120. How to Cut Your Grading Time in Half

Everyone is trying to achieve a work-life balance, but for teachers, that simple concept is actually very complicated. One of the reasons teachers struggle so much with having a life outside of school is the amount of grading that we have to do. While I’m biased, I believe secondary science teachers have the most grading, especially with the labs and having multiple preps. I want you to be able to manage and achieve this, so in today’s episode, I’m sharing four tips that will cut your grading time in half.

Now, some of these ideas may seem drastic to you, but I encourage and challenge you to listen with an open mind if you really want to cut down on your grading. Each of my four tips includes limiting what you collect, which items you grade for accuracy, and trying batching when you grade. A lot of the pushback I get when I suggest ways to cut down your grading, are teachers’ concerns of not checking in or assessing students based on their work. But don’t you worry! I’ve thought of a way you can check in daily with your students to ease your concerns.

Grading student work is part of teaching and we’re made to believe we should be spending hours a day on this one task of teaching. However, if we want to achieve a work-life balance, we need to find a better solution. And while the four tips I share in this episode might seem extreme, they will help cut your grading time in half and allow you to have a life outside of school while also checking in with your students daily.

Resources Mentioned: 

• Bell Ringers & Exit Slips
• Send me a DM on Instagram: @its.not.rocket.science
• Send me an email: rebecca@itsnotrocketscienceclassroom.com
• Follow, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts

Show Notes: https://itsnotrocketscienceclassroom.com/episode120