Summer Math Reset #4: One thing I stopped grading
Jun 23, 2026 12:01 pm
Hi teacher,
A few years ago, I had a bad habit.
If students completed it, I felt like I needed to grade it.
Homework? Grade it.
Practice problems? Grade them.
Warm-ups? Grade those too.
Before long, I had stacks of papers waiting for me every weekend.
And honestly?
Most of that grading wasn't helping my students very much.
It was mostly helping me feel busy.
Eventually, I started asking myself a different question:
Does this assignment need a grade, or does it need feedback?
Those aren't always the same thing.
Sometimes students learn more when they can practice, make mistakes, check their work, and try again without worrying about points.
Now I save grades for assessments and important checkpoints.
For many practice activities, I focus on feedback instead.
The result?
Less grading.
Less stress.
And surprisingly, more learning.
Students become more willing to take risks when every mistake doesn't feel permanent.
Try this before summer ends:
Make a list of the assignments you graded most often this year.
Then ask yourself:
Which of these actually needed a grade?
You might be surprised by the answer.
See you next Tuesday for Summer Math Reset #5!
What's one task you wish took less teacher time? Reply and let me know. Chances are you're not the only one.
Looking for ready-to-use math activities?
PS. If you have a colleague who could use a ready-to-go math activity right now, feel free to forward this to them.
Stay connected 👇
