Every Page is an Adventure

Every day, I sit at my desk or in the library or at my table at home and I read. I read for an hour, sometimes more, sometimes less, but on average an hour a day. A lot of people do this. They read the paper. They read a book. They read online websites or journals or blogs or Facebook entries. Me? I read my students.

I sit for an hour a day and read their journals. I have had students journaling for two years and two months and never have I enjoyed reading them more than I do now. I sit and open my Chromebook. I open my journal spreadsheet and scroll down to the lines of the students I'm reading that night. I pick up a journal and open it to the correct place. I scroll through their line in my spreadsheet to see what comments I've made in the past and to remind myself of their writing goal. Each of them chose a writing goal a few weeks back. Common goals are: add more details, expand my vocab, write more or organize my thoughts. I review their goal so I know what I'm looking for and then I push the Chromebook aside and read. I flip the pages and check to make sure all the entries are there but I read.

I'm surprised.

Every page is an adventure for me into their minds and how they are progressing and interpreting the prompts I provide and it's exciting. I see students trying to use new words and sometimes failing, but I can see them trying. I read entries about "a bird on the shore" wherein the bird wants to swim and can't. I read entries wherein the students had the chance to rewrite the ending to a book we read when the characters jump into the water and get eaten by sharks! I see my students struggling to make sense of tenses that are so far removed from their understanding yet still they try.

It is a small joy to sit and read student work for an hour and be able to simply enjoy their words and their thoughts. Then I take my push up crayon and circle their points on a rubric that I feel gives me leeway to evaluate but also give them generosity and the opportunity to improve. After the "number" has been assessed, I'm able to slide the Chromebook toward me again and open the spreadsheet so I can write their comments. I comment on entries I liked and entries that intrigued me and then I comment on their writing goal. I give constructive feedback they can use as they write more entries and then I email their message and pick up the next journal.

It is time consuming and an hour of my time every day but it's the hour I find most valuable and worthwhile in my "grading" regiment. While I do assess and give them a number, I am also dedicating some time to each individual student and her/his writing goal. I hope my students enjoy reading my emails and hearing my thoughts as much as I enjoy reading theirs.