If your child's Language Arts teacher sent home a note...

[JennaTX]

Here is the most offending paragraph:

***Please note that 5th grade leveled reading books come in various sizes. They can be short novels, long, thick chapter books (Like Harry Potter) and picture books. I advise the students' to only pick a book, they are confident; they can read in the acquired time and can can comprehend.

I assume your child is in 5th grade from the post.

Not only would I be mad that it came from a language arts teacher, I would be upset about it coming from a 5th grade level teacher. My DD just started 5th grade, she has four teachers, and we were told that language arts/spelling would be expected in all subjects and part of those grades.


How can you teach if what you give out is not correct?

 

[MushyMushy]

I wouldn't do anything now -- seems awfully early in the year to get your child a reputation with the teacher.

But you could correct the letter and do the same with any others that come up and send it after the final report card is given out.

I've seen some pretty horrendous communications myself. It drives me nuts but I just roll my eyes and move on.

 

[Briarmom]

I wouldn't do anything now -- seems awfully early in the year to get your child a reputation with the teacher.

That's what I've decided to do. Being new in school is hard enough.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

riddled with errors, what would you do?

This is not the first time this has happened this year.

She ONLY teaches Language Arts.

How many errors in a note from the LA teacher is too many? I don't expect her to be perfect, but I do expect her to have a grasp of the English language.

Eh, I wouldn't give it a second thought. In fact I talked to the language arts teacher about teaching grammar. (My dd is a writer to be.) She said it is just not stressed anymore, which is sad. This is 7th grade.

However a parent told me about a grammar program that I need to look into and have not done so yet.

 

[rie'smom]

If the teacher cannot even write a note, those poor kids! Hopefully, your daughter will bring home tests so that you can check those things the teacher marks wrong.

 

[lovemygoofy]

That's what I've decided to do. Being new in school is hard enough.

Every night make the teacher's note a drinking game Glad to see you back the states!

 

[Briarmom]

Every night make the teacher's note a drinking game Glad to see you back the states!

I can't wait to move.

 

[RUDisney]

My DS's 7th grade teacher returned a paper that my DS wrote about his uncle. She gave it a grade of 82. I am psycho about English grammar and I asked her for a meeting.

She and I talked about her rubrik (she didn't have one) and I brought up a mistake she made on the draft copy she had returned to him. She asked me when have I ever taught English. I told her that obviously teaching English doesn't mean you have a mastery of it since she made a mistake in the use of that/which in a sentence.

She didn't change his grade, but he never scored so low again on a paper. This tells me that either our meeting worked or the paper he had written hit a sore spot with her. The paper was to be on someone you admired. DS wrote about his uncle. His uncle is a very prominent business man whom people either love or they hate. She may have been a hater.

In any case, it showed the teacher that I knew my stuff and that I was watching her.

I would be hugely concerned about a teacher's ability to teach LA if she made that many mistakes in a note to parents. I'd definitely ask her if the mistakes were typos or if she didn't know that she was making mistakes. There's a nice way of asking. I'd make it a joke that she must have been slammed for time by not proofing her note.

 

[Robinrs]

I majored in English in school and, I'm sorry, I'd be appalled. I don't think there's much you can do about it, I've seen WORSE but then again, I'm in JoeJAH, where the King's English was assassinated after a long illness....

Bad spelling and semantics I can excuse from a Math teacher or a Gym teacher, but a LANGUAGE arts teacher????

What's the old saying, "those that can DO, those that can't TEACH..."? This is pitiful.

 

[Took]

Here is the most offending paragraph:

***Please note that 5th grade leveled reading books come in various sizes. They can be short novels, long, thick chapter books (Like Harry Potter) and picture books. I advise the students' to only pick a book, they are confident; they can read in the acquired time and can can comprehend.

I can and have "corrected" letters and sent them back. The teacher should be ashamed of herself. Poor grammar from the teacher sets a very poor example for students.

 

[sunnyday123]

I wish. I emailed her last week about 2 spelling errors (that lost my son 6 points) and her reply was very similar.

I'd have to email her back and ask if she was exempt from her rules.

 

[RUDisney]

I can and have "corrected" letters and sent them back. The teacher should be ashamed of herself. Poor grammar from the teacher sets a very poor example for students.

I'd have to email her back and ask if she was exempt from her rules.

As I was thinking of this, I had the same thought as those above. I'd correct the note, send it back and tell her that I'm assuming that she'll be giving my child 6-points back.

 

[xoprincessmomxo]

I would correct the errors and send it back.

I agree with this!

 

[sbell111]

Honestly, those look like typos made by someone in a hurry, not mistakes made by someone who doesn't know better.

students' = students
book, = book
confident; = confident
acquired = required
can can = can

It looks like the kind of thing you would send out if you typed something quickly and didn't proofread.

I completely agree. It just looks like a quick note that she banged out while trying to do a thousand other things.

That being said, my advice is to let it go and move on with your life. While it's true that you will maintain a smug sense of satisfaction from bringing up this minor issue, no good can come from it.

Let it go.

 

[Briarmom]

As I was thinking of this, I had the same thought as those above. I'd correct the note, send it back and tell her that I'm assuming that she'll be giving my child 6-points back.

She threw that worksheet out due to the errors.

I completely agree. It just looks like a quick note that she banged out while trying to do a thousand other things.

That being said, my advice is to let it go and move on with your life. While it's true that you will maintain a smug sense of satisfaction from bringing up this minor issue, no good can come from it.

Let it go.

I don't want a smug sense of satisfaction. This is my son's teacher, and I don't want to cause him trouble.

I'm letting it go, but is the second time she has sent a letter that was like this. If she does it again, she and I will have a chat.

 

[castleview]

That's quite scary. I'm a little over the top though. As a former English major and teacher, I can actually be a snob for proper English even though I make mistakes (see my tag for not checking my work ). At last night's PTO meeting I was cringing every time I heard a lack of verb agreement and "we did good" .

 

[si-am]

I majored in English in school and, I'm sorry, I'd be appalled. I don't think there's much you can do about it, I've seen WORSE but then again, I'm in JoeJAH, where the King's English was assassinated after a long illness....

Bad spelling and semantics I can excuse from a Math teacher or a Gym teacher, but a LANGUAGE arts teacher????

What's the old saying, "those that can DO, those that can't TEACH..."? This is pitiful.

That's somewhat insulting to both Georgians and teachers.

(And btw, there's a comma splice in your second sentence.)

 

[SpecialK]

I majored in English in school and, I'm sorry, I'd be appalled. I don't think there's much you can do about it, I've seen WORSE but then again, I'm in JoeJAH, where the King's English was assassinated after a long illness....

Bad spelling and semantics I can excuse from a Math teacher or a Gym teacher, but a LANGUAGE arts teacher????

What's the old saying, "those that can DO, those that can't TEACH..."? This is pitiful.

As a former teacher, I find this offensive.

OP - The vast majority of teachers do not target students whose parents question something. I would keep all of her notes, and contact the administration if it continues. It makes her look bad, and it reflects on the school.

 

[Robinrs]

That's somewhat insulting to both Georgians and teachers.

(And btw, there's a comma splice in your second sentence.)

I insult Georgians regularly, I LIVE here! And the teacher quote is an OLD saying, I've never believed it btw.

And as typical of the DIS, SOMEONE had to come in and chime in about your own writing!! I was WONDERING how long it would take!

In 10 years, NOTHING has changed around here!!

BTW, I GOT your comma splice... http://grammartips.homestead.com/spliceok.html

 

[si-am]

I insult Georgians regularly, I LIVE here! And the teacher quote is an OLD saying, I've never believed it btw.

And as typical of the DIS, SOMEONE had to come in and chime in about your own writing!! I was WONDERING how long it would take!

In 10 years, NOTHING has changed around here!!

BTW, I GOT your comma splice... http://grammartips.homestead.com/spliceok.html

I live in Georgia too, and I don't appreciate it.

And your comma splice, btw, does not fit into any of the exceptions you posted. Which isn't even an official/recognized grammar site anyway; it's a homestead account.