In the Spirit of Evaluation

Marking student assignments can be quite an ordeal until one realizes that they are students: that is, there are actual people who need feedback and even a bit of recognition for each assignment they submit. Many teachers might operate from the assumption that students are only submitting assignments for that dry number called a grade. Since I am not at all grading my own students for the Saturday classes, I cannot fall back on this answer, so my feedback has to take the form of thoughtful comments that reflect what the students actually wrote. And, as time consuming as this has proven to be even for such a small group of students, I have found some gratification in being able to look more closely at how the student's writing reflects themselves and their true interests and inclinations.
   Feedback often feels "secondary", because the teacher essentially comments on a student's writing, in much the same way that a movie reviewer might comment on someone else's movie. There are times when, even as someone who has been asked to write reference letters for friends and colleagues, I wonder whether all of my comments mean anything considering that the creators will create whatever they wish regardless of my comments. But the point is that when I am actively commenting on a part of a student's writing that seems interesting or noteworthy, I am also thinking about my genuine connection with the student, and this actually contributes to the classroom dynamic. For one, I am showing a certain level of care and commitment when I take the time to actively comment on a students' writing. For another, the process of doing so really forces me to consider how I authentically connect with the students' writing, from the tiniest punctuation detail to the deftest stylistic move.