Grading

Yup, we all hate it. I hate it in particular when it demonstrates my all-out failure to teach a concept. Like rhetorical analysis. Only two of the 17 essays I collected managed to look anything like a rhetorical analysis. So, we try again.

On the other hand, the upperclassfolk in linguistics are very smart folks. I'm not sure they even need me to teach them, just to be a cheerleader to explain why this is worth learning. And to define some big words. Even the student who was least prepared for the midterm wrote an adequate essay exam.

As opposed to that handful of rhetorical analyses that look more like rants on controversial issues. *sigh*