As I collected my students’ papers today, some of them said they felt so much better about these papers compared to the ones they were getting back. Why? “I know I did better on this one. I can feel myself improving.”
Yes, I said. Good. That’s what it’s all about: seeing how you’ve improved from the beginning of the semester to now–even if you don’t get the grade you want.
They weren’t so sure about that grade part, but they did acknowledge that it felt good to see their progress.
For the Blogging from A to Z Challenge this year, my theme is gratitude. Every day, I am going to post about something I am grateful for. Tune in tomorrow to see what I pick for J.
The Englishist 
This made me smile. In college it was difficult for me to make the distinction between personal growth and my grades. They were one and the same to me. Of course, as an adult I know better, but I sympathize with your students. “Hey Teach, I learned something, so give me an A!” 😉
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That’s awesome! I was really hard on myself in college, but I was always happy to see my essay grades steadily improve over the course of a semester.
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I teach science in high school and I am always telling my students they are too mark driven. They are also too competitive when it comes to marks. I am trying to get them to see that they should be striving for personal improvement, and using the grades as a gauge of their own progress. I would prefer to not grade them, but sadly that is not an option.
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