If you assume a group of teachers, shut in together to grade exams from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., would be living their own definition of hell, you haven’t ever been to an Advanced Placement Exam Reading. Every June, thousands of teachers in 27 disciplines do just that — in Kentucky, Florida, Nebraska, Colorado, Ohio and Missouri.
I was “shut in” the Kentucky Convention Center with 2,600 other readers in English Literature and Composition, U.S. History, French, and Statistics — and the vast majority liked it and hoped to return next June.
Yet few of the teachers who have, like me, come back year after year can explain what makes this grading satisfying and fun, when most grading is far from either. Is it the camaraderie? The time away from the worries of home? Our belief in the Advanced Placement program? It’s all that and a few factors harder to define.
Lee Abbot, a writer and professor of creative writing at Ohio State University, used to describe the reading as the formation of his second self. Every June he became a different Lee: One dedicated to overseeing the grading as chief reader, and equally dedicated to playing practical jokes on his colleagues.
Although Lee coined the concept of the June “alternate self,” I’m sure the phenomenon visits many of us. For me, the reading has been a reminder of what’s important in teaching, a way to forget the dirty politics played out in schools where I’ve taught, and a place to celebrate family milestones and personal achievements. It’s a yearly reunion with like-minded individuals who think the best of you, are not competing with you and can swap names of must-read books.
This year, I saw the projected statistics before any readers arrived in Kentucky and knew that we had fewer readers for more exams.
At first, Chief Reader Susan Strehle thought there was no possibility we’d finish. But as we began the week’s reading, something miraculous occurred: We were reading faster than in any year in the past. By day four, we knew we could do it — with high accuracy rates as well as high reading rates. The leadership cares more about accuracy than speed — but we want to finish, too!
On the last day, the essays continued to move among the three questions that comprise our exam. Once a question is graded, it’s rerouted to the next question and graded by a different group of readers. Good “flow” among questions is a major reason we were efficient this year, so at 3 p.m., the slow pace told us we were nearly done. Table leaders were asked to “mop up” the few boxes left, and then we left the room where we’d graded like fiends for a week, leaving behind us tall stacks of boxed, graded exams. That was a beautiful sight!
What’s to love about this process? I think we get “high” on completing a task that is valuable, challenging and just might not get done in time. We like the jokes, the sympathetic ears, and our mutual love of students and literature. I know that, whatever the magic, we are all signed up to repeat it next June.
What kids are reading
This weekly column will look at lists of books kids are reading in various categories, including grade level, book genre and data from booksellers. The works listed below are from Amazon.com’s list of children’s best-sellers on summer reading, listed in order of popularity.
Books on Summer Reading
1. “Summer Reading Is Killing Me!” by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith (Ages 4-8)
2. “The Night Before Summer Vacation” by Natasha Wing and Julie Durrell (Ages 4-8)
3. “Summer Reading Program Fun (Board Games for Kids)” by Wayne Johnson and Yvette Johnson (Ages 5-11)
4. “The Night Before Summer Camp” by Natasha Wing and Mindy Pierce (Ages 4-8)
5. “Beach Riddles (Silly Millies)” by Jennie Doering and Steve Pica (Ages 4-8)
6. “More Cool School Stories” by Susan Gates, Marilyn Watts and Aidan Chambers (Ages 4-8)
7. “Do Pencils Grow in the Summer?” by Viki Woodworth (Ages 4-8)
