Grading is one type of feedback. It happens to be the least effective and the most time-consuming. Grades are primarily for parents and colleges. Feedback is primarily for student learning. Let’s not equate the two.

Assumption Two: The students who deserve A’s will get A’s, those who deserve B’s will get B’s, those who deserve C’s will get C’s, regardless of the grading system you use.

These two assumptions can generate a host of time saving strategies. Here are three examples (the next newsletter will offer further examples).

Example One: In my first year as a teacher, I was a long-term substitute for a Social Studies teacher. She had a system that saved a tremendous amount of time. She did things by the book. Every night, students were required to answer numerous questions from the textbook. Every day in class, the teacher went over the questions. She did not, however, collect the homework each day (though she did stamp homework each day for being on time). Because students received feedback in class, they learned what they needed to learn. Students were required to hold on to their homework until the day of the unit test. On that day, which came every third Friday, students brought in all their homework stapled together. The teacher wrote on the board, for example, “Please circle in red questions 4, 17C, and 25B” or “Please highlight the following two assignment titles…” The homework was circled or highlighted and collected, and then the test was passed out.

That weekend, the teacher graded the tests and the homework. She only graded three problems or two assignments out of all the student work completed over the three weeks. So, one weekend every three weeks, the teacher knew that she would be at home grading student work. The rest of the time, she never took student work home. Because she graded a representative random sample of their homework, the students received the grades that they deserved. And, because she went over the homework in class every day, the students received the feedback that they needed. And, the teacher had a life.

Example Two: Give the students a “homework quiz.” When class starts, students place their homework on their desk, along with a blank piece of paper. Then give them a short time, for example, to “Copy questions 2 and 9 from your homework onto the paper.” They get some credit for putting the proper heading on the paper (because they are present at the start of class), some credit for having the questions correct, some credit for showing their work, and some credit for having the correct answers. If you go over the homework in class after collecting the quiz (feedback), you only have to grade two of the homework questions. In truth, you could actually grade only one of them, and over the course of the school year, the students would still get the grades that they deserved.

If parents express concern that you are not grading everything their children are producing, you can respond by showing how you review everything in class. You can also share a metaphor: “The Olympic judge isn’t there every time the gymnast practices.”

Example Three: Students can grade each others’ work. One way to help ensure that they don’t cheat- have them cover their answers with yellow highlighter before swapping papers.

There are quite a number of additional ideas. Tune in to the next newsletter for additional time-saving ideas. And, please consider adding your own ideas to the blog on my website.

After years of struggle, I came up with a solution. I made a conscious decision not to eat any sweets between Thanksgiving and the December break, because the influx of holiday sugar seemed to lower my immune system. I kept my hands off parents’ cakes, the PTA’s pies, and the kids’ candy canes and chocolate. I seemed to cope better with all the stresses of the vacation and the new winter germs — and I stopped getting sick.

Let’s not only assume the best about our students- that they want to be here, want to participate, and want to learn- Let’s also assume the best about ourselves and our colleagues- that we all want to be here, want to participate, and want to appreciate and celebrate our connections with each other, as well as with our students.

This is a five disc comprehensive video series on Conscious Classroom Management, coordinated with the book and facilitator guide. These programs provide a powerful model and wealth of ideas to help veteran as well as new teachers organize and manage classrooms to improve learning.

Click here to view the trailer and for more information