Every year, I assign my 8th-grade class a five paragraph persuasive essay on whether or not the countries of the world that have space programs should collaborate to put people on Mars. We have finished the space unit, and most of them have been pretty psyched about the Apollo missions. We have had a discussion in class about the ways in which a Mars mission would be different. I bring in the media specialist to teach them about research using more than Google. I give them a detailed rubric with all the requirements (see it below). They should be fully prepared to form an intelligent opinion, based in research, and present it persuasively.
Every year, this is an incredibly stressful assignment because they are being asked to move from the thinking level of middle school students to that of "almost freshmen." They are being asked to examine nuanced arguments from multiple sources and give a comprehensive view of their own opinion. They are also being asked to discuss their own opinion in the third person, which either stresses them out or makes them angry. They are being asked to include in-text citations as well as provide correct MLA format for their works cited page. While I don't grade them at the senior or college level, I do recognize that they cannot improve as they progress toward those years if they don't get penalized for their errors.
I actually hate grading this paper. It isn't easy for a teacher to take off points when they know how hard their students worked on something. I know how upset the overachieving student is going to be when they get back a score that is lower than what they are used to. It takes forever to grade because I want to give them meaningful feedback that will help them improve, not just score the paper. Every year, I say to myself, "Self, why do you giving this stinking paper?"
The answer to that question is that this is good and necessary, even if it is not fun. Students at the 8th-grade level need to have a non-English teacher say, "This is what is wrong with your writing." They are accustomed to thinking that proper writing only matters in their English classes. The reality is, however, that they will have to write in every subject for the rest of their academic careers, and most of them will have to write in their adult life. My father is an engineer. He complains often about the English classes he was required to take in college, but he also spends most of his work time writing reports, patent applications, or proposals about his engineering work. I was briefly his typist. While he cannot spell and has atrocious handwriting, he writes well. No matter how much he may complain about those English classes, they served him well.
The process of improvement is never easy. The primary reason that it is difficult is that the person must acknowledge they need improvement. One of my students believes he is always the best at EVERYTHING he does. He responded with dramatic whines and sighs when he received his graded paper. He argued with me that it should be allowed to have first person because it is his opinion. Admitting there is a problem is always the first step. This isn't easy for anyone.
Because most of us are not self-aware in all areas of our lives, improvement will usually involve the input of others. For improvement to occur in any of our lives, someone will likely have to point out our faults. If we are not mature, we may be angry at that person. Often, we will jump quickly to point out their flaws. It is a self-defense mechanism, but it results in nothing. As we mature, we may learn to take on that loving criticism in the spirit intended and react with humility. It never becomes easy.
This paper, no matter how difficult it is for me and for them, is part of that maturing process. They have someone who loves them and has demonstrated a desire for their success pointing out the ways in which they are not living up to the standard. They will become better as a result, but that doesn't make it easy. It does make it necessary.
Здравствулте!! Вы говорите русского?
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