Do you edit your kid’s work?

[Anonymous]

I’ve always been a “sink or swim” parent and haven’t really edited my children’s school work. My 6th grader who has always received straight A’s and has 100% is nearly all classes just asked me to review their writing assignment and I was appalled. After helping them make corrections, I asked to see past assignments that were equally appalling and was stunned to see perfect scores.

Why am I posting this?

Because I am beyond frustrated with how subpar mcps is when it comes to expectations and instruction.

Shame on me for assuming my straight A student in accelerated/honors classes was actually thriving. Now I’ll focus on getting them on track to meet my expectations rather than the dumbed down expectations of mcps.

Anyone else surprised by the writing skills of their straight A student? Just me?

[Anonymous]

I think teachers have a good sense of how writing skills develop. By profession, I write a lot and am really good at it. So my kids would never put out a product that made me happy. But as the years progressed, I could see my kids’ writing skills develop and by HS, they were pretty good.

So maybe your kid has had crappy teachers. Or maybe you have an unrealistic expectation. Or maybe you don’t know the purpose of the assignment and the grading rubric.

[Anonymous]

I too was stunned at what was passing for good grades in writing, especially since these were AP/IB classes. MCPS seems to have completely de-emphasized any notion of grammar, punctuation or spelling in favor of really technical rubrics that don't seem to develop complex writing.

It's concerning. Especially since the shift to digital means teachers aren't giving very substantive feedback on the writing either.

As an MCPS kid in the 90s, getting papers back with not only a grade, but markup throughout the essay was how I developed as a writer. Like you, OP, I'm shocked at the current state of MCPS when it comes to writing instruction. It's pretty bad.

[Anonymous]

I write all my kid's essays for them. It started when I did all my kid's ES projects, dioramas, and such, and then I just couldn't stop.

[Anonymous]

Get your kid a writing tutor asap. MCPS does not have a culture or dedicate the resources necessary to provide the kind of dedicated feedback needed to teach kids how to write well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Get your kid a writing tutor asap. MCPS does not have a culture or dedicate the resources necessary to provide the kind of dedicated feedback needed to teach kids how to write well.

First PP. I’m seeing some decent writing at the HS level. It’s a process.

[Anonymous]

Yup. My kid is in 2nd and i ask then to review what they wrote and check spelling and punctuation. We also go to weekend heritage language school where handwriting, spelling and grammar counts. This helps as it just sets a base expectation for work to be correct. But my kid also has spelling tests weekly at MCPS so thats our experience.

[Anonymous]

I spent a summer teaching my gifted 5th grader how to write. He could not organize a paragraph, had run on sentences, lacked appropriate syntax, etc.

Unfortunately, I've had to spend hundreds of hours helping my DD with dysgraphia how to put thoughts into a coherent sentence. MCPS continues to deny she has any issues although she has letter reversals and her writing is illegible and all over the page.

MCPS has failed them both, but thankfully they have an educated and involved parent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ve always been a “sink or swim” parent and haven’t really edited my children’s school work. My 6th grader who has always received straight A’s and has 100% is nearly all classes just asked me to review their writing assignment and I was appalled. After helping them make corrections, I asked to see past assignments that were equally appalling and was stunned to see perfect scores.

Why am I posting this?

Because I am beyond frustrated with how subpar mcps is when it comes to expectations and instruction.

Shame on me for assuming my straight A student in accelerated/honors classes was actually thriving. Now I’ll focus on getting them on track to meet my expectations rather than the dumbed down expectations of mcps.

Anyone else surprised by the writing skills of their straight A student? Just me?

How much do you know about the writing skills of sixth-graders?

[Anonymous]

Yes, of course but not so much just pure editing but at that age we worked on writing skills and did it together so the writing skills improved.

[Anonymous]

I began doing light editing because my child has consistently gotten ZERO feedback on writing assignments, just generic rubric marks. Someone has to teach him how to write! It's maddening, but MCPS isn't willing to reduce class size etc. so that teachers can engage more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I began doing light editing because my child has consistently gotten ZERO feedback on writing assignments, just generic rubric marks. Someone has to teach him how to write! It's maddening, but MCPS isn't willing to reduce class size etc. so that teachers can engage more.

No one to hire to get those smaller classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I began doing light editing because my child has consistently gotten ZERO feedback on writing assignments, just generic rubric marks. Someone has to teach him how to write! It's maddening, but MCPS isn't willing to reduce class size etc. so that teachers can engage more.

This is the problem right here. Teachers don’t have time for meaningful feedback, not with class sizes and all the never-ending demands placed on them.

[Anonymous]

I do the editing for my kid's work. For my daughter, we have also practiced for many hours memorizing thr multiplication and division facts. I can't believe what a crappy education my kids are getting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I began doing light editing because my child has consistently gotten ZERO feedback on writing assignments, just generic rubric marks. Someone has to teach him how to write! It's maddening, but MCPS isn't willing to reduce class size etc. so that teachers can engage more.

We just gave up and hired a writing tutor. It’s the only way to get the necessary directed feedback to improve writing quality.