Lashelle+Turner-Gaston


 * Genre Reflection 3/23/2011 **

Dear 8th Graders,

Thank you for reminding me what it is like to be thirteen. Trust me it was a long time ago. Thank you for laughing at things that shouldn't be laughed at like your friend passing gas in the middle of the guest speaker's speech. Thank you for making sarcastic remarks when you don't understand the question. Thank you for taking laziness to a whole other level. I mean really is it that hard to do your homework packet after being giving five weeks to complete it and your teacher going over every answer in class. Thank you for some of the most interesting movie maker projects I have ever seen. Only a thirteen year old can choose Lil Wayne as a soundrack to //To Kill a Mockingbird//. Thank you for smiling at me when I first stood up to teach your class. Lastly, thank you for smiling and saying, 'Hi, Ms. Turner" when you past me in the hall.

Sincerely, Student Intern

Lashelle I loved your letter to your students. I can relate to your feelings of being reminded of the difficult age of thirteen. Over time we seem to forget how tough that age can be.TOSS definitely brought back alot of those emotion and memories for me. Your letter was touching and a delight to read. Natalie

Genre Reflection

**Grades are People, Too**

Grades are not just grades, they have faces. I learned that the first time I graded real students’ tests and quizzes. They are more than simple numbers put on the top of the page and circled in red ink. With each little check mark by a correct answer and ‘x’ by a wrong answer, my stomach grows uneasy. They are staring back at me. 100 94  80  74  69  All belong to someone, some student who sits looking up at me as I hand them back to their rightful owner. I see the expression on their faces when they catch glimpse of the number. Smiles Frowns Laughter Moan All belong to someone, some student who holds the paper in his or her tiny hand. Yes, grades have emotions. They can tell you how they feel through the eyes of the person they belong to and whose name they stand next to. Grades do not simply live in folders, computer files, and on progress reports. They live with the students who carry them around for the rest of their lives.

Hey! I like how you recognize the impact that grades have on students. It is tough to hand out a less than perfect grade to a student you like and know tried really hard. It is just as frustrating to fail a student who you know is fully capable and just does not want to do anything. I also really like how you say "grades do not simply live in folders..." It is a good point that teachers often forget, but I think there is a connection between the grades students make and their behavior in the classroom. Crazy how it is all connected! Good luck with the rest of your internship! Bethany 3/10/11

I loved this! You gave so much meaning to what we see as a simple grade. I find myself becoming sympathetic to certain students that receive bad grades especially when I know they truly did try. I noticed that as much as my students act up in class, they always want to know if the assignment they are working on is going to be graded. Its as though they also know they will forever have to live with that grade. Natalie