Our MCPS school is now adding in handwriting for younger grades

[Anonymous]

My 2nd grade DD has poor handwriting, and I have noticed for the last 2 years in her MCPS school that there was little to no direct instruction on correct letter formation. I tried to purchase workbooks and teach her myself, but because this was not a focus at school there was high resistance from her to learning it. I decided to focus on phonics at home, since she was also struggling to learn to read (since Benchmark stinks and had little to no phonics).

After 2 years I have managed to get her up to grade level reading with a lot of one on work at home with phonics materials and her teacher last year doing a lot of help, but her handwriting is still poor. I just asked the school at a recent meeting about direct handwriting instruction and why that is not a part of the curriculum for elementary and was told they will be implementing it now for K and 1st grade because they see this is a need.

Huh? So what about our older kids who never were taught this and now can’t write well? As a former teacher myself, I’m appalled. I’ve seen her classmates writing when I volunteer and it’s clear that many are still struggling with writing. How is it possible than in 2023 a supposedly good public school does not have phonics and letter formation as part of their basic elementary grade curriculum? These are basics and have always been. Please help me understand why this is.

[Anonymous]

I have a 6th grader whose handwriting is absolutely appalling. I've been looking for some sort of resource I can use with him because his looks like my 1st graders.

[Anonymous]

As to why phonics disappeared in many school districts (not just MCPS), listen to the "Sold a Story." As a parent of a former struggling reader, it made me really upset (DC reads better now, but still don't really "enjoy" it, and I think it's because they struggled so much early on).

Is your ES not using Really Great Reading? IIRC there were some schools last year that were piloting new Benchmark version instead of RGR.

[Anonymous]

Focus on numbers with your older kids if you are feeling overwhelmed. Forget the rest of it. They'll type 99% of stuff in high school, but math will always be handwritten so make sure they can write equations reasonably small (use lined paper) and differentiate between 4s and 9s, 7s and 1s.

[Anonymous]

They added in aspects of RGR last year but are still using Benchmark, which sucks. It’s just such a crappy, poor curriculum. I don’t understand how any educator could look at it and say, yes, let’s purchase this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a 6th grader whose handwriting is absolutely appalling. I've been looking for some sort of resource I can use with him because his looks like my 1st graders.

Op here. Im going to try some apps or something for little kids - not sure how else to teach her. But they are designed for little kids, ugh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As to why phonics disappeared in many school districts (not just MCPS), listen to the "Sold a Story." As a parent of a former struggling reader, it made me really upset (DC reads better now, but still don't really "enjoy" it, and I think it's because they struggled so much early on).

Is your ES not using Really Great Reading? IIRC there were some schools last year that were piloting new Benchmark version instead of RGR.

We are at one of those schools and thankfully they are offering RGR this year. The new Benchmark was just as awful as the last one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They added in aspects of RGR last year but are still using Benchmark, which sucks. It’s just such a crappy, poor curriculum. I don’t understand how any educator could look at it and say, yes, let’s purchase this.

The worst part is that they considered adding a different curriculum last year, and chose to stick with Benchmark. I just don't get it.

[Anonymous]

Forget this! They should teach typing instead.

[Anonymous]

That’s fantastic!

[Anonymous]

Huh--maybe this is because my kid is in immersion, but the entire curriculum is phonics based...very strange. My 2nd grader's writing was terrible, but it's gotten much better and now he wants to learn some cursive (because it's pretty).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Forget this! They should teach typing instead.

Nope...
There are connections in your brain that wired with handwriting:

https://redbooth.com/blog/handwriting-and-memory

"Why Writing By Hand Makes Kids Smarter"
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/10/201001113540.htm
The results showed that the brain in both young adults and children is much more active when writing by hand than when typing on a keyboard.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/nancyolson/2016/05/15/three-ways-that-writing-with-a-pen-positively-affects-your-brain/?sh=1bfaa6745705

[Anonymous]

Really Great Reading actually has a handwriting component that we were just told to begin implementing this fall. Our kids seem to be enjoying it. In terms of the upper grade students who don't use RGR, I believe they're SOL. We're told that kids will be mainly typing when they're older so "not to bother with handwriting practice".

[Anonymous]

Look into handwriting without tears. But are you sure there’s no OT issue? I ask because my son had major difficulty learning handwriting and it turned out to be a hand weakness and dysgraphia. There was no handwriting instruction in K and 1st but the kids were given worksheets of letters and words to trace which is obviously not ideal. It’s nice to know they will now be providing instruction. It’s long overdue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They added in aspects of RGR last year but are still using Benchmark, which sucks. It’s just such a crappy, poor curriculum. I don’t understand how any educator could look at it and say, yes, let’s purchase this.

The decision makers aren’t educators, that’s how.