A note from a 3rd grade teacher

[ILUVALASKA]

These are not typos. Shameful.Public or private school?

 

[dbramer]

Unfortunately, I think it's more common than folks are willing to believe. We received a few notes home like the OP did from different teachers over several years. Ultimately, we decided to forward our collection of them to the Superintendent, whereupon we notified him of our desire to home-school our girls. We never looked back, have no regrets and they both just graduated from nursing school.

Unfortunately, home-schooling is not option for two-income homes or single-parent households. Public school is all they have.

 

[CdnCarrie]

Unfortunately, I think it's more common than folks are willing to believe. We received a few notes home like the OP did from different teachers over several years. Ultimately, we decided to forward our collection of them to the Superintendent, whereupon we notified him of our desire to home-school our girls. We never looked back, have no regrets and they both just graduated from nursing school.

Unfortunately it's possible for home schooled children to have bad teachers too.

 

[girlswithbows]

Unfortunately it's possible for home schooled children to have bad teachers too.

ITA! I just talked with a mom who is pulling her children out to homeschool over the common core. She has not been educated past high school so I am sure she is not as highly qualified as she thinks.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

ITA! I just talked with a mom who is pulling her children out to homeschool over the common core. She has not been educated past high school so I am sure she is not as highly qualified as she thinks.

There are successful parents out there who homeschool even though they never attended college.

As to the OP, if is worth reporting. But has all of the teacher's communication been like this? It seems odd that the language issues didn't appear before.

 

[dbramer]

There are successful parents out there who homeschool even though they never attended college.

As to the OP, if is worth reporting. But has all of the teacher's communication been like this? It seems odd that the language issues didn't appear before.

I am a high school social studies teacher and I wouldn't feel competent teaching my son or daughter math and some of the more advanced sciences, even at the elementary school level. There is a reason teachers get specific education in their chosen fields.

 

[Lanshark]

There are idiots in ALL professions.

 

[DawnM]

Another DIS thread that has turned into a homeschool bashing AND teacher bashing thread.

Can we all just agree that there are bad teachers and good teachers, bad homeschool parents and good homeschool parents, and not make generalized statements?

As for the OP's note, you could always respond with, "I wood like to meat with you abowt my sons neads."

 

[mtchurchmonica]

As a former public school teacher and graduate of a state university that awards hundreds of teaching degrees each semester, I have no reason to doubt that a letter like this could have been written by a college-educated, state certified teacher, even one with a master's degree. I could name a few off the top of my head.


On another note, let's not start an acrimonious exchange about homeschooling and whose qualified. Typically, the more education a homeschool parent has, the more likely she (or sometimes he) will be in successfully preparing her children for academic pursuits. Nevertheless, as a homeschooling parent of 16 years and as a teacher and administrator for various homeschool co-ops, I have known many women with only a high school education who have provided their children with a sound college preparatory education.

 

["Cinder" Ella's Mom]

Is English her second language? Still not acceptable, but the phrasing sounds odd in addition to the spelling errors. As a high school English teacher, I can't tell you how many e-mails I receive from parents that look this way. Coming from a teacher, it is shocking!

 

[sbtrfly74]

Does this child have an IEP or in any special education for his academic delays?

If he's not I'd be more upset that OP didn't get a letter sent home recommending that she would like him to be tested by the special education specialist for any disabilities. If she noticed a problem then its her job to make proper recommendations to better his education, not just make a note in the comment section of a report card.

I think I would make a phone call to the principal, now that she has mentioned delay problems you can request a full evaluation.

 

[girlswithbows]

There are successful parents out there who homeschool even though they never attended college.

As to the OP, if is worth reporting. But has all of the teacher's communication been like this? It seems odd that the language issues didn't appear before.

Sorry but I can not agree with that on an advanced level. I am an elementary school teacher and would not feel comfortable at all teaching my own children any math or science past the 6th grade. Plus what about the electives like foreign languages???

 

[DawnM]

Many, many homeschool parents sign their children up for classes outside of their home for subjects that may be more difficult for them to teach.

I taught History and English in the PS system. I feel quite confident in those subjects. I also know my limits for math and science (which do go up through 9th grade Biology and Algebra 1). My high school boys are now going to classes with other teachers for those subjects. Well, let me back that up......my 14 year old is a bit of a math wiz and does it on his own without needing instruction. My 16 year old is going to a class.

Dawn

Sorry but I can not agree with that on an advanced level. I am an elementary school teacher and would not feel comfortable at all teaching my own children any math or science past the 6th grade. Plus what about the electives like foreign languages???

 

[Deb in IA]

Seriously, doesn't this teacher have spell check on? Sheesh. I have it on for my posts on the dis!

Yikes, that is embarrassing - maybe it was sent from a cell phone? I often don't catch the atrocities of grammar and spelling when I am on my phone trying to use my email (Google, Yahoo and Outlook) I just seem to have issues with cell phone and email. Otherwise,

This was a handwritten response to a questionnaire. So, no spell-check, and not sent from cell phone with voice recognition.

Does this child have an IEP or in any special education for his academic delays?

If he's not I'd be more upset that OP didn't get a letter sent home recommending that she would like him to be tested by the special education specialist for any disabilities. If she noticed a problem then its her job to make proper recommendations to better his education, not just make a note in the comment section of a report card.

I think I would make a phone call to the principal, now that she has mentioned delay problems you can request a full evaluation.

This was shown to be by a colleague about her son. It is not my child.

And not to add fuel to the flames, but it was a public school.

 

[luvsJack]

It happens. I had a 5th grade science teacher that could not spell. It was ok, some people can't. But the problem was that he sent home a list of vocabulary words every week and they were spelled wrong. Every week I had to get my Dad to correct the spelling so I could look up the words. I still learned science from him.

DD has had a wonderful English teacher the last two years. She cannot spell either but she admits it and she makes sure everything that goes out is spelled correctly either by using spell check or a dictionary or having someone proof it for her.

Looks like this teacher has some spelling and grammar issues. Maybe her talents lay elsewhere. She does need it brought to her attention though so that she takes steps to make sure she double checks anything and everything before it goes out.

If this was my child's teacher, I would either bring the mistakes to her attention or to the principal's attention. I might start with her though. She needs to know that she needs to correct these things.

 

[rlduvall]

I have been very surprised by the lack of grammatical and spelling skills my son's teachers have had over the years. High School has been some of the worst including his English teacher, BUT I would never turn them over to the Superintendent or Principal over that. I always try to maintain a good relationship with his teachers because then they will work with him if an issue comes up that he created, i.e. late homework, lack of initiative. Everyone wants to be treated nicely and forwarding "errors" to an individual's "boss" is not exactly conducive to a respectful relationship.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

I got that same note, only she claimed to be a Nigerian Princess, not a teacher.

 

[rlduvall]

I got that same note, only she claimed to be a Nigerian Princess, not a teacher.

Did you cash the $10,000. check she sent you to deposit because she didn't have a bank account here in the States? And I hope she gave you the standard 10% from that check.

 

[tchrrx]

How many of you have tried to write an important note, balance the checkbook, etc. while being interrupted repeatedly by your own children? The same situation happens times twenty in an elementary classroom. True, the students should know not to interrupt the teacher, just as I'm sure you've told your kids not to interrupt while you are on the phone. We all know how well that goes over, right?

 

[alicat8]

I have been very surprised by the lack of grammatical and spelling skills my son's teachers have had over the years. High School has been some of the worst including his English teacher, BUT I would never turn them over to the Superintendent or Principal over that. I always try to maintain a good relationship with his teachers because then they will work with him if an issue comes up that he created, i.e. late homework, lack of initiative. Everyone wants to be treated nicely and forwarding "errors" to an individual's "boss" is not exactly conducive to a respectful relationship.

Gotta disagree on this one. I teach elementary school, and this is unacceptable. I'd be all about tattling here. I guess it could possibly be different if it were a math or science teacher of an upper grade, but a 3rd grade teacher needs to be teaching the basics of everything. No one being paid to teach my child would be getting my respect if they wrote that.