Why I Grade
I do not have to grade. As a librarian with a flexible schedule
and no set classes, I do not have to grade student work, and honestly I love my
non-grading life. I think any high school teacher will tell you the worst part
of their job is grading papers.
Photo credit: USC Center for Teaching for Excellence
When I transferred to the library from the classroom seven years
ago, I celebrated the fact that I didn’t have to grade papers. It’s definitely
a perk of being a librarian. However, I love data. I like to see how much
students have learned from my lessons. So my grading began by asking students
to complete electronic assessments/surveys after each major lesson, and I asked
the social studies teachers, who assign the research paper, to collect two
rough drafts from each student, one paper for my action research.
For a few years, I collated the results for these E-assessments
and looked at each paper to determine how many students correctly footnoted and
paraphrased in their research papers. That has evolved over the last four years
to me actually co-assessing the ninth grade research paper with two out of
three ninth grade Social Studies teachers. Each January, I get excited when
research season is upon me. I love to teach the research process and then guide
students through the procedure of producing a research paper. In March,
however, I dread the arrival of the research papers. I actually hate to assess,
but I see the value in assisting teachers in grading research papers.
First, although there is no time to collate the data of student
skills learned. I do get anecdotal evidence of their skills (or lack of
skills), and use this to tweak my Anti-Plagiarism Lesson the following year.
Second, helping a fellow teacher wins favors. Teachers are more willing to
co-teach with me in the future, and are willing to help me when I need, for
example, students to take a yearly Home Computer and Technology Use Survey.
Third, after one of the teachers responded to my assessments with, “WOW! You’re
Good,” I realized that helping assess gives classroom teachers an opportunity
see me as a fellow teacher. Whether classroom teachers would admit it or not,
there is resentment toward school librarians who collect a teacher’s salary,
but may not teach, or may not teach well, and do not have the hours of grading
each weekend. Co-assessing research papers helps my “teacher” badge shine in
the eyes of other teachers. Finally, students now see me as more of a resource.
I have always offered to edit student’s research papers, but only the most
dedicated students took me up on that offer. I see change. Previously, students
would ask their teachers research-process questions in front of me, but many
now come straight to me with their questions. Their estimation of me has
increased now that they know I will also be grading their papers, and now every
student gets feedback on their research paper from a research specialist.
Photo credit: https://wordpress.org/openverse/image/8e09db69-932f-4927-b61d-651472641d1b
So as I enjoy this Sunday, free to work on what I please, waiting
for research papers to arrive on Tuesday thus ending my library bliss for the
next two weeks. The respect, favor and insight I gain will be worth every
unhappy moment of grading research papers.
