RE: Re: grades/authority/community, etc.

[Lynne Belcher <lrbelcher@saumag.edu>]

Debbie,

I agree with you.  I certainly didn't mean to suggest that young people 
are blank slates which teachers then fill.  And many young people have 
lots more ambition and motivation than I ever will.  But certainly the 
hallmark of youth is that they have all the time in the world.  As we 
get older, we learn that isn't true.  With all the time in the world, 
young people can waste a lot of it.  I know I did.  

I, too, evaluate the writing not the person, but I still find it 
difficult, and I think it should be difficult for me.  My evaluation of 
a student's work has an effect on the person, not just the work.  I 
suspect I will always struggle with the issue of evaluation, and the 
day I stop struggling with it is the day I believe I should stop 
teaching.  We are dealing with people's lives and futures, and those 
decisions should give us pause.

I appreciate hearing from you.

Lynne