Last year in my teaching practicum, I rather relished giving out piss-poor grades. I thought my students were abysmally bad, and they were so resistant and hostile that I think I pushed back equally as hard with my grades for them.
This year, I G-mail-heart my students!* I mean, I adore them all, even the weird ones. Especially the weird ones. Last week I read all their papers, and thought, “Wow, they are trying so hard! I love them!” And today when I sat down with grading criteria in hand, and purple pen in the other hand, I thought, “Uh oh.”
I just gave my first C. It’s deserved–a good start but not good enough. And I feel so badly. . . but somehow, they will just have to learn.
As will I.
In Google Mail Chat, you can do a < 3 and the chat function automatically rotates it into a real heart and then it blushes pink! It’s the best!
The Fifth Chakra 
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