A mad dash for the rest of the grades

Teaching has its domino effects! If you spend too much time on one aspect of it, other things suffer. Then you have to work your arse off to catch up. But while you're doing that, other things suffer. So in the new year, I was confronted by a pile of marking that should have been done before Christmas but wasn't. And it was a lot of work! So I sat down and tackled it. I worked late on Friday. And I worked, in my stone cold office, on Saturday. I finished the first pile! Although that didn't mean it was done; one question had to be marked by someone else. And he then also had to moderate it. And he's notoriously busy. Oh dear. And he said he wouldn't have time on Monday; he would be busy organising a School Away Day. And one would guess that away day itself would also keep him away from his marking! But that was out of my hands. I took Sunday off.

On Monday I was back at it; time to attack the second pile. I didn't go climbing; I did marking. On Tuesday we had aforementioned Away Day until 3PM. It was interesting! But afterwards I went back to the office to continue my marking. And in the evening, and I think this was a first, I skipped Welsh class. I did marking.

On Wednesday I did marking. And finished. Just in time for my weekly meeting with Jenny. The next day I was in the office doing other things; it felt good to be able to do lots of things that either I had been feeling bad about putting off, or things that felt more like preparing for the next year rather than catching up with the old. So that was good! But one thing I hadn't managed was get someone to do the moderation that same week. Another notoriously busy moderator! It would have to wait. I did start to get questions in my inbox from students. When would they get their marks? I understood, but well, the situation was what it was.

On Friday, shortly before six, I could release the marks of the first pile. And the students were still alert! I pretty much immediately saw some icons appear that indicated they had had a look at their work. Good!

I hope early next week I can release the second batch! And by then I will also have acquired exam marking...