset that a child isn't doing all you want as if that should be expected. And by the way this is in the middle of the school day. Why are you on here?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I spent a few hours this past weekend grading labs for a HS science honors class. Returned them to students today. Most immediately threw them in the recycling bin. They only care about the grade and don't even read my comments. Super motivating to spend all that time for the handful that care.

But you graded them. That's all OP is asking for.

You do see why a teacher would be frustrated, correct? If I spend 20+ hours of my OWN time away from my family grading essays, it actually hurts to see students toss my hard work into the trash. You can clearly see why a teacher would figure it isn’t worth the trouble.

I combat this by forcing my students to read my comments, fill out reflections, and then submit a revised copy. Guess what? I then have to grade THOSE! So now one essay can represent 40+ hours of extra work for me. I’m still teaching all my classes, grading all my other assignments, attending all my meetings, responding to all my emails, writing all my student recommendations, etc.

I received an email last week from a parent wondering why I didn’t get an essay back after 6 days. Because I need to sleep? Because I’d like to sit down with my family for dinner a couple times a week? Because that was one essay out of 120?

I am a mother, a daughter, a member of a community group. Occasionally, I like to put down the stack of papers and take care of my family and ME.

Have five minutes of class where the kids read the responses you gave them on their assignments before starting new work. Problem solved.

Oh that’s cute…. You think because we ask them to read them and sit quietly while doing so, that’ll happen.

You are the one who is upset that a child isn't doing all you want as if that should be expected. And by the way this is in the middle of the school day. Why are you on here?

I can’t speak for that person, but I’m disassociating in my room while cramming lunch down my throat before kids come in 18 minutes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I spent a few hours this past weekend grading labs for a HS science honors class. Returned them to students today. Most immediately threw them in the recycling bin. They only care about the grade and don't even read my comments. Super motivating to spend all that time for the handful that care.

But you graded them. That's all OP is asking for.

You do see why a teacher would be frustrated, correct? If I spend 20+ hours of my OWN time away from my family grading essays, it actually hurts to see students toss my hard work into the trash. You can clearly see why a teacher would figure it isn’t worth the trouble.

I combat this by forcing my students to read my comments, fill out reflections, and then submit a revised copy. Guess what? I then have to grade THOSE! So now one essay can represent 40+ hours of extra work for me. I’m still teaching all my classes, grading all my other assignments, attending all my meetings, responding to all my emails, writing all my student recommendations, etc.

I received an email last week from a parent wondering why I didn’t get an essay back after 6 days. Because I need to sleep? Because I’d like to sit down with my family for dinner a couple times a week? Because that was one essay out of 120?

I am a mother, a daughter, a member of a community group. Occasionally, I like to put down the stack of papers and take care of my family and ME.

Have five minutes of class where the kids read the responses you gave them on their assignments before starting new work. Problem solved.

Oh that’s cute…. You think because we ask them to read them and sit quietly while doing so, that’ll happen.

You are the one who is upset that a child isn't doing all you want as if that should be expected. And by the way this is in the middle of the school day. Why are you on here?

I can’t speak for that person, but I’m disassociating in my room while cramming lunch down my throat before kids come in 18 minutes.

Yeah that didn't change in 20 years either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the teachers who aren't grading essays, why are you assigning them then? You are just wasting students' time if you aren't going to provide them with feedback.

We are hiring, and if you want to grade esssys you can apply to work with FCPS

Way to not answer my question. I am not suggesting that I would be a good teacher. I am asking the teachers who don't intend to grade assignments why they are assigning them. What is the value of having a student do work that they don't receive feedback on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I spent a few hours this past weekend grading labs for a HS science honors class. Returned them to students today. Most immediately threw them in the recycling bin. They only care about the grade and don't even read my comments. Super motivating to spend all that time for the handful that care.

But you graded them. That's all OP is asking for.

You do see why a teacher would be frustrated, correct? If I spend 20+ hours of my OWN time away from my family grading essays, it actually hurts to see students toss my hard work into the trash. You can clearly see why a teacher would figure it isn’t worth the trouble.

I combat this by forcing my students to read my comments, fill out reflections, and then submit a revised copy. Guess what? I then have to grade THOSE! So now one essay can represent 40+ hours of extra work for me. I’m still teaching all my classes, grading all my other assignments, attending all my meetings, responding to all my emails, writing all my student recommendations, etc.

I received an email last week from a parent wondering why I didn’t get an essay back after 6 days. Because I need to sleep? Because I’d like to sit down with my family for dinner a couple times a week? Because that was one essay out of 120?

I am a mother, a daughter, a member of a community group. Occasionally, I like to put down the stack of papers and take care of my family and ME.

Have five minutes of class where the kids read the responses you gave them on their assignments before starting new work. Problem solved.

Oh that’s cute…. You think because we ask them to read them and sit quietly while doing so, that’ll happen.

yeah, I think before the age of group work, the teacher would pass out graded assignments and gather stuff together for the next lesson while asking kids to review comments given and come up the last ten minutes of clas with any questions. You can't make students do everything, but you can stress the importance of it. I literally lived this myself and it worked.

[Anonymous]

All of this really is the result of efforts to achieve equity, even before it was called equity, as represented by scores.

The retakes, the leveled instruction, the IEP meetings, disparate levels and unprepared kids who were pushed through, inability to provide meaningful discipline, IDEA, bahavioral issues related to electronic device culture.

All of this has basically taken the responsibility of the parents and foisted it onto the teachers.

Now not every parent can be as responsible to their kids as some others and therefore there will always be different outcomes, but if the expectation is that someone needs to account for those gaps and it’s not parents, then it’s teachers and here we are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the teachers who aren't grading essays, why are you assigning them then? You are just wasting students' time if you aren't going to provide them with feedback.

We are hiring, and if you want to grade esssys you can apply to work with FCPS

Way to not answer my question. I am not suggesting that I would be a good teacher. I am asking the teachers who don't intend to grade assignments why they are assigning them. What is the value of having a student do work that they don't receive feedback on.

I assign short prompts then take a 5-second glance and check it off for completion. Any writing is better than no writing, and the majority of kids don't outright plagiarize so they gain some benefit to practice. It's completely absurd to ask that we provide feedback all the time. This isn't the 1800s in a schoolhouse.