Cute Sh!t

I don't know the way other teachers grade, but for me, when students go out of their way to write something out of the ordinary or special in some way, I reward them for it. Some students fail to realize, despite my encouragement, that they have a license to be creative and shape their material in their own way on tests.

Here are some of the ones from last session I appreciated the most. The first is from a speaking test in which I scribble down verbatim what they say as they say it, and assess it for a grade.

"I picked a Bald Eagle on Wednesday. Bald Eagle lives in North America and it has strong eyes. Also it lays eggs, one to three eggs. And I don't like them because its face is looks very scary, like my mother."

Did I give the student a perfect score? You bet.

The next is from an elementary school student. This is from a test in which students were asked to remember choosing a planet to write about during class.

"My planet is the Earth. It is the third planet from the Sun." She goes on to give details about the planet, as did other students. But then she concludes with, "Another planets don't have the air, so people can't live. I think in the future, the scientists are going to make the special clothes so people can visit the all planets."

That conclusion won her a near-perfect score. Grading is subjective, and every teacher has their own method (and personal whim, despite what we're willing to admit). My method is to reward the thought and creativity put into an assignment, and not necessarily how well the student did what they were asked to do. I really believe thought and effort are what matters the most.

Do any other teachers reading this remember ideas students wrote that stuck with them? Feel free to share below.