days to remember

Holiday is not really holiday when you have tonnes of books to mark, plus many other documentary works. >.<  I normally need around 5 t0 10 minutes for one exercise book, if its easy marking chapter or exercise books of the very good ones and very poor ones. Those in between would be a hassle and I normally need 10 to 20 minutes.  If its a long chapter, then I’ll need even longer time.

Colleagues commented I should give less works and make both students and my life easier. But Maths is all about practising and exposing to varieties of problems, right?  And I found the standard of students are pretty low, they can’t even give me proper steps to solve problems, and a lot of knowledge which I thought they should have learnt in primary schools. That frustrates me. 

I need some gadgets in my marking. Guess what’s it?

Full of stampages.  I’m thinking of getting a better and smaller container for my stampages, as this one is rather inconvenient to bring it with me everywhere.

I have a few that are frequently used: ‘Checked by xxx’, ‘ GOOD!’, ‘Improve Your Handwriting’, ‘Complete Your Work’.  Some would be delighted if I would give them ‘GOOD!’ in their works. Sometimes I would give in classes as well when they are doing well. This some how boots up their spirit in doing good jobs. But then it doesn’t apply to all students and would not be effective everytime.

By the way, my colleague found a very cheap shop to make all these stampage, only cost me RM2 each.  So we made a lot.

And of course, the most important tools would be some good red pens.  Teachers can finish the red pens REAL FAST if they really do their works. So far I prefer the two types above, very smooth and sharp and cheap. My colleage commented she only use those cheapest pens to mark. Well my handwriting is actually very bad and I tend to write a little better with good pens. :p  The two new pens are from student during Teachers’ Day. I have yet to try them.

I’d fold their exercise books for the major mistakes done.  This would make me easy to comment on their mistakes when I distribute the exercise books back to students. So students would know if they are doing well in exercises by the look of their books.  This particular one, obviously did A LOT of major mistakes, eg. incomplete, super messy works and handwritings, very serious mistakes in steps, and the one that I hate most is they simply COPY the answers. Some don’t even know what they are copying, thinking I’d spare them when they ‘at least do something’.

Thus I take longer time to mark each exercise book, and also distribute back to students. If time allows I’d comment (sometimes scolding) one by one on their work.  Its time consuming work and I wonder how long can I withstand it.  When I’m getting lazy I’d not be that attentive in checking anymore.

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