Report Cards

It's Halloween and I am avoiding the trick-or-treaters at home by staying late at school and working on report cards. They are due on Friday, but since I am leaving Thurs. morning I need to have them done by Wednesday. I HATE doing report cards. When I was in third grade I would never have imagined how difficult it would be to determine report card grades, I'm sure I would have thought it would be great fun. Just like in when I was in 5th grade and I would sometimes get to go help one of the younger grades teachers grade papers. I LOVED it. Now I hate that too. The thing that kills me is when students could accomplish so much more, but if I were grading based only on what they actually turn in, they will get terrible grades. I know how hard it is for some of these students to do homework. I know what they have going on at home. Yet it is hard to justify giving a grade based on what I think the student could do. Well, I guess I better get on with it. Soon it will be over and I can start the new nine weeks fresh. I will chase down kids with missing work. I will grade papers as soon as they are turned in. I will not let stacks accumulate on my desk!