Play it as you sit down with the pile, and again at the halfway point. It takes two or three minutes. Set a number for this sitting, perhaps ten papers, and stop when you reach it.
Read by Ivy
01This pile is my students’ thinking. Each paper shows what someone learned.
02Not all of them tonight. I pick a number for this sitting, and stop there.
03The rubric keeps me fair.
04One thing done well and one to work on. Short feedback actually gets read.
05I grade in blocks and stretch between them. Rested, I judge more fairly.
06A disappointing paper shows me what to teach next. It isn’t proof I failed.
07Small breakthroughs catch my eye, like a sentence that finally lands. They’re why I teach.
08Phone and email stay closed while I grade. This pile is enough for now.
09Feedback that comes back fast helps more than perfect notes weeks later.
10Paper by paper, I reach tonight’s number. Then the pen goes down until tomorrow.
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Why it’s written this way
Grading is one of the parts of teaching that follows you home. The pile never seems to shrink, so it’s easy to grade late into the night or to avoid it altogether. This loop starts by reminding you what the pile actually is, students’ thinking, because that is a better reason to pick up the pen than guilt.
The second note sets a limit, which is the most useful habit for grading: a number for this sitting, then stop. The next notes are about doing it well without burning out: lean on the rubric, keep feedback short, take breaks so your judgment stays fair.
The note about disappointing papers turns them into information for your teaching, not a judgment of it. Small breakthroughs get a note of their own, because they are easy to miss in a tall stack. The loop ends with you putting the pen down, so it protects your evening as well as your focus.