Exams

This is my first exam and I'm marking.  Yes, marking.

Students are a funny group.  I used to be a student, but over the years, I've lost touch with them.  I've become an academic.  Just like students don't understand us and think we are crazy, we also don't understand them and think they are the crazy ones.

On average, I mark about 20 exams per day.  After writing this blog, I'll resume to marking again.  I aim to mark 27 exams today.  After the exams are done, I also have their research papers to go through.  Then, I'll total up their marks and give them their final grade.

There's nothing academic about the whole process.  Nothing magical, nothing inspiring, or any of those feelings you get from watching movies about how a teacher forever changed a student's life.

And it's not like the famous philosophy exam where the exam question asks "Why?" and the students get an A by answering "Why not?"

No.  It's about excel files and bell curves.  Yes, bell curves.  What? Did you think they don't exist?  You need to wake up to reality.

I think I'm waking up to mine - everyday - as much as I don't want to acknowledge it.  The reality is that it is the same everyday.  There will be no surprises.

When it's the same thing everyday, that's reality.


 Zooe