The other day I noticed the fun I experienced marking students’ work when I chose to remain open, relaxed and connected to what they were learning. I opened myself up to see beyond what the curriculum requirements were, and was instead assessing the level of connection I made with each student.
For as long as I can remember I had always thought marking needed to be done quickly and was a burden on my teaching time. The piles were never-ending and the pace with which marking was done was fast, with little regard for the student and their work. Darting around the classroom in order to mark the work before I began another set of teaching instructions felt like the norm.
The levels of exhaustion I experienced made me feel racy and there was no connection with the students or with their work. I gave little consideration to how I could support them to go to the next stage of learning, or to consolidate their current levels of learning.
The teaching phase was fun and by far the most enjoyable stage. I would introduce the topic and get the ball rolling with practical examples and engage the children in each step. The children would share and laugh whilst learning. Everyone was focused and the learning was meaningful, relevant and there was a sense of ease in which this was done. Every lesson was simple and the children were part of the teaching rather than doing all the learning. This unfortunately was lost once I moved to the marking mode. I could feel my relaxed and open body turn into a hard machine, ready to race through the assembly line of paper marking.
When I made the choice to stop and connect more to the steady pace in which I was teaching, I noticed there was no need to go into the overwhelm of what the idea of assessing and marking brings to teaching.
The playful interactions that took place with the simple daily over the shoulder marking made me realise how much the students enjoyed the ‘one to one’ connection they were receiving. Every interaction with a child was simple and varied, according to what they needed:
A supportive hand on the shoulder…
A playful gentle tap on the head …
A tender touch of the hand…
A knowing glance of ‘you’ve got it’…
A cheeky wink to say… yep! …. You’re on the right track.
With this way of marking their work came a deeper level of understanding about how the children crave this connection and wait patiently for their turn. I could feel them nuzzle into their chairs, brushing gently past my arms as I began to mark. Their eyes were open and engaged in what I had to share. They talked more and their voices had a giggling tone that invited more connection. They were not disappointed or hard on themselves if they didn’t fully understand the teaching concept, as they knew the support was always there.
Marking and assessing can be a task that overwhelms and overloads but with that comes a fall in the quality of connection that the children are clearly receptive and open to.
Assessing how to connect to a student is what true marking is about. When we assess what is needed at each moment the marking becomes simple, fun and straightforward.
By Anonymous, Teacher, Mentoring Teacher and Program Facilitator, Australia
Further Reading:
The power of relationship in the classroom
Circle time: an opportunity for connection and expression
Education, Schools & Teaching our Kids: ‘Quality of Presence’ in the Classroom
Teachers are Gold
477 Comments
A teacher can learn a great deal when they are connected to a student and not in judgement of their work.
What if we did away with marking and taught the energetic truth in words so the whole body of the class as one would feel the True meaning of every word through an expanding discussion in the classroom?
Marking is a funny word as it can carry many meanings with the English language and maybe a mark of the times is that when we give ourselves space time is marked as not so important!
Forget maths, forget English and forget science if we first do not have connection to ourselves, we will be forever be lost and a slave to a mind that will forever aim to keep us in separation.
Have an education that encourages a whole-body intelligence and we will have healthy hearts, healthy minds and healthy bodies.
Children need an all encompassing education not one that celebrates the use of recall over any other attribute.
I love the difference you noticed when you chose to reverse your decision to make it about the task ahead of about people. We are social beings and connecting with one another is our most natural way of being. In fact anything less than this registers as stress and exhausts us. What you share here is a powerful insight we could use in any and every area of life.
Everyone loves playfulness and connection, so I understand why the children enjoyed how you were with them, ‘The playful interactions that took place with the simple daily over the shoulder marking made me realise how much the students enjoyed the ‘one to one’ connection they were receiving.’
Reading this makes me realise that often we think we have to work as quickly as possible; ‘When I made the choice to stop and connect more to the steady pace in which I was teaching, I noticed there was no need to go into the overwhelm of what the idea of assessing and marking brings to teaching.’ When we work in rush and drive then the connection to ourselves and others is not there. It is the connection that is key and from here children and adults will feel supported and more able to work productively.
Anonymous, I love what you are sharing in this article, it makes me realise that connection with people is the most important part and that the outcome is second. This changes everything and I can feel makes work and life more joyful and purposeful.
To know the support is always there is truly supportive for the children as they learn and understand new skills, ‘They were not disappointed or hard on themselves if they didn’t fully understand the teaching concept, as they knew the support was always there.’
When we assess the level of connection we are making with another it opens the door to going deeper and becoming more intimate with another.
Working with children to support them in understanding the ‘3 Rs’ is an opportunity to share with them the understanding of living in harmony with each other at the same time.
In our openness to connect with another we offer confirmation to each other of the love we are in essence which is empowering for us all. As in this world we live in today it is not set up for us to be met for who we are in essence. The more we can maximise these opportunities that more we feel empowered to live who we know we are and walk tall with the grandness of our being.
I love this. Connection is the most fundamental part of relating and to allow ourselves that individual touch, being with each person honouring their presence and expressing how we feel and communicating what is needed is a beautiful way for a teacher to be with students.
Connection is the missing ingredient to our current global education system that is far from making connection the foundational part of the curriculum.
Bringing in connection as a basis in education would be transformational, and is desperately needed.
This revelation is massive in its implications and what it exposes about our current education system which puts connections at the bottom of the pile when it comes to importance in education.
When we make it about connection first, children respond and life is simple and full of joy. Focus only on the doing and achieving then life becomes a struggle.
Connection is the missing ingredient in education – bring in connection and you have a classroom management program!
I remember when at school some sixty odd years ago, you had to get everything right or you were in trouble, no laughing was aloud in the classroom, school was considered serious business. Your students are so blessed to have you as their teacher, where you can meet each one for who they truly are, with such a beautiful connection, with your knowing of how to bring joy and fun into the learning process.
Being real with children, being absolutely equal with them and allowing ourselves to express care and love through our gestures and touch allows a child to be open too and a lovely atmosphere develops in the classroom where children feel safe and cared for and free to express themselves.
Anonymous, this is very gorgeous to read; ‘The playful interactions that took place with the simple daily over the shoulder marking made me realise how much the students enjoyed the ‘one to one’ connection they were receiving.’ Reading this I can feel that if we rush through our work that we miss out on connecting with people and that it is the connections that are the most important thing.
It is so inspiring how you have turned marking into another way to connect with each student and feel what will support them best. Just reading your words made me feel sad for the majority of students who wait patiently for their turn and then are met with a perfunctory connection that is goal focused – yes you got that and now onto the next tick box. No wonder so many children are struggling within our current education system that does not support teachers or children to build meaningful connections from which true learning can flow.
I can see how teachers may get into a rush or anxiousness around grading or assessing their student’s class work because it could bring up some feelings of being judged themselves when they were in school and on the other end of the process without the kind of deeper connection and understanding which the author of this blog had evolved into.
Often there is not the same level of purpose brought to having children share their work, learnings and ideas. Recently I had students sit in a circle and share their work and what they liked about it. This gave the students total ownership and you could feel how they felt proud of themselves for their efforts.
It is lovely to feel how you encouraged the children to connect with their process of learning and take ownership of it.
What a fantastic foundation children can have if we meet them and make it about who they are and not what they are capable of. Of course we have the learning that assists us through life but if we are not met then what we do becomes the focus and our life depends on it. Where in actual fact it is our relationship with ourselves that is most important first and foremost and for that to be celebrated.
I volunteer at a primary school once a week and was struggling a little bit by the end of the day and just couldn’t think why anyone would want to do that as a full-time job. As I pondered on my experience over the last six months, it occurred to me that the children had been very sweet and open to me, often giving spontaneous hugs even though it is not encouraged. I may have sat with some of these children maybe once a months ago, but they are always pleased to see me. So, it is not the children that are the problem it’s the system and how I was reacting to it.
It is very special when a teacher understands that marking work is a connection to the student in supporting their learning and understanding and is never a judgement.
Anonymous, I love this; ‘I opened myself up to see beyond what the curriculum requirements were, and was instead assessing the level of connection I made with each student.’ This connection with the children feels like the most important thing and is what truly supports them.
‘I noticed there was no need to go into the overwhelm of what the idea of assessing and marking brings to teaching.’ This approach to marking and assessments is quite telling as to how we are so imposed upon by this as children and how we see ourselves as either successes or failures depending on the marks and how we are given feedback. It is not surprising that when we become teachers we take this consciousness with us and harden up at the prospect of all that paperwork! However, as you share, the children can feel the quality we put into the marking and can be offered confirmation in how we write the feedback, regardless of what they have ‘achieved’.
It comes back to connection and I love how you have beautifully shared the importance of this in the classroom. Sure marking comes into it, but when we put that before the people, then it becomes hard work.
What a joy to be in your class Anonymous. You need to be outed Anonymous for the teacher extraordinaire you are..
Assessments could be both ways – students should be able to assess the teacher on your quality of connection that was made for each of their assessments.
The difference between when we make it about learning versus outcomes. While outcomes are important, if this is the focus we lose the value in learning. When learning is the focus then the process is enjoyed and valued, outcomes are appreciated but not the defining point.
How can we truly listen to the children in a classroom or as a parent raising kids when our minds are elsewhere perhaps focussing on that day or thinking about what needs to be done the following day? It is so simple to listen to a child yet it can be one of the most difficult things to do if we are not connected and present with ourselves. It is not a bit of wonder that children turn to the iPad or misbehave when we are not giving our full attention towards them.
This reminded me of when I used to take piles of books home to mark, and how instead marking in class whilst connecting to the children brings so much more.
In reading this I can feel a deeper level of quality that I can bring to my work, instead of focusing on getting everything done, instead just ensuring the quality that I bring and making my focus first and foremost this and then my connection with others.