Saturday, February 14, 2009

Grading Papers Makes You Weird

It's been a long day and it's not over either. I've noticed in the past that the process of grading causes strange bodily reactions in me (ever had the paper that is so bad you spontaneously get up and pack up and start to leave the coffeeshop, but that doesn't work because you carry all of your stuff home with you and thus still have it? It's like some papers bring out my migratory instincts, or perhaps just my fight-or flight response.)

Well, today I had the strange reaction where, in the course of marking this one essay, I raised up my left hand, giving my side a good stretch, and held it outreached as if I wanted someone to call on me in class. But when I finally finished grading and wrote my final comments, I realized that I had never moved or put down my hand.

The worst thing is that I'd really like to repeat that on the other side and stretch it out for balance, but I'm damned if I can see how to use my left hand to write out comments.

Just wait. I'll know I've gone over the deep end when I start trying to paint with my feet, or something.

6 comments:

kermitthefrog said...

This speaks to either your exceptional arm strength or the brevity of your final comments...

Sisyphus said...

Nope, just my weirdness ... I noticed when I finally put my arm down that it was all tingly and like when you hit your funny bone ... I had drained all the blood out of it (ew).

Horace said...

Apparently, writing can make you similarly weird, since I found myself holding up my own (splinted) left arm for an entire paragraph. So ok, surgery and writing, but the same idea...

kfluff said...

Perhaps you've embraced tag-team wrestling, and were hoping that someone would tap you out?

The Bittersweet Girl said...

Oh man, I'm glad I'm not the only one. I have all sorts of weird reactions when I'm grading a huge stack of papers -- particularly when they're on a topic I've assigned many times. It's like highway hypnosis -- I get so bleary, lost, confused, I look down and there are all of my comments on a paper and I can't remember even writing them. And, I've tried the moving locations many times -- even within my own house: from the couch to the kitchen table to my desk back to the couch, etc. in an effort to make it all bearable.

It's not.

Sisyphus said...

kfluff --- yes! tag-team wrestling! why have you not tagged in already? There are still essays here, kicking my butt!!!!

bittersweet girl --- I wish I could dissociate from the process and just look down to see the comments have appeared!

This may be TMI, but I usually follow the rule of three-and-pee: after three papers, I am allowed to stand up and take some sort of short break. Sometimes the bad papers push me so much that I have to force myself to finish rather than get up and run out of the room immediately.