This piece of essay “sits beside” the overall picture I have of you in my mind.

You are an evolution, constantly in motion, and I need an update once in a while to see how much you have grown.

My greatest joy, as a teacher, is to see something on paper, listen to something recorded, or view a set of slide presentations and find myself standing back, “Wow!”

Wow, she’s so confident now!

Wow, I’ve never looked at this text quite in that way, that’s a very good point.

Wow, he’s really so passionate about this issue.

Wow, they’ve grasped this idea well and are making so many interesting connections.

“We’re looking for a mind at work”

The line above, used by Lin Manuel Miranda in his Schuyler Sisters song, is a West Wing reference. And it is truly all I could ask for.

I very much appreciated the time a student approached me after an assessment to for help in the areas of improvement he realised he had to work on after sitting the mock exam.

The conversation does not end abruptly at the score he knew he was about to receive.

Instead, it continues on.

Student: I really struggled with constructing the essay…

Me: You were able to pull out the main themes of the text, what seems to be the weakness?

Student: I’m not sure…

Me: Well, you’ve said here that… [quotes back response] so, my question is, so what? What does this reveal? What values or assumptions are made by the author?

Student: I think it’s that [expounds on response]

Me: And what evidence can support that?

Student: I think it’s … [supports his response]

(more back-and-forths and then…)

Student: I see! I know what I need to do now. It’s clear.

That conversation right there, that’s still an assessment. That’s still an update on your learning progress. I see that you understand the text perfectly. That you know how to unpack your ideas. I see that you need to practice doing so under timed conditions. That you need to structure your planning and your annotations.

What an improvement from a year ago when you’d skim at the surface like a pebble. Now, you see nuances. You step back and look again. You question the premise, not accepting it until you are convinced.

You have become a critical thinker.

System updated.