When I missed the deadline for getting into the AP Biology grading pool, I was asked if I would like to grade for AP Seminar. I had no idea what Seminar was, although I knew it was connected to Capstone. I watched Capstone presentations in Malaysia, so I knew that it had to do with research.
Upon a little research of my own, I found that they take a test, so I thought, “Hey, I’ll be okay grading an essay question on a test as long as I have a rubric.” Well, on day one, I found I was put into the group of IWA readers. The IWA is the individual written argument, which is a 2000-word (around 12 page) research paper about something connected to a given theme.
I felt quite overwhelmed and a little grumpy about it as it all began. It is worth quite a few points and we have to be as objective as possible. We did a lot of training and tried to get really familiar with the rubric. It’s hard to determine sometimes if the student made a solid argument or if they didn’t. But through regular testing and back-reading, we try to stay true to the rubric and not make mistakes.
The process of grading these has been very exhausting on the brain and the eyeballs. But as the week comes to a close, I’m really thankful for the experience. I’ve had a renewed sense of appreciation for what the grading of the AP testing is really all about. People from all over the world are coming together to work hard and to assign equitable scores. It’s quite the endeavor to handle the grading of all those millions of responses across all of these different subjects.
I also realized that through grading this subject, I’ve been given a little glimpse into the minds of a younger generation (probably born around 2006-2007). I’ve basically heard from almost 200 strangers so far this week about different topics that matter to them. That’s a gift. I thought I’d share some surprising revelations I’ve gained.
*They do care a lot about justice and equity for all people. They don’t necessarily know how to find the best solutions for the problems in the world today, but they do want things to be fair.
*Their attitudes about social media really surprised me. The topic has come up a lot and most who wrote about it had a negative perspective. It’s almost like they know it’s probably not going to go anywhere, but they wish they had experienced more life without it. They seem disillusioned with it and with influencers.
*They can see that they don’t like where life is going and the state of the world, but they don’t know how to change it. They don’t know how to make an impact in a meaningful way that could bring true change. Any avenue that you might think could work has not, so there is a sense of helplessness. The systems we have aren’t working for so many and it’s hard to change systems.
*They are tired of dissension and bickering (especially in the United States) and they’d like to see a way forward where we cooperate to make our country and the world a better place.
*While I did find that there were some things that they believed or stated that I didn’t agree with, I appreciated hearing diverse voices. There are so many “talking heads” out there and so much to listen to, and sometimes we get stuck in a rut. I appreciated listening to these kids in this way. I’m grateful for the opportunity.
Maybe if you’re not in education like I am, surrounded by the younger generation all the time, challenge yourself to chat with someone a little older or younger than you are. Ask them about their hopes and dreams and the challenges that they face. Ask them how we could work together to improve things in the world. Encourage them by sharing how you’re proud of them, at whatever stage of life they are in. Try to hear some other voices and determine to build some bridges instead of walls.
sharonbernhardt 