Let’s update gradebook

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:High school teacher here.

I regularly go through two phases:
- Sometimes I put my job first. I grade every night and all weekend. These are always 65+ hour weeks. I get all my essays graded, but I don’t see my family and I really resent my job.
- Every now and then I rebel. I decide I’m going to work no more than 45 hours a week. What doesn’t get done in that time doesn’t get done. Since planning always has to come first, my grading suffers.

When I’m super-teacher, I want to quit. When I respect my work/life balance, I think I can stay another year.

+1. Same here.

[Anonymous]

Seems like teachers need an assistant for content teams that just grades and teachers then spot check that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Seems like teachers need an assistant for content teams that just grades and teachers then spot check that.

I think most teachers would be happy with 60 mins unencumbered planning time daily. Get rid of the CLTs and meetings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Seems like teachers need an assistant for content teams that just grades and teachers then spot check that.

I think most teachers would be happy with 60 mins unencumbered planning time daily. Get rid of the CLTs and meetings.

That would be super helpful. +1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Seems like teachers need an assistant for content teams that just grades and teachers then spot check that.

I think most teachers would be happy with 60 mins unencumbered planning time daily. Get rid of the CLTs and meetings.

Maybe if we can gain collective bargaining we can get planning time protection in the contract.

[Anonymous]

This is not a new issue, it's been going on for years.

Teachers don't seem to think it impacts students.

And yet they want parents to be involved, but it's hard to be involved when you can't go and check the grades to see if there's a problem. And they don't want you emailing them to ask how your child is doing in their class (that's being a helicopter parent). You are supposed to let the child be autonomous and in charge, until they determine at the end of the quarter that the child is struggling and they send you the email saying there's going to be a problem. And then you ask, this didn't happen overnight, why couldn't this have been brought up earlier so we could have done something to address it? Crickets on that question.

Which comes first? The chicken or the egg?

And yes, I know a teacher is going to weigh in and tell me what an ungrateful brat I am.

[Anonymous]

As a college teacher, I post grades as soon as possible because I remembered the feeling of not getting timely grades when I was a student. Research has also shown the importance of timely feedback in learning. There are time management struggles but I make it a priority and try to get it done. Some of my colleagues do not do that and nothing can be used to convince them.

I do send quick thank you letters when I receive timely graded feedback from my DD's teachers, I want them to know that their work is appreciated.

[Anonymous]

Parents need to complain to the people who can do something about this issue. It’s not the teachers. It’s all of the BS busy work and meetings that takes away planning time. I’m sitting waiting for a meeting now that could very easily be an email. All of the higher ups sit in offices all day thinking of ways to fill their own schedules so they plan all of these unnecessary meetings that eat up planning and grading time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a college teacher, I post grades as soon as possible because I remembered the feeling of not getting timely grades when I was a student. Research has also shown the importance of timely feedback in learning. There are time management struggles but I make it a priority and try to get it done. Some of my colleagues do not do that and nothing can be used to convince them.

I do send quick thank you letters when I receive timely graded feedback from my DD's teachers, I want them to know that their work is appreciated.

College teacher,
Do you have students in front of you for 34 hours a week? Do you have 150 students submitting 3-4 page papers regularly?

I’m just curious where this time is supposed to come from for this timely feedback…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Last time my DD teacher updated the grade book was December 9th….

Students have been doing assignments since then, semester end soon and nothing graded. I’m not telling you how to do your job, but you should update your grade book kids need to know if they are missing anything. Please

Oh God, I am with you. Out of 7 teachers, only 2 update it regularly. I have no idea what DS is getting in several classes and teachers do no respond to emails.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's your job. Do it.

It’s your job to send a healthy, well cared-for, non-sociopath student to school but half of y’all ain’t done that lately. The grade book can wait.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Last time my DD teacher updated the grade book was December 9th….

Students have been doing assignments since then, semester end soon and nothing graded. I’m not telling you how to do your job, but you should update your grade book kids need to know if they are missing anything. Please

The horror. Imagine what it must have been like for our parents, who couldn't check on our day-to-day gradebook progress back in the day! How did they EVER survive their anxiety?

Stop. The bigger problem is that STUDENTS do not have feedback on their work. SIS happens to allow parents to see work, bc it is a web based system. In the old days, graded assignments were returned to students in a timely manner. You could see what you did wrong so you didn’t repeat the mistake going forward. Not so today. School policy complicates things more by making deadlines for student homework meaningless. So if Larlo turns in his homework late (if at all) it may not be in the batch that a teacher is currently grading. It is a friggin’ mess.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Seems like teachers need an assistant for content teams that just grades and teachers then spot check that.

This has been my observation for some time. The current system is not good. I don’t know where the money for these graders (like college TAs) would come from but somethings got to give.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Last time my DD teacher updated the grade book was December 9th….

Students have been doing assignments since then, semester end soon and nothing graded. I’m not telling you how to do your job, but you should update your grade book kids need to know if they are missing anything. Please

The horror. Imagine what it must have been like for our parents, who couldn't check on our day-to-day gradebook progress back in the day! How did they EVER survive their anxiety?

Stop. The bigger problem is that STUDENTS do not have feedback on their work. SIS happens to allow parents to see work, bc it is a web based system. In the old days, graded assignments were returned to students in a timely manner. You could see what you did wrong so you didn’t repeat the mistake going forward. Not so today. School policy complicates things more by making deadlines for student homework meaningless. So if Larlo turns in his homework late (if at all) it may not be in the batch that a teacher is currently grading. It is a friggin’ mess.

You had a very different experience than I did in high school. Most of my work was never returned, and when it was it just said "A" or "B" on it, there was no feedback.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's your job. Do it.

It’s your job to send a healthy, well cared-for, non-sociopath student to school but half of y’all ain’t done that lately. The grade book can wait.

I don't really understand all these posters passionately defending teachers who haven't posted a grade since November. They don't need defending, they need to do a bit better.

We complain about unions that defend lousy employees - but then teachers defend lousy teachers. Which is it? Make up your mind.