But I never get used to the 6-week grading frenzy. It begins at 4 weeks. Suddenly, I look at my calendar and realize I've only got 2 weeks, give or take a furlough, to get my units done. And then I look at my grading piles and realize I've got 2 weeks to get that shit taken care of. Then suddenly I find myself scheduled for meetings after school 3 or 4 days each week. And every kid suddenly has work they need to talk to me about. That kid who has been out for 3 weeks needs all his work.
It's about this time that I become a total bitch. I can't help it; no amount of self talk and reassuance will alleviate the ticking time bomb. I can tell myself it's just 'cause progress reports are due. I can plan on grading all weekend. I can drink lots of wine. Some things help a little.
No matter how hard I try to compartmentalize, I'm still furious at all of the things. The clock in my room has been broken for two weeks. I need a clock, so I bought one. I'm pissed about having to buy something as simple as a clock for my classroom. And so I avoid eye contact with the janitor who has known about my broken clock for weeks because it's inappropriate to sneer. Besides, it probably isn't even his fault.
There's a flagger lady on the street near the elementary school that I drive past every day. She's very enthusiastic about making sure people slow down for the children. Totally legit: it's a good thing to do, keeping kids alive. However, I've NEVER actually seen children anywhere near her intersection. Wait. I did leave work early a few weeks back, and a couple of kids needed to cross the road. But almost always, by the time I leave work, all the kids are at home, have had dinner and a bath, and are ready for bed. But still the flagger lady stands at the intersection waving that goddamned flag at all the cars like there's kids swarming everywhere. Sometimes I wonder if she's mildly retarted. But no, she's just the agressive flag-waving lady who stands on the corner wildly waving her flag for no good reason. I hate her.
It's also during the 6 week grading period that my husband suddenly stops using plates. So when I sit down at the table and put my hands down, I realize I have crumbs up to my elbows. There is no fury like a crumby forearm.
Then there's the inevitable frustration at shitty grades. Half of my classes are honors groups, so I don't usually become frustrated at their performance. But I do have 2 sections of remedial reading. These are groups of kids who, for one reason or another, have really low scores on their reading tests. Very few of them have learning disorders, so most of them are there because of behavior. Many of them just don't or can't pay attention long enough to learn what they need to learn. So grading time is always stressful because I have kids who really should be passing and doing fine, failing because of stupid things like not turning work in, or not paying attention to directions.
And finally, there's the post-grading period headache, which hopefully doesn't set in until the essays are graded. This happens the following week wherein the combination of overwhelming stress, an impossible workload, sleepless nights, my stupid body, and no end in sight causees migraines. The only relief is rest, but of course, I have planning to do.
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