Wednesday, Jun. 01, 2005
essays, posted at 11:52 p.m.
Epiphany in Baltimore has moved to epiphanyinbaltimore.blogspot.com The school year officially ends on June 23, but the kids are done on June 17. This is a busy time of year if you let it, and I have. I'm now in a sea of essays and struggling to get out. This is the last essay of the year, and grading them is alternately depressing and exhiliariating. Some kids, I just don't understand how we've been doing the same type of thing all year and they just don't get it. Others, I'm amazed by the progress they've made. Still others, they're so good that I wonder if I taught them anything other than expose them to good literature.Still, the essays are good. I gave a loose assignment and have kids writing critical essays on books like Life of Pi and In the Time of the Butterflies. I'm actually excited to read them. Some of them are pieces of crap, but most of them are thoughtful and intelligent. I've graded 70 of these essays in two days and have about 30 more to go.