As I reflect back on my education as a college student, there were many questions I had on becoming a teacher. I came out with little experience in managing a classroom, differentiated instruction and other complicated tasks. I felt that I had good teachers, and I tried my best to learn what I could in the college classroom but nothing compared to being in a classroom full of high school students. As I went through my practicum and student teaching, I was beginning to feel more comfortable with all of the daunting tasks I felt I lacked.

One of the easiest, but most time consuming tasks, was grading. My view on grading at that time was simple. I would receive the paper, correct it, and enter it in the grade book. I never really asked any questions on how to grade, or why I should grade anything different. It was just grade it and enter their score. During my first year teaching, I had the same mind set. As I extended my educational background, I found out that grading was more complicated then it seemed! This class has really opened my eyes on the differing effects a grade can have on a student. Who would have thought that if a student receives a “0” that it could affect the rest of the class? My take on “0’s” is that you did not do the work so you earned that grade. I did not think about student’s life at home or if they had to work to support the family.

Another aspect of grading that I was lacking in was feedback. I assumed that when the students received their paper and saw a bad grade that was the feedback they needed. Lately, I have been working very hard to grade papers and review questions with students that they had struggled with. I have started to see some big improvements in their grades in just a few short months.

Another interesting topic the book mentions is standards base grading. I have never heard of nor been a part of standards base grading. After receiving some information on it and reading into it, I would be on board with it. I know it might be a different way of grading and would take some adjusting but if it would benefit the students, I am always on board.