Grading Papers

by David R. Darrow 5" x 7" (12.7cm x 17.78cm)
Oil on Panel SOLD Collection of Dawn Renée Spencer
Wake Forest, NC – USA

About This Painting

Tuesday night I met my daughter's new teachers at Back-to-School Night. For at least one of them, this is the third Darrow child — and the last from this generation — to go through classes there. I gulped when I walked onto the school grounds, because I was walking onto a high school campus to meet my daughter's Art, Computer Skills, Algebra and Gym teachers, and I would swear it was about three weeks ago i was rocking her in my arms and putting her back in her crib.

Will someone please slow down Time for me?

We are fortunate that she attends a good school and has very dedicated, loving, caring, fun teachers, and that she looks forward to each class.

Each teacher that we met talked about the class, their methods, their philosphy, and the new Internet check-up system where parents can log on to see if and how their child is keeping up.

Each teacher made sure we knew that they take it very seriously, "but I may not get their progress reports up exactly every day," they all hedged.

It just made me smile. Who, in that room, didn't already understand that teachers put in extraordinarily long and busy days, beginning a lot earlier than I care to rise, and ending sometime after beat-o'clock?

If I were grading papers, I would do so before school, when my mind is fresh. The first morning light, a fresh cup of coffee and some nice tugs of crisp morning air.

Then, off to serve tomorrow's leaders.

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