exam marking!! Phew!

There's something oh-so-tedious and yet oh-so-fascinating about marking exams. Not forgetting oh-so-depressing.

Its that final moment when you can see the strengths and weaknesses of a student revealed, without the chutzpah, the brazenness, that boundary fence that stops you from penetrating the knowledge and ability of the child, and the distance between them.

Some of these exams are such a pleasure to mark, the kids use idiom in a way which is bound to produce a smile (eg 'I hate being stuck in this room' - a letter from a student who has broken his leg) and show a deep understanding of complex texts and nuances of language, and others, sigh, well, the flip side is that a blank paper is remarkably easy to mark. But, like, what was this kid thinking....how does it feel, deep down inside to know that in one year you've accomplished NOTHING?

One of the questions in the eight grade exam paper that revealed an 'atrophied generation' is 'what is your favourite book?'. Eighty per cent of the students wrote 'I don't like books'. Kind of a bit like saying, I don't like water, don't you think. I know it's probably more than eighty as, when I supervised the exam they desperately needed my advice on how to answer this question. My suggestion was to lie and say 'Harry Potter'. Oh and computer games was considered something these students do in their spare time. Amazing.

I really wanted to blog yesterday and describe what it was like supervising an exam where the majority of the class was moderate/severe ADHD. How do I know that. Well, they weren't BAD kids. What I mean to say is that they weren't trying to test my limits or do anything sneaky. They were good kids and they all wanted to do their best BUT THEY COULDN'T SIT STILL!!! It was an eye opening experience.

OK, well, should I just bask in the pleasure of those wonderful exams or wallow in depression from the non-achievers. Or should I maybe live in the hope that one day, with a little help, a little encouragement and nurturing the non-achiever could produce an exam that's a pleasure to read (and to grade)?

That's it for now folks......