Until this week I hadn't taken much notice of Blossom's homework book because she is somewhat of a girly-swot and has it finished before I get a chance to nag her. I know, sickening isn't it but don't worry, getting my 8yo to do his homework is a painful process so it all evens out.
Anyway, yesterday I get a look at the homework instructions that are glued into her exercise book each week and read this:
"Complete ONE Activity from the box below each night. Plus do you're READING & SPELLING daily."
A capital in the middle of a sentence? Confusing you're with your?
I checked back through weeks 1-5. Same errors each time and that's without nitpicking about the creativity of starting a sentence with Plus (I'm all for creativity in English but perhaps not on Year 5 homework sheets).
I asked Blossom to point it out to the teacher but she's too shy/concerned/scared. So what do you think? Clearly the teacher hasn't noticed. Should I point it out? How?
Teachers out there - how would you like a parent to point these things out to you?
23 comments:
We have several teachers who are spelling-challenged. Really bugs me. We had to sing a pirate song last year and the lyric sheet spelled guineas as ginnys. But I suppose only people who care about spelling care about spelling.
Could you send the sheet back with some red notations on it? The your / you're mistake really ought to be dealt with.
What she ^ said.
Mixing your you'res is so not hot right now.
Although I do like ending a sentence with but, but.
And 'ginnys' is just SO slack/uncaring. Shows a total lack of care, IMO.
My mum would have corrected it in red ink and sent it back, in fact she often did. As a sensitive young person I found this very embarrassing. As a stroppy middle-aged person I'm most proud of her.
Shop around and see if you can find a Harry Potter-type "howler" letter that you can send back. Preferably have it burst into flames once the message has been delivered.
Failing that, write to the Principal, attaching the note. If the Principal doesn't see a problem, start shopping for a new school.
That your/you're definitely needs to be corrected. Imagine the whole next generation of bad teachers being schooled in incorrect spelling by that being included in homework.
Perhaps they are checking to see who is really paying attention?
Send a note with a "ha, cute, you almost got me with your DELIBERATE errors on the homework test."
Mind you, we spent nearly an hour with our Gr 5 working on a maths problem that would have had a Gr 11 student puzzled - it was a typo.
On spelling, I remember learning to spell "toga" in Gr 3 as there was a spelling mistake on the teacher's sheet!
I'd use it as grounds to question any of Blossom's grades that you weren't completely happy with (if any) and demand a higher grade as the marker is clearly incompetent.
I've just emailed this question to two friends - one is a teacher and the other is a principal. The principal said this:
"As a boss I'd be giving the teacher a good kick up the arse!!! The school is judged by that sort of rubbish."
Boy's J
wonder if it was a computer spell checker? But should have been checked, regardless... I'd mention it casually
I just knew blogland would have good advice and/or support!
I've sent a note in with Blossom this morning (with the homework task attached and errors highlighted): Dear Miss C, I noticed a couple of typos on the homework task sheet which you may wish to have corrected before next week, Regards, M
Lets see what happens.
That sounds like a tactful way of approaching it.
As a secondary teacher, I'm glad you pointed it out to her. It's ridiculous that I still have to teach homonyms in years 10, 11 and 12 because kids haven't been taught them properly in the lower year levels.
I am date challenged, and always seem to put the wrong date on newsletters and excursion forms. My excuse is that my PC cal starts on a Monday and others all start on a Sunday, so I run a day out. Poor excuse, I know.
Anyway, I admit to being date challenged and parents take great delight in rolling eyes and telling me I have the date wrong. Again.
It doesn't bother me being corrected.
One thing I have learned over the years - most teachers can't spell or do math(s)...
Give the teacher a mark out of ten and attach it (signed) to your daughter's homework.
I would just march right in there and let her know. No one is ever perfect and no one should be expected to be perfect, but... this is just not OK.
I say you have Tracey dust off the Apostrophe Man and send him round. He'd have it sorted out in no time!
J.T. has missed 3 days of school with the flu this week. I'm not looking forward to getting my 8 yo to sit down and do his makeup homework. Doubt I'd even notice any errors by the time we're done arguing.
I vote you send Tracey in to sort it out.
As an 11 year old, I made myself extremely unpopular with my teacher by correcting his spelling on the blackboard.
Simple. Call for the teacher to be sacked, tarred and feathered (possibly not in that order)and then demand a refund on school fees until the teachers are demonstrably qualified. I think the preceding is reasonable
I won't name names but a certain Grammar school in Canberra sent home a form to be filled in with spaces for surname and first names and included Miss 10 y/o details in reverse! She noticed it when having to complete her part and asked what should we do? With no hesitation I put a double ended arrow between the both - last I heard it's called constructive criticism.
PS. Please forgive any unintentional spelling, grammar or apostrophe errors or I'm going to get to scared to post on this blog
I would definitely mention it in one of those 'look what slipped through the cracks' kind of a way. Crazy!!
I then read all the comments and saw that you have already written about it. Yay M!
My Mum's best mate taught literacy, including English as a second language, for many years. She knows how to spell, and she knows grammar, she often found herself trying to teach both to younger teachers in the staff room. Unfortunately she has the world's worst handwriting and she can't type. Once when we had a holiday at her house I ended up proofing her report-writing. Fortunately she knew her weaknesses and worked around them so as not to make a fool of herself, which is what you do when you're professional.
Yup. Everyone makes occasional mistakes but that "you're" one is inexcusable. I'm forever being tempted to tell people about mistakes in their blogs but then I think NO! - these are their blogs and it's their right to write unmolested. But this wasn't a blog and could confuse an innocent child.
(I'm an English teacher, by the way.)
This is hard.. on one hand you have a child who probably holds her teacher in high esteem and it's a bit embarassing for mum to be correctig her, and on the other hand, you have a child who is quite vulnerable to learning hideous grammatical errors and not knowing any better. I think the answer, clearly, is to do away with the teacher, or if your ( sic har har ) really against murder, do highlight the errors in bright red and send them back, with a note prompting the teacher not to forget her homework and reading that night. My pet hate is apostrophes on plurals. I think I could kill a man over it.
good on you M - it had to be said - le
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