Day 5 - 104 -- Rhythmic, Recurring Tasks

Slept poorly and woke in middle of sleep for an hour or two -- most likely from anxiety to get through exams as quickly as possible and move on to the other grading and reports due next week. After sleeping a bit more, I did some laundry and graded for most of the day and into the evening. I did manage to complete my part of the first final exam. The rest is from the computerized grading of the multiple choice section.I'll submit those on Monday and get the last two exams graded for short answers. I left campus before students in accessible learning were done writing on Friday. I plan to complete those two before heading into the second and final final exam Monday evening. We'll see <smile>.

Grading is a challenge. It can feel excruciating when some questions are answered less precisely than expected. Grading a single question across the full set of exams can be mind-numbingly repetitive. Yet, reading responses that clearly show that major concepts were understood can be validating. The key to grading seems to be that once you check in with yourself -- generally between questions -- it is best to understand if you need food, fluid or a break to move around. If the mood alters in a negative fashion, it is time to step away. A conundrum presents itself since getting the things done becomes paramount, but needing to do the job well has to trump that. Again, just walk away for a short break. Even the time it takes to put one load into the dryer and another into the washer can be more than enough time to recentre.

So -- that was my day -- very repetitive, but productive, which I put down to taking wee moments away from the exams to enhance the ability to focus. Some days this works much better than others. Today, it went well. A song line -- well several lines at the end of a song -- came to mind that described the repeated processes of the day. The cover shared here has a harsher sound than the original and brings a sense of desperation with it - something like my day of grading <smile>.  Enjoy!

Crimson and Clover -- Joan Jett and the Blackhearts