How often do you find yourself diving into your grading during the weekend? I just realized I've been sitting here and working for at least an hour, but that's normal for me since my "classroom" is right here on my laptop. Is it different for teachers who have to purposefully grab a pile of papers and a pen? Since this has been the only way I've taught for almost four years, I'm curious.
I'll do some grading this weekend. I want to get everything done before Thanksgiving break so that I don't have to bring anything home.
I wish I didn't, but 84 essays means I have to grade on the weekend. I do try to find time when my family is busy with other things; this weekend my youngest DD (the only one that lives at home) is at a BETA convention for the entire weekend and my husband is on a business trip. So, I will spend just about the entire weekend working. But I don't mind because then I will be caught up and then some for the coming week Normally, I do work on Sunday nights usually grading, planning, and/or prepping while watching Sunday night Football. DH and I watch together and doing working while watching football makes me feel like I am doing a little of both - spending time with DH and getting stuff done.
This weekend for sure. Our report cards are due at 9am Monday morning. Yesterday was a holiday here. After attending the local Remembrance Day ceremony, which was held in our school gym, I went upstairs to my classroom and worked for 5+ hours. I didn't get everything finished so either tonight or tomorrow, I'll be back at it. Last year I had it down so that I had to bring very little home with me. After 3 years teaching at the same school, same subjects, I had found a routine that worked. This year, I moved schools and subjects, so I feel like a first year teacher all over again.
I bring work home almost every night. Sometimes it just gets a ride back the next morning, but I usually do some grading. I've got 142 college prep seniors, and right now I've got two assignments to grade. There's no way I could get everything done at school unless I gave scantron tests exclusively, and that's not my style.
Almost every weekend. For me, grading is something that can be done almost anywhere. So, I'll hold off on grading & do other things at school, like lesson planning & organizing.
I bring home quite a bit on the weekends, especially if my husband is working a day or both days of the weekend.
I do schoolwork on most Sundays. Sunday has always just been a work day for me- I sleep in, but other than that it's my day to get work done. I clean, do laundry, grocery shop, and get schoolwork done for the next week. When I first started I used to go into school on Sundays, but now I've pretty much got it figured out where I can just take a few things home and do stuff on my computer so that I can at least stay on my couch with the tv on while I'm working.
I usually do not bring my grading home. Once in a while I will, but very rarely will you find me grading at home. My time home is primarily for me to relax and be with my family. I already spend 3-4 hours each Sunday planning for the week, so that's enough for me.
Thank you for the perspective. I honestly don't remember my parents bringing home grading. Perhaps they had enough preps to get stuff done at school. It also makes me feel better when I'm working on the weekend and Rockhubby doesn't quite understand why I don't save it for Monday.
Every weekend, for me. Additionally, I spend at least an hour rough planning out what I am going to do for classes, and at least an hour typing up schedules and figuring out which math assignments I am going to give during the upcoming week.
I usually do more grading at home during the week, while DH is watching his shows or playing his x box. I always bring things home with me on the weekends... But a lot of time I put off the grading until Monday or Tuesday when I am back in "school mode"
Never for me, unless it is something special. I have each plan period I have carefully scheduled so I don't have to take it home. Of course, it really helps that I have 32 students total in three grades.
I usually only grade on the weekends if I feel like it. I bring home stuff but if I don't get to it then it doesn't really bother me. I usually have some down time so will usually work on the easy grading and save things like essays for my prep time.
I am always grading at home! Yes with dragging paper and pen out! I spend every Sunday doing school work, grading and lesson plans. I was just thinking about the 105 quizzes I need to grade tomorrow! :unsure:
I rarely take stuff home to grade, as in maybe once every other year. I work hard to find a balance between my work life and my personal life, and that's made all the more difficult when I bring my work life home into my personal space in order to work on it during my personal time.
It's almost impossible to separate my personal and professional lives because of how I teach. My work computer is much faster than my personal one, so I tend to use that one primarily. That means I feel obligated to check my school email and gradebook several times a day. I also find myself taking student calls well after 10pm, but that's something unique to my teaching platform.
I do most grading at school; however, every Friday I bring my students' Reading Response Journals home for grading. I also write comments in their journals, so that takes up quite a bit of time. I spend either Saturday or Sunday afternoon completing this task.
Cat, my sister works from home, not in education, but she works constantly also. Hazard of the job, I guess.
I have been grading Tuesday afternoon this year. I do lesson plans at home. I should have already done them; but have procrastinated all weekend so far.
I tend to do a LOT of my grading in school. But I've certainly been known to do a bit on weekends. Peter spent ALL DAY yesterday on school work. He had a few letters of recommendation to write, had to finish reading Frankenstein the 2nd time so he could make up 4 different tests on it, and had a stack of essays to grade.
grading...planning...prepping...just a typical Sunday. I do feel fortunate that I view teaching as much as a hobby as I do a profession. I couldn't imagine spending so much of my own time on work if I didn't love it.
I devote a chunk of time almost every weekend to grading. With minimal prep time at school, I use it for things that have to be done there--copying, displaying student work, etc. Grading often happens on Saturdays, and then lesson plans on Sunday after church.
We are not allowed to grade papers with the kids in the room (unless it is a specific test that we want immediate feedback on to give the kids). We get 40 minutes for planning, but that is often taken with meetings (grade level, iep, etc). So, either you stay for a few hours each day to grade, or you bring it home.
Sundays are my day at home to get plans/materials/grading done for the next week. DH watches the 49ers and I work in the kitchen office so I can see the TV and talk to him about the game while I'm working. We have an early dinner and then I work for a few hours after dinner. I bring things home with me during the week - anything that has to be done for the next day gets done. Bigger things (like math journals and reading journals) have to wait until the weekend. What suffers is house cleaning. I just spent two hours cleaning the house so I feel like it is presentable, which puts me behind where I should be to get all the school things done.
I get an hour prep period every day, which means I can normally get everything (or most of it) done at school. If I can't get it done, it can wait unless it's reallly realllllyyy important. It rarely is.
If you are actually grading assignments everyday, it should not take a few hours. Unless you are grading everything that they do? And anything that is multiple choice, have the students grade, much faster that way. I'm also shocked at the number of people who say they grade and plan on Sundays. I always had Sunday as a day you spend with family not working. As for having too much grading to do; if it is that time consuming on a weekly basis, use a parent to help out with grading, can save a significant amount of time (that is if you are in elementary).
I think it is a violation of privacy to have other students grade each others work and it definitely is a privacy issue for parents to grade it. That wouldn't fly in my school at all.
You have students grade their own multiple choice. Pencils put away, pens out, no problems. We have many teachers at our school who use parents to help grade as well.
I used to grade my own spelling tests in 4th grade... and would simply fix my mistakes and turn in the test for a better score than I would have if my teacher had graded it herself.
That is why it is important for the teacher to make sure no pencils are out. When it is treated just like any other routine in the classroom, students get used to it and it is no longer a big deal. As for teachers having consequences for this; every school is different. Sadly as the times have changed, so have some "issues" like this. I remember as a kid helping out a teacher who was a friend of the family grade her papers. I was a few years older than the grade she taught, loved grading those papers. In the past as a teacher I used to have students who finished tests early on Fridays grade papers for me, that got disallowed, that is when I started using parents.
So many of the assessments I give are open-ended; it wouldn't even be practical to have someone else grade them. On math tests, I give partial credit for the process--I need to grade that. Our reading tests always have several short answer and a paragraph response--I need to grade those. Even their spelling tests would be difficult for others to grade--they have cold words where I am looking for their mastery of certain patterns (so they could misspell the word but correctly spell the part we've been studying and get credit). By the time I explained to someone else what I was looking for, I could have graded the stack! And yes, as an elementary teacher who teaches all subjects (including religion--private school), I have something to grade most nights. While I don't spend hours every night, I can easily spend an hour. If I take a night off, that means an extra hour the next night.
I completely agree with ama! I often give partial credit or want to see the assessments to see what students need reteaching or more instruction. When I have 30+ students, grading every night takes about 40-60 minutes and this doesn't include planning or organizing or bulletin boards. I would much rather grade at home after my little one goes to sleep and keep my room looking nice and clean during any time I get during the week.
