Thursday, February 24, 2011

Drawback of Teaching: Correcting

Most of the English teachers I know (including myself!) spend an amazing number of hours per week correcting homework and exams. I have come to the conclusion that´s what drives most of us crazy - sometimes literally, sorry to say. Why? First of all, the same student will make the same mistakes over and over again - which means we will see and mark them the same number of times, feeling the frustration grow in us as the school year goes by. Hopefully, by the time they learn to say and write "people are," "I agree" and "he does," it will be summer time and we´ll put the blame for the mistakes on the stress of the month of June and, what´s worse, we´ll be perfectly aware of the fact that we are deceiving ourselves... I guess they´d love to  believe this is true:


Secondly, some students´handwriting is a nightmare; you dread the moment you´ll face some exams because it will take ages before you actually SEE what they have written (yes, Óscar, I´m thinking of you...); as for others, you can see but you wish you hadn´t -doctors´bad handwriting? don´t make me laugh! Doctors write a couple of lines, we have to correct essays and exams, lots of lines!!



What about the influence of texting in their writing? LOL




Finally, the content... some people wouldn´t believe what we read and see. To be completeley honest, most of the times this is the best part because, when it is good, you feel so happy to read  it; and, when it is not good, sometimes you just have to smile or laugh with their answers (Images from Failblog):






And we usually laugh at the messages they write  to teachers - most of them at the end of their exams, either excusing themselves for their poor answers or directly to thepoint: pleading for mercy

But sometimes you feel so frustrated with the answers you just want to cry.


This job is enough to drive you nuts, maybe that´s why this cartoon is my favourite:


8 comments:

  1. Couldn't agree more with you, Rosa (and I've been 'lolling' too!) I've taken the liberty to tweet your post on my account. Hope you get lots of visitors!

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  2. Thanks, "Labor Teacher"! (Will your let me know your name? Not that I don´t like "labor teacher"...

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  3. Óscar Pallín Arias01 March, 2011

    jajajaj, am I that Óscar? Yes, my handwriting is very bad, I sorry, my teachers of the primary school said me that I had a handwriting terrible.
    The labor teacher will become very difficult.

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  4. Very good, Rosa!!! I'll make a comment in my next examen. So, I'll get my mark better, above all in writing. But I'm afraid my teacher will tell me how to cheer the panda up.

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  5. Benito, I don´t recommend writing comments for the teachers -we are very touchy sometimes...

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  6. Thanks, Rosa. I'll take your advice. I'll try to write and speak more and more...

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  7. Benito, do I know you? I´m just curious because there are no Benitos in my lists of students...

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  8. Óscar, the comment could be for any of the Óscars I have this year because your handwriting is so tiny I keep saying to myself I use a a magnifying glass to read it.

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