For educators, grading can be the dreariest part of the teaching gig. Grading doesn’t feel like what we signed up to do when we decided to teach — we dreamed of inspiring, motivating, and educating eager minds. That’s why so much time outside the classroom spent on paperwork, by ourselves with piles of paper, can quickly start to feel like burnout.
Assessments in particular can feel overwhelming with all-afternoon, higher education “grading pizza parties.” Other times, we end up giving up a weekend to pore over exams, quizzes, or essays. Once again surrounded by those piles of paper on a Saturday night, with just red and green pens to keep us company.
While grading can be one of the toughest parts of the job, there are things you can do to help take the stress out of it. In this blog, we’ll go over nine easy ways you can prioritize your well-being during grading and why it matters
The importance of grading self-care for you and your students
As we know, assessment is an important part of the pedagogical landscape. Grading isn’t just an evaluation, but a means for:
- Communicating through feedback
- Motivating students and measuring learning milestones
- Accounting for a significant portion of final course grades
In higher education, assessments often account for at least 50% of the final course grade, which puts pressure on instructors to grade thoughtfully. Add to that the responsibility to be fair and impartial, and we educators have got quite a challenge on our hands.
Not prioritizing your own well–being during grading doesn’t just impact you — it also has an impact on your students. When instructors neglect self-care, it can lead to:
- Stress and anxiety: The constant pressure to evaluate student work fairly and accurately can lead to stress and prolonged anxiety, especially if you have large class sizes or complicated assignments.
- Reduced accuracy: Mental fatigue can lead to inconsistencies, increasing the likelihood of errors, misjudgments, and grading biases.
- Comparison bias: Reviewing too many assignments back-to-back can lead to subconscious comparison, which can unfairly impact grading accuracy.
- Negative self-perception: It’s not uncommon for educators to internalize student performance, leading to feelings of inadequacy if they’re consistently seeing low grades and poor student performance.
- Burnout and grading fatigue: Continuously grading large amounts of work can result in exhaustion and a sense of being overwhelmed, which can make it difficult to keep engagement levels high.
Instructors worldwide know that when grading fatigue hits, it can be difficult to remain unbiased. When grading fatigue sets in, bias can creep into evaluations, affecting students' scores. A study at the University of Michigan found that the longer educators spend grading student work, the higher the chances become of a decrease in attention span and cognitive function , affecting the fairness and accuracy of student grades.
The bottom line? A tired teacher makes for a biased grader, and we all know what it means to be “ teacher tired .” Couple that with the fact that we’re only human and it’s hard not to have favorites. However, favoritism can lead to an imbalanced and divided classroom , with students who have a better relationship with their instructor ending up with a slightly more favorable score.
Bias is real; not only can it inform our mindset while grading, but it can also inform the grades we actually give our students. Here’s the thing: in order to better mitigate bias and uphold effective feedback, we must tend to our own well-being during grading.
9 strategies to prioritize well-being during grading
You’ve heard the saying that you should always put your own mask on before helping others. Teaching is depleting, so it’s only when we properly take care of ourselves and our mental health that we can ensure we are alert, engaged, and fair. And in doing so, we protect the integrity of our classrooms.
The best strategy against bias is to engage in self-care.
Here are nine easy grading practices you can start today to prioritize self-care and well-being during grading.
1. Grade when you’re most alert
Grade during the part of the day when you're most bright-eyed and clear-headed, whether it’s after dinner or first thing in the morning. Grading isn’t something you can do half-heartedly — it’s a demanding task that requires focus, consistency, and patience. Whether you’re a morning person who thrives after that first cup of coffee or a night owl who finds clarity in the quiet of later hours, timing your grading right can help maintain fairness and accuracy.
2. Practice time management with breaks
Avoid marathon grading sessions, which can lead to mental fatigue and reduced accuracy. Instead, break grading into more manageable batches while setting milestones for yourself. Reward yourself with short breaks — whether it’s grabbing a snack, taking a quick walk, or spending a few minutes just relaxing. These tiny resets can help keep your mind fresh, prevent burnout, and boost productivity .
3. Use a timer
Grade with a timer so you don’t end up spending more time on one particular assignment than another. Spending too long on one thing can lead to inconsistencies in grading. Using a timer or setting a per-paper time limit can help you stay on track and prevent that
“tired teacher” bias from creeping in
. Not to mention, ensuring that each student receives approximately the same amount of attention leads to a fairer grading process and prevents that overly detailed student from throwing off your schedule. Want something more specific? Try the
Pomodoro technique
!
4. Narrow the feedback loop
Sometimes, too much feedback can be detrimental. Students might be discouraged by an exam or paper filled with teacher marks, so help them prioritize by narrowing the focus. Highlight one to three priority areas in each assignment, whether it’s argument strength in an essay, accuracy in academic research, or problem-solving in answers. It’s not only easier for students to digest and absorb, but it’s also good for maintaining your well-being during grading sessions.
5. Leverage the right technology
The right tools can help reduce your grading time while maintaining consistency and accuracy. Use technology like tracked changes in Word to demonstrate updates, rubrics and Quickmarks in Feedback Studio to enable writing, or Gradescope for STEM assessments. Having the right technology on hand allows for quicker, more uniform grading and a more efficient grading system.
6. Respect your personal boundaries
It’s easy to lose track of time when grading, and setting clear boundaries is essential for your physical and mental well-being. If your bedtime is 10 p.m., commit to stopping work at that time. Not only does adequate rest improve cognitive function , but it also prevents burnout and helps you approach grading with a fresh perspective the next day. The short version? Don’t sleep on sleep — it’ll benefit you and your students in the long run.
7. Truly step away
When you’re not teaching or not grading, step back from work and immerse yourself in something that is personally fulfilling. The demands of academic life can make it tempting to constantly think about work, but setting aside time for personal fulfillment is just as important as professional fulfillment. Whether you pick up an old hobby, carve out time for regular exercise, or just spend time with loved ones, taking true mental breaks can make all the difference.
8. Encourage peer review
Incorporating first drafts and peer review into your coursework can not only help reduce the time spent grading — it can also foster and support students’ growth. By allowing students to receive feedback from their peers before submitting final assignments, you empower them to develop self-reliance and critical thinking . This not only saves time but also improves the overall quality of student work before it reaches your desk.
9. Design leaner, more purposeful assignments
Aim for fewer, more purposeful assignments that target knowledge instead of weekly busy work. Frequent assignments can create unnecessary grading overload for you, create burnout in students, and reduce the time for you to provide thoughtful feedback. Instead of weekly busywork, focus on designing assignments that target essential knowledge and skills. Fewer but more meaningful assessments lead to deeper student well-being and engagement while making grading more manageable for you.
Streamline your grading with Turnitin
Assessment is important. In fact, it’s how we understand where our students are in the learning process, discover new ways for students to receive feedback, and create a roadmap for student learning. But it’s also important to safeguard teacher well-being so we can be the best teachers we can be.
If you’re looking for ways to improve efficiency and consistency in grading, Turnitin offers powerful solutions for educators. Gradescope enables faster grading for STEM and written assessments with AI-assisted tools, turning large-scale grading into more manageable sessions. Feedback Studio streamlines your feedback process, providing meaningful comments through Quickmarks and rubric-based evaluation.