The student sat down next to my desk; a cheerful girl still struggling at times with English. I asked her if she was ready for the comprehension questions part of the evaluation. She'd had some time to review the book and said she was ready. I asked the first question twice because she wasn't quite clear and I knew the answer could be found directly in the book. I'd wanted to make sure she understood what was being asked. When I got to the second question, she answered that one wrong as well. The third question,"What do plants need to survive?" she answered, "Water, sun and.....love?"
It hadn't mentioned those words exactly in the book but, could I really mark her wrong? It was almost an answer plus! The teacher part of me that is rooting for the students' success often grapples with questions like these. It didn't say it directly, but it is true...so, can't that count for something? Unfortunately, as a textbased question, it really can't. I turned to her, still feeling the delight of her response but exasperated at her lack of correct answers. "Are you sure you read the book carefully? All of it?" I asked.
"Yes, I read my book, Living Together." Ha! I'd been asking the questions for the wrong book. She never pointed this out, just did her best to come up with the right answers. And she really did. Full credit- water, sun and love. That's all I need to survive too.
