Red pens: my holiday routine

If you're ready for the rants of a bored and boring English teacher currently having a holiday-is-gonna-end crisis. 

So most of the time I've been home marking papers, and constantly on my phone, using all the wifi I get to use. 

I have three classes worth of English papers to mark, and this morning I finally completed the Form 2 classes.

Have a look at their standard. It is that bad, so bad that I cannot even give any marks. Most of their marks fall in the range of below 20. 

I was so rudely waken up by reality. For all the lesson plannings and simulated teachings that I had gone through in uni, proficiency level was always intermediate. I never had any idea on how bad the weak could go. 

And as I moved on to the Form 4 class, I was half expecting something better. But no, out of the 23 students, 6 of them sent in blank papers. As for the rest, I'm still in the marking process, but many of them only copied the question, and that's it. 

I must admit I am facing a culture shock. Never in my life have I ever experienced this. Even the weaker classmates/students I have ever had made effort. But these students, they don't seem to care. Am I and are my generation and peers too results-oriented? I don't think that's the case. It's the attitude towards education. I can't believe I'm saying this. 

The teacher who passed me the papers told me it's gonna be easy go mark them, because most of them don't do it. True, it is so much easier and faster, but it is at the same time so saddening. 

I had wanted to choose option 1, I find it really easy to block out any good thoughts about the school and its students. I know this is bad, I'm still hating how this turned out to be my life for the moment, so much that I channel all my hatred and anger towards the innocent students. I know very well that it is very wrong and selfish of me. But option 2, am I ready for this challenge? Just thinking of it makes me exhausted.

On a sidenote, that moment when your students who supposedly do not care about exams and results have better handwriting than you do. Hahaha. Call me sifu cakar ayam.