Yay Weekend!

What am I saying, I have so much work to do. I have to take the practice test for the GRE this weekend. I have to retake it in a couple of weeks because my previous scores are 5 years old and suck. And, I wanted to take it in October, so if I bomb, I still can take it in November before my PhD application is due. So, aside from grading 50 editorials and 40 rhetorical analyses, working on my plans for next week's classes, and preparing for the class I'm taking on Tuesday, I have a stupid GRE to study for. Oh, and I'm taking up 60 essay drafts and 40 final essays on Monday and Tuesday too. Yay!

So I need help. God, I need a GTA. But since that won't happen, how do you handle drafts of essays in a writing course? Obviously I can't take up drafts for every essay, so I plan on taking up drafts for half of the essays my students will write. But since I'm teaching 5 classes, that still means I'm reading at least 40 essays per week, usually more since 2 of my classes have final essays due in even weeks and the other 3 have their final essays due in odd weeks. Alternating weeks seemed like a good idea at the time. So any suggestions are appreciated.

For the good news, the explosion worked. Thursday my class was well behaved and did their work. I only had to give one reminder about the activity I assigned in class not being group work. They even participated, and I did not feel the need to give a retribution (i.e. pop) quiz, as per Vickie's suggestion.

And still more good news, Husband and I went out with his grad school friends last night. There is a First Friday here (first friday of the month, all of the art galleries downtown are open in the evening and provide free food and inexpensive or free drinks). Since Husband is in the Art program, it made since that we go. And it was fun. So all his artist buddies got together and hung out afterwards at a club. Then we went to grab some food in a Karaoke place where we could at least hear eachother. There was a hook-up vibe between some, so that was sweet to watch, and a good time was had by all. Husband's friends are cool, and this was the first time I met them. They've been out as a group a bunch, but I've been too busy or too tired to go. I believe Husband had to explain that I am not a troll and he's not hiding me. So I think my appearence may have satisfied some curiosity. But even if it didn't, I had fun.