grading day (with updates)

Somehow, despite my good intentions and good efforts, today is going to be Super Terrible Grading Day. I have to get through 23 more papers today in order to be able to hand them back tomorrow in class. If I can stick to my Power Grading* schedule, that's 4-5 hours. Which doesn't sound so bad. But I have a hard time focusing on grading for more than 90 minutes at a time. It makes me stupid and cranky. Plus, of course, I have other things to work on today.


*Mel's Power Grading Plan-- aim for only 10 minutes per short paper, exceeding that only for the really good and really terrible ones. Which usually works out to about 12 minutes per paper. Allow more time for the last 10 or so. Use a timer. Ingest caffeine at regular intervals. DO NOT decide you'll get up early in the morning to finish them. The sleep you enjoy having finished them is worth staying up late for.

Grading Log
First, I answered emails and planned some stuff for class. Then sat down to some grading.
10:30-10:55 Graded 3 essays.
Attitude: reasonably productive. But then the utility guy showed up, and I took a break for laundry, putting oil in my car, and time with the dogs.
11:35-12:10 3 more done. Encountered a new first: an essay with no capitalization at all. I'm cool with that in email, but in a paper? Geez.
Attitude: distracted. Time for a shower and lunch.
[typing this, I realise that I had better get a lot more done in my next session or I'll never make it. Especially now that blogworld is watching me. This is motivating.]
2:30-2:55 At the office, after handling some student problems -- graded 3 more essays. Then I had to switch gears and finish a report due in the Chair's office this afternoon.
Attitude: good. I feel like I'm making progress. But I have all this other stuff to do today as well as the grading.
6:00-6:55 4 more.
11:15-11:40 only 1, because I was falling asleep. I blame my evening yoga class for relaxing me. I decide to go to bed and do the remaining 8 papers in the morning.
So I didn't meet all of my goals, but it actually worked pretty well doing little speed bursts of grading throughout the day.
But now I'm up super early, to grade and then prep my classes. It'll be a long day.