Blog 9

After reading this section of the Williams text, the immediate thought that crossed my mind was, “I’m glad I’m not going to be an English teacher.” I do mean this with the utmost respect to my fellow classmates.

Of all of the various varieties of teachers, I do believe that the English teacher has the hardest and most significant job. First of all, grading is so subjective. There are no right and wrong answers. Figuring out grades is not simply a matter of comparing answers to an answer key. English teachers aren’t just teaching facts and numbers but are teaching critical thinking and synthesis of ideas.

Additionally, grading papers is no easy task. It is very time consuming. Yeah, Williams’s idea of scanning papers, putting them in piles, rereading and commenting (genuine comments not just surface comments) is a fabulous idea. I guess it would depend on the teacher, his/her commitment level, and how much work load is on that individual’s plate.

This is slightly off topic from the book but….the English teacher has far more responsibility than any other type of teacher. Learning to write well is so important for nearly every profession. My husband is a printing press mechanic. He started his own company and has to write bid proposals and various business emails to people who own multi-million dollar companies. Who would think that a mechanic would end up needing writing skills? Even if you don’t end up owning your own business, writing is so often used in everyday life. Once again, I’m glad I’m not going to be an English teacher. It is a lot of responsibility.

I think it is sad that cost and politics need to be added to what Williams considers key factors of assessment. It is sad but true. Because English teachers do have so much responsibility over the futures of their young writers, I would hope that anyone getting into the teaching profession, particularly in the English curriculum, would be more worried about finding effective ways to use assessment to reach students rather than worry about funding. Good for you Amanda! Unfortunately, the truth is that the “higher ups” have to worry about funding and very likely put pressure on their employees to produce superior results. I think it is interesting that Williams points out that “studies have shown little if any correlation between high academic performance and funding” (310). Kind of makes you think, doesn’t it?