As the trimester comes to an end, everyone at Day Creek is feeling the stress of the end of our first grading period. Many teachers are spending their spare time wrestling with that last pile of late work that’s been dumped at the last minute in a tray at the front of the classrooms. Early and late hours are necessary to save the lives of young students who face the fear of an irritated mom or dad who’s seen those nasty orange boxes on the last Aeries report. 

“We do Wednesday folders, which is a collection of everything that has been graded every week. My classroom is usually open every morning and it’s usually open after school, so if someone wants to fix some missing assignments they can. Everybody can also email me about missing assignments. I also accept questions during tests,” said Mrs. Porter.

Rumor has it that some teachers have a special trash can awaiting too-late work when it arrives long past a due date. Good luck finding a teacher who appreciates months-old assignments.

“If an assignment is turned in later than 1 week from its due date, I won’t accept it, but I will make expectations if a student is absent,” said Mrs. Dedick.

That makes sense. Teachers have a life too, and they don’t want to grade work that’s old and moldy. Last-minute pressure to grade a months-old assignment could stress out any teacher.

Kids feel the pressure too. We know that a final IXL score could tip the balance between 89.9% and 90.0%. 

“I’m feeling stressed about an upcoming math test that could tank my grade,” said Valerie D.And once those grades are finalized, testing is right around the corner. The district’s iReady scores determine who headed up or down for the next round of PACK classes. 

“I’m feeling a little afraid about the iReady because I want to stay in high PACK classes. I’m already in the highest PACK classes and I don’t want to be in the lower ones,” said Louis J.

The pressure is real on campus, whether it’s earning good grades or maintaining high testing scores. 

“I’m a little nervous about the iReady because I want to get a good score on it,” said Valerie D.

The Howl hopes the best for students on campus as they rush to finish those last missing assignments and head into the second round of upcoming i-Ready tests. Good luck, Coyotes!