I'm in the midst of midterms now- Thursday will be the end of it all for me finally! One thing for sure is that it doesn't get any easier being on the other end of it as a teacher. It can all be so time consuming- conducting oral exams, preparing and grading written exams. And things become even more weighty, especially when deciding on those borderline students. But without firm standards, my grading system is meaningless, so I have to draw the line.

I have already dismissed a few students from taking their midterm exams due to poor attendance in class- these are English conversation classes- in which there are very few assignments, so besides assessment in class I have nothing else to go on in evaluating them. Besides, if they aren't motivated enough to make it to even half of the classes during the first half of the semester, I figure they should just quit now and save both of us the frustration. I state my policy early on in the semester, but invariably there are students who think that they can beg and plea when it comes time. It does get to me when this happens, but I stand firm- some of these students have to learn more discipline in life in general and with language, it requires continuous practice- of which they are not even getting enough of from the 2-3 hours I teach them per week.

Just trying to balance all of my priorities with grading midterms, etc. So I'll get back to my blogging in a few days time- hopefully by the end of the week.