It always takes twice as much time as I plan to get the assessments done, and the only way I'm able to sustain myself is when I remember I used to have five times as many papers to grade when I was a high school teacher. Granted, my University role has me doing a lot more than simply teaching, and so my time for grading differs from the normal K-12 grind. Still, it is always a source of pride when I can say, "Phew. I got them all in by the deadline and now I can concentrate on the other responsibilities I have.
Don't get me wrong. Teaching is a priority and I love it with all of my might. Yet, getting ready for summer programs, tying up loose ends on grants, attending ceremonies, participating in meetings, and keeping up with my own writing mades the pinch of grading at the end of each semester a monumental task. I know how important it is, and I love it, but I now see how valuable time is and how many hours it truly takes to offer feedback to students who worked hard on the objectives that you set forth in each course. Because I want them to be stupendous educators, it is extremely important to offer notes of care to their practice so they grow and blossom in their own classrooms.
This is my post-grading, mean-mug face to say, "They're done."
Now, I am looking at the three meetings on the calendar for today and knowing that Chitunga is in his last exam before heading home for a few days. I need to escape for a little while to process what just was (to put it into perspective) and get my ducks in a row for the bulbous summer calendar ahead. I don't take breaks often and even when I do, the days are full of moving projects forward.
But I'm claiming right here...I need a little get-away. I AM COOKED.
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