Current Events > As a HS math teacher, i have a love-hate relationship with grading

(+) Yeah! (+)

The love comes from seeing students improve and get questions right, of course. It can also be a vibe to put on music, sit down, sip coffee, and grade for a couple hours.

But finding that time during the school day can be tough and I try not to take work home with me. Also it can be frustrating when kids overthink an easy question, or don't include a justification for their answer, or when you let the grading pile up and need to tackle it in one sitting.

I prefer grading homework over tests and quizzes since it's much lower stakes and I can be more flexible with the numbers.

Do you give full points if they did the problem correctly but got the wrong answer?

TripleDouble posted...

Do you give full points if they did the problem correctly but got the wrong answer?

Kind of an oxymoron, isn't that?

Unless you mean a correct method with a small error in arithmetic or something like that. I usually award partial points for those mistakes on a test or quiz, and full points on a homework assignment with a note about the mistake.

Don't like taking work home, huh? Do you assign homework?

LincolnDuncan posted...

Don't like taking work home, huh? Do you assign homework?

Nice gotcha. There's a difference between the work I take home and the work students take home, however. So it's a false equivalency.

That being said, students get ample time to complete an assignment in class, and whatever they do not finish is what they (should) take home with them to complete.

I never assign more than 20-30 minutes of work.

ZMythos posted...

Nice gotcha. There's a difference between the work I take home and the work students take home, however. So it's a false equivalency.

That being said, students get ample time to complete an assignment in class, and whatever they do not finish is what they (should) take home with them to complete.

I never assign more than 20-30 minutes of work.

Eh, I don't buy it.

ZMythos posted...

Unless you mean a correct method with a small error in arithmetic or something like that.

This is what I mean. My calculus teacher in college gives full credit if you have all the steps right but you accidentally do 5+6=12 or something like that.

You have time to grade in school? My wife is a teacher and gets one 10 minute planning period a day lol

lilORANG posted...

You have time to grade in school? My wife is a teacher and gets one 10 minute planning period a day lol

I feel bad for her. I get one 45 minute prep period and even that doesn't feel like enough for teaching 5 different math classes. (6 total/day)

ZMythos posted...

I feel bad for her. I get one 45 minute prep period and even that doesn't feel like enough for teaching 5 different math classes. (6 total/day)

Is it 5 different subjects or 1/2 subjects like 2 algebra 1 classes and 3 algebra 2?

I think my daughters school they have the teachers teach 2 different math topics. I think her geometry teacher teaches 2 geometry classes of the same level, a lower level geometry and algebra 2.

They also give a period during the day for kids to sign up for extra help daily so neither the kids nor teachers have to stay after for extra help. If no kids come for extra help, teachers just have free time. The kids also have to do a certain amount of community service so teachers have kids be their TAs to help with some busy work.

How would you handle a student that tells you they don't do homework?

Cuticrusader09 posted...

Is it 5 different subjects or 1/2 subjects like 2 algebra 1 classes and 3 algebra 2?

I teach Pre Integrated Math 1, 2 sections of Integrated Math 3, PreCalclus, AP Calc AB, and AP Calc BC. All are yearlong courses.

Integrated Math is the same content as Algebra-Geometry-Algebra 2, but combines a bit of algebra and geometry each year instead of keeping them separate. Kind of a continuation of the Middle School structure and sequencing.

Bishop_Hastur posted...

How would you handle a student that tells you they don't do homework?

Can't grade what I don't get turned in, so they show up as 0s in the online gradebook.

Obviously, chronic missing work would warrant an email/phone call home.

Homework is also 20% of the grade, so if they manage to ace their tests and quizzes then they still pass with a B-

lilORANG posted...

You have time to grade in school? My wife is a teacher and gets one 10 minute planning period a day lol

Most of the teachers in my school get 9 hours per week.

Get a real job.

LordMarshal posted...

Get a real job.

How is teaching not a real job?

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]


Or in other words, just being a dick.

Are you one of the cool teachers that allows extra credit?

Notti posted...

Are you one of the cool teachers that allows extra credit?

Sparingly. I'll put bonus questions on my tests/quizzes that are usually more difficult but still related to the material. Or I'll give students a bonus point or two if they get 100% on the review.

I also allow quiz corrections to earn half-credit, so a 60% can be boosted to an 80% for example.