Grading Final Set of RHS Essays

I have to say that I have enjoyed this experience- as tiring as it has been. I think that I have learned a substantial amount both personally and professionally throughout this exchange.

The last set of essays was extremely difficult to get through. I know how I am with my own writing. I can't stand to proofread over and over. I felt like that was what I was doing with these essays. Some I wanted to scream, simply because I knew that they had not taken the revision seriously. Others, did a wonderful job at taking in our comments and working them (at their discretion) into their essays. I enjoyed many of them. It really gives you a rewarding feeling when a student has taken a very rough draft and has completly morphed it into something wonderful. But, I am very thankful that I have finished grading them. I have definitely learned a valuable lesson! :)

Web Conferences

At first when we were informed that we would be going through with the web conferences I felt excited because I would be able to help these students more by actually talking to them instead of just leaving them comments and written feedback. I went back and looked at the final draft that was posted by a student from the first set of essays we responded to and I noticed that the only suggestions of mine that she applied were the grammatical ones. I felt like a spent a good deal of time and put some real effort into suggesting items for revision and then the grammar was the only thing changed. So I was hoping that the web conferences would be better. I felt like I was prepared and I had a substantial amount of feedback to share. I was not nervous until the first conference. This one did not go as well as I had wanted it to but the other three made up for it. I felt more confident during the last three interviews than the first. I felt like two of my students were truly interested in my feedback; they were taking notes and asking questions which I really enjoyed. Then, the other two were not as responsive which is typical. Hopefully, my suggestions were considered and applied more than in the last set of essays.

Student Papers-Round Two

The first round was a bit nerve racking for me. I was so worried that I was not going to be able to help the students in a way that would be beneficial to them. I was even starting to dread this second set of papers a tiny bit. But as I was putting the finishing touches on them last night, I realized how much easier this set was to comment on.

Is there anyone else who thought this as well? I am interested to find out.

I must be honest as I say I am a bit fearful of giving the students a grade on their papers. After reading one paper, however, I am looking forward to a chance to reread them though as a finished product.

Writing Center Conferences

I really was dreading the writing center conference. Since, it was a requirement, I went. I ended up enjoying the session. It is difficult to be a jr. almost sr. ;) in college and have to go to a writing center session. (Even though, I realize that I do still need instruction in mechanics and some aspects of grammar. I am a comma lover!) I enjoyed the session because it made me realize that I am not so horrible at writing. My tutor was especially nice and very helpful. She read through my essay making comments like-- nice, YES!, okay. By doing this, it allowed me to understanding what she was thinking. I know that I often question what other people are thinking while they are reading my essay. It is nice to hear her read it out loud and comment on it. I would go to the writing lab again- maybe soon. I really appreciate these "required" assignments because they often make you do things that you normally would not do. And as I have learned, I usually enjoy doing them!

Web Conferences

Talk about your experience with the web conferences. Describe how you were feeling before the conference. What did you do to prepare? Describe how you felt during the conference. Did you feel stressed? Confident? Comfortable? Like this is what you were meant to do with your life :)? After reflecting on the experience, how would you evaluate it? What went well? What went not so well? What did you learn about yourself through this experience? What did you learn about high school students? What did you learn about teaching?

Unit Plans

What did you learn from this experience? How do you feel about the work you completed? How do you see yourself using these plans in the future?

Writing Center Visit

Talk about your visit. What did you like about it? What did you dislike? What strategies did the tutor use? What can you take from this experience and apply to your future teaching?