Week 14

From students’ perspective, this week was probably a very easy one – there were only two day’s of lessons. However, as I set Wednesday evening as the deadline for submission of final drafts of the second essay, it turned out to be my most demanding week. Some students were really organized and even got their essays in early so that they could go home to their families and relax not having to worry about me and my demands. However, the ball was now back in my court and I had the stress of getting everything graded by next lesson. Having a day in which you plan a bit, teach a bit and grade a bit is perfectly manageable. However, when you start grading at 7am and do nothing all day but grade, the lack of variety makes the whole process much more difficult. However, again I must say that I was generally pleased with the quality of the work I received as virtually all essays were comprehensible and to a greater or lesser extent demonstrated mastery of the art of writing synthesis. I had noticed but it came out in conversation in class that at least for one section, the class average grade for the second essay was higher than that for the first. Given the level of difficulty of the task, this was quite an achievement. Another reason for this higher average would be that a few weaker students who had been struggling to keep up had opted to drop the course and focus their attention and energies on their other courses.