marking, grading and handling other's work with care.

That time of the year when all the work has to be marked, graded, collated, data accurately recorded, scripts sent to Externals, paperwork generated for a years coursework. Important to remember that these exam scripts and projects, Journals and essays, represent hours and hours of work, hard pushed effort to meet looming deadlines, so no shortage of anxiety and hopefulness. Such work and costly labour, so much read and written, revised and submitted -  All of which prompts the following Haiku (Typepad's new software does daft things with indents, font size and stuff - I'll practice)

Advice for Anxious Students
Marking and grading-
wood or straw, gold or silver?
Do good works- and hope.

Ideal Essays 1
Write a good essay-
well wrought words capture ideas
in structured syntax.

Ideal Essays 2
Clear intro, conclude,
make sense in the middle, plus
Bibliography

Motto for Markers
Judge coursework with care -
assume honest long labour,
and assess intent.

Beatitude for Students
Blessed are those who
read the question carefully
and answer it well.

Beatitude for Markers
Blessed are those who
make allowance for effort -
but not for short change.

Comments

[Catriona]

I think your students are well blessed to have you reading their work. As I also am blessed to have very gracious, long suffering supervisors.

Real Essays 1:
There's never enough time
So you do the best you can -
And hope for the best

Real Essays 2:
There're never enough words
So you miss out adjectives
And hope for the best

Real Essays 3:
How come real hard slog
Earns a 2:2 when rushed blag
Gains a solid first?!

Beatitude for full time ministers trying also to be part time post grad students ...
Blessed are those who
Despite pastoral demands
Submit work on time

[andy jones]

3,000 word haiku (with a 10% allowance rounded up)

3,000's one word. Don't use
conjunctions. Doesn't matter
if it's grammar... write (tightly).