Marking CA1 is Demoralising...

We have just finished 3 days of marking the CA1 exam scripts (English, Maths, Science) from last Friday to this Tuesday. Each marking session typically lasts between 2.5 hrs to 3.5 hrs, as we only have a maximum of 4 classes per level (its a small neighbourhood school).

Personally, I feel that marking exam scripts is always something that some teachers do not look forward to, as we usually take the tail-end classes where the grades are atrocious... & I mean this description as true as it can truly mean. Its a discouraging time, especially this time round, because even the best classes are not performing up to standard (or even on par with their previous standard). The top classes can be scoring around the 60% mark range, on average... can you believe it?

I also get to mark exam scripts that score as ridiculously low as 1/65! I mean, how can this be?! This is truly something that shocked me out of my skin! I had even start to lose count of how many scores that are 1.5, 2.5, 3, 4, 6.5, etc... upon 65 marks. Its just so ridiculous! How in the world are they going to sit for PSLE in a few months time? No wonder my colleague can reply, "Can... just use pencil and correction tape can already... & for OAS (i.e. MCQ shading), just use pencil..." I mean... its a joke... but to the pupils, do they think its really a joke for them?

And the worse thing is that many can still go about school every day... smiling, laughing, pinching, fighting, pushing, shouting, chasing, etc. Oh yes, even wrestling on the ground! Can you imagine that??? I see P4 pupils wrestling on the ground in the classroom! What on earth??? They are behaving like animals! Making noise, fighting, squabbling, etc! No sense of shame or awareness about what is going on. So ridiculous! What is society going to be with them? SIGH!!!