As part of some professional learning I want to do this year, I'm reading Ungrading: Why Rating Students Undermines Learning (and What to Do Instead), edited by Susan D. Blum. As I did w/ Feldman's Grading for Equity (first post here), I'll be blogging my way through it, to help me process and share my thinking as it evolves. I'm always pumped to learn with others about this stuff, so get at me on Twitter @BearStMichael if you want to talk about any of this!
The Work of Teaching
Blackwelder, from Chapter 2: "I was easily convinced I had to eliminate grades. However, this meant I couldn’t use them to make my students work. So could I engage students without points and letters? … This is the actual work of a teacher.”
This was almost painful to read. But like...in a good way. This framing has helped me to see the ways in which I was assigning responsibility to my abstract grading system, as opposed to assuming it as an educator. Being an educator is one of the most impactful identities I carry with me, and I am letting it chip away (or at least go un-constructed), because I continue to allow grades to mediate the entirety of my work.
I think this is a really tough and important message to receive. I think if most teachers picked up this chapter randomly, and read it, would feel alienated, attacked, and hurt. Which is a rational reaction given the degree to which the oppressive construct of grading has for so long been the smog we breathe. Heck, I am actively seeking to reflect on these ideas, knowing full well that it’s going to be a super tough journey, and I’m *still* feeling pretty raw after reading this chapter. It’s just…it’s heavy.
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