Vignette 2

Reading this vignette makes me think back to my childhood and the pets which filled it.  Every time our family decided to get a pet, I was the one who begged my mom to take me to the library, so I could find every possible book on whatever pet we were getting.  I wanted to see the whole picture, beyond the cuteness of our new pet!

This drive to understand exactly what was expected of me as a pet owner translated over into my career as a student.  It would drive me crazy when a teacher wouldn't divulge the entire assignment at once, instead choosing to give sections as we went along.  Looking back, I understand they were just trying to chunk so students weren't overwhelmed, but I always felt I would miss a key component on one chunk, because I didn't know what was expected of the others.  

It wasn't until late junior high that teachers started to share rubrics with the assignments.  Up until that point, a list of required elements was given, but not the exact marking tool.  I didn't really understand why a teacher was giving us their rubric; it was like they were giving me the answers to a test!

Now that I'm training to be a teacher, I understand the value and importance of giving student's the exact criteria they will be marked on, before they complete their task.  Assignments and their assessment are a part of learning, instead of a test with no answers, like I thought when I was a student.