threestares

Sometimes, with what we do, we simply cannot assess every thing that we assign for our charges. On more than one occasion, feeling overwhelmed, I have simply given credit where credit was due as a pass/fail or even simply recycled the materials that were turned in. I think that there is nothing wrong with doing that. We are humans too, and we need to take care of ourselves, including our mental health, first and foremost. Do not ever allow the amount of assessing that you have to do (or that you feel you must do) drive you down, because if you do, you're not doing yourself or them any favors. Take a deep breath, and simply pitch some of it into the recycle bin.

That's absolutely right. We feel like we're on some noble quest, and they're trying to get some cheap pot between classes and get a date for Friday at lunch. We are important, they just don't realize it for years, if at all. From now until the end of the session, I recommend that you try to have some fun with your charges. Teach them a little bit about comedy or humor in literature or even film. Teach them a bit about irony and satire, and then, most importantly, let them write some of their own and share it with the class. You need something to laugh about, and someone to laugh with.

Speaking of which: A man was shopping for produce in the grocery store when he spotted a beautiful woman examining the fresh lettuce. As he slowly approached, she looked up, made eye contact with him and smiled.
"Hey, I know you," she said, "You're the father of one of my kids." His jaw dropped and his mind raced. When? When had he been unfaithful to his wife?
He stammered "My bachelor party" as the realization hit him. "I'm so sorry, I was pretty drunk that night, and it's been so long. Were you the one that was whipping me with the celery or the one with the leather saddle?"
She blushed and said, "I'm your son's English teacher."