Grading can be a challenging task for teachers as they juggle multiple assignments and projects throughout the year. While students rush to complete their final projects and make up missing assignments, teachers are often faced with the grueling task of grading all these assignments on time for 6-week and semester grade reports.
English teachers, who often need to grade essays and lengthy, written assignments, often face a particularly daunting challenge, especially when they sometimes have 150 or more students between all five of their classes.
“Grading essays requires very individualized feedback,” English 11 Honors and Creative Writing teacher Amy Keys said. “It’s not just about giving a score; it’s about providing detailed comments that help students improve their writing.”.
For Keys, the grading process is more of an effort to maintain a constant flow of work than a sudden rush at the end of a grading period. Though the first 6-week grading period doesn’t feel especially difficult for Keys, the end of the semester poses the real challenge for her. She often finds herself grading final projects — especially the Hamlet projects and assignments — over December vacation, cutting into her personal time.
Erick Rector, who teaches English 9 and AP Language and Composition, said grading is a constant challenge for English teachers and even small daily progress can be a victory.
“I might procrastinate a little, but there’s always a massive grading load. If you can grade five essays a day, you’re a rock star,” Rector said.
Spending 15 minutes on each essay with a class size of 30 students can lead to around 7.5 hours of work per class. According to Rector, since essays are graded continuously, the end of the semester doesn’t add any additional pressure.
Keys said grading sometimes takes around 15 hours a week, leading to sacrifice of teachers’ personal lives. To help get into the grading mindset, Keys likes to imagine the student sitting in front of her, to help her stay on task. She recalls a recent weekend where she spent nearly two uninterrupted days grading.
“I don’t do that a lot, but when you have 95 creative writing projects to grade, it’s hard to find balance,” Keys said.
Rector agrees that there is no such thing as work-life balance during heavy grading periods. Once a stack of essays piles up, his only option is to focus on grading until he finishes.
Both Keys and Rector believe that the process could be made easier with fewer students or fewer assignments assigned all at once. Keys points out that late submissions complicate the process — having to grade a late assignment long after she finished grading the others disrupts her flow and forces a change in focus.
For these English teachers, each grading period represents both a familiar yet essential challenge. Said Rector: “We know that grading can be a long and difficult process, especially when we’re trying to give each student the attention they deserve. But at the end of the day, it’s just part of the job.”
