Give me constructive advice on how to help my middle schooler in English

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just send your kid to Catholic school and they’ll teach them.

We aren't Christian so that won't work for us.

You don’t have to be Catholic to go to Catholic school.

I realize but we still cannot do this. For some of the same reasons why I prefer very diverse schools.

And your children illiterate, it seems.

PS: Catholic schools are often very diverse

Wow. I'd love to see metrics showing how their diversity stack up to public schools in Silver Spring or Germantown.

Catholic school enrollment often mirrors the demographics of the diocese, so they’re usually quite diverse.

But it seems like you want to prioritize diversity over the quality of your kids’ education.

Actually that's not what I said.
I said, I am very pleased with what my kids are learning in math, Humanities and science.
I am happy with their foreign language curriculum.
I am happy with the ECs offered.
I am happy with their friend group.
I am happy that Eid, Diwali and Chinese New Year are off. Kids feeling comfortable in their skin allows them to blossom.
I am happy with the short commute.
I am happy with the free cost. That's money I can save for their college and post grad education.

I am not happy with the English curriculum. I am not happy with the drug use in the high schools (although I hear this is in privates too)

I cannot forgo all the good for the few (albeit very big) bad aspects.

We are also financially fine. My kids are bright with no learning disabilities. They don't need special help. They are not illiterate (not sure why anyone would think that). Irrespective of whether they were in the crappiest public school or Sidwell Friends, my kids would be just fine because of the privilege of their birth family. Outcomes aren't going to be dramatically different.

So then what’s the problem? Seems like if they’ll be just fine then there’s no reason start a whole big thread.

Oh and my kid’s school has Eid, Diwali, and Chinese New Year off too. They also have school celebrations of those holidays, led by families who celebrate those holidays.

The problem is specific to the English curriculum. OP is looking to supplement for that and that alone.

That’s a pretty big component of one’s education. Along with math, it’s one of the two core subjects.

So OP is basically saying MCPS has failed her kids in a major way.

That’s not what OP said at all and the fact you are trying to corrupt it to that is sad. OP sad that English, specifically in MS is weaker than she would like and she feels it’s affected her kids reading wants ways to supplements. Other have rightly pointed out that her kids age/interest may have more to do with it and provided ways to supplement. No private school necessary.

No. She said her kids’ reading skills have stagnated since elementary school. She said she wants them to be able to understand complex texts. She said, “I’d like for them to think.” Actually read what she wrote.

Yes she said that, but no one can tell how she actually knows their skills have stagnated. All she knows is they don’t want to read as much as or what she would like and she doesn’t believe the curriculum challenging because kids finish the work early.

However, none of that means the kids have stagnated.

Op here. The only objective metric I have are test scores. On those, there hasn't been any change. So I suppose the charge of stagnation may not be fair.
However they used to read books that were challenging for their age group. At some point in the last year, I received their lexile levels - both high (1200+). But their ability and actual reading choices aren't matched at all at the school. A
Before, it wasn't hard to get them to read. In particular, their ELC curriculum had a book club, where they were reading a new book guided by the teacher every 4 to 6 weeks. And the books were from The William and Mary curriculum. What was even better Is that they'd sometimes have their interest sparked in a particular author or series, and afterwards they'd read all the books by that author or series on their own. A good English curriculum can inspire that. That just isn't happening in middle school.

I did want to say the Global Humanities class is great. There's a ton of very high level reading of articles, but also fiction/non fiction books that expanded their minds. I am still really impressed at the level of work and effort the kids put into National History Day. Also a good deal of writing in that class so I have the social studies department to thank for teaching the skills traditionally taught by English teachers. Their essays are completely marked up in this class.

Whomever sent the St Albans book list - thanks. Kid1 is reading a book from that list now.

At a certain point in English(MS/HS), reading ability and reading choice diverge. English becomes an academic affair of analysis, viewpoint, compare/contrast to your own life, etc. While all of this is helpful and can lead to inspiring reads, it doesn’t always and doesn’t necessarily translate to individual choice and interest.

Before it was easier to get your kids to read because they were younger, most parents judge the level of a book based on page count, and most parents accept that the books will be a wide range of fiction. However, now your kids are tweens/teens and their interest may or may not be the same. But you’ve decided they need to step up what they’re reading. As you pointed out your kids would read The Selection or Graphic novels, which you deemed “low level”. But why do you care? It’s not like they’ve regressed to reading board books. The Selection is a 5 book series which could lead to other choices like Hunger Games or Divergent, which could then lead to larger Dystopian novels including in the “Classics”. Not to mention it’s a popular series amongst the age group. Graphic novels cover a range of genres and are very popular with kids right now. Many can be complex.

Further as you noted they are reading quality material in Global studies, and I suspect covering a variety of material in English, even if not in its entirety. So, it’s not that they’ve stopped reading, it’s that they don’t read as much outside of school and when they do, you don’t deem their choices as good enough.

I’m not sure I see a problem w/the kids. They seem like normal tweens/teens.

[Anonymous]

Is there a way to take high school English in middle school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Like many of you, I think the middle school English curriculum is terrible, unless you happen to be in a Humanities magnet. My kids are not, and it's definitely the weak link that I have noticed in our low FARMs school.

So what should I do? My kids' reading skills have basically stagnated since elementary (where they were in ELC and it was decent). I try to pick books for them to read (used a library list) by lexile level (both new and classics) and they have been going through it soooo slowly or avoiding it altogether. If given choice they would rather clean their bathrooms and do house chores than read anything I choose - their picks will be low level reading like the "Selection" series, or Graphic Novels. They see me and my husband reading constantly, and we even listen to audio books when exercising/driving, so I don't think it's a matter of influence. We also go to the little library or public library once a week. We have tons of books at home.

So how do I turn this around? I am seriously worried about how little interest they have (and no, they have high MAPs but that is meaningless to me right now) and how they are going to handle more challenging courses in high school/college. And yes, I blame the MS english curriculum and how dumbed down it is. If challenging novels were actually assigned by the school, the kids would just force themselves to read it , and if they at least got past chapter3, they might enjoy it. Instead, they got assigned The Lighting Thief and Hunger Games[u]. WTH!

Ugh, seriously? Those are great books……that my kid read in third and fourth grade. So disappointing!

You let your 4th grader read the Hunger Games? Thats really messed up. The subject is so dark for someone that young.

[Anonymous]

OP I think you are looking at this wrong. You should start worrying about their writing skills if anything. MS and HS does not really matter what they are reading as long as they have good comprehension. This isn't ES any more and no one is judging by reading level or my favorite "my K kid is reading chapter books!" Personally I would never push reading on my kids on top of their school work unless there was an issue and sounds like there is not here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is there a way to take high school English in middle school?

I wish there were, but I don’t think so. I’m feeling very frustrated so far by my kid’s 8th grade English class. Per his reports, lots of disruptive kids who don’t care about doing well. I wish MCPS offered honors English (and texts that would go along with that level).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Like many of you, I think the middle school English curriculum is terrible, unless you happen to be in a Humanities magnet. My kids are not, and it's definitely the weak link that I have noticed in our low FARMs school.

So what should I do? My kids' reading skills have basically stagnated since elementary (where they were in ELC and it was decent). I try to pick books for them to read (used a library list) by lexile level (both new and classics) and they have been going through it soooo slowly or avoiding it altogether. If given choice they would rather clean their bathrooms and do house chores than read anything I choose - their picks will be low level reading like the "Selection" series, or Graphic Novels. They see me and my husband reading constantly, and we even listen to audio books when exercising/driving, so I don't think it's a matter of influence. We also go to the little library or public library once a week. We have tons of books at home.

So how do I turn this around? I am seriously worried about how little interest they have (and no, they have high MAPs but that is meaningless to me right now) and how they are going to handle more challenging courses in high school/college. And yes, I blame the MS english curriculum and how dumbed down it is. If challenging novels were actually assigned by the school, the kids would just force themselves to read it , and if they at least got past chapter3, they might enjoy it. Instead, they got assigned The Lighting Thief and Hunger Games[u]. WTH!

Ugh, seriously? Those are great books……that my kid read in third and fourth grade. So disappointing!

You let your 4th grader read the Hunger Games? Thats really messed up. The subject is so dark for someone that young.

It's fine. They don't understand what they are reading, but parent gets to brag about how smart they are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there a way to take high school English in middle school?

I wish there were, but I don’t think so. I’m feeling very frustrated so far by my kid’s 8th grade English class. Per his reports, lots of disruptive kids who don’t care about doing well. I wish MCPS offered honors English (and texts that would go along with that level).

They like to pretend they do - it's just honors for all.

6th-8th grade "Advanced" English
9th-10th "Honors" English

A total joke.

[Anonymous]

English is about writing, not reading.

Write letters to friends and family. Write poems and stories. Write a journal or diary. Write explanations of how things work. Write a persuasive essay about raising allowance or getting a new phone. Create a quiz about a book.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:English is about writing, not reading.

Write letters to friends and family. Write poems and stories. Write a journal or diary. Write explanations of how things work. Write a persuasive essay about raising allowance or getting a new phone. Create a quiz about a book.

It is about both. Kids need to learn to analyze texts, not just read them. Agree they also need to learn how to write.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:English is about writing, not reading.

Write letters to friends and family. Write poems and stories. Write a journal or diary. Write explanations of how things work. Write a persuasive essay about raising allowance or getting a new phone. Create a quiz about a book.

That is the most moronic, nonsensical thing I've ever heard. The two go hand in hand. You can't write well without being a voracious reader. And people who read, tend to write at the very least decently.

[Anonymous]

OP, while I do think MCPS has completely gotten way too lax with English curriculum (grammar and spelling have gone completely out the window), I really do think it's a generational and cultural issue, that the school then pivots to respond to.

My kid is a gifted reader/writer, but he's lazy. I tell him he needs to invest time in both reading and writing to get better, even though he scores well in both areas naturally. But it is an absolute battle to actually get him to do it like you said. They avoid and resist and ignore, instead opting for social media, YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, TikTok, etc.

I buy books that are contemporary AND challenging and they're never read. At best, they start them but don't finish them.

I'm at my wits end because this is so different from when I was a kid. I loved reading and yes, my mom forced us to do summer reading long before MCPS ever did, but I complied and learned to love it. But I can't seem to get my Gen Z and Gen Alpha kids on the same page. It's a massive power struggle and I feel like I'm losing. I just can't figure out how to light that spark in them for reading and writing the way I had it when I was a kid. I know technology has a lot to do with it, but it's not like I can will technology away. So now what?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Like many of you, I think the middle school English curriculum is terrible, unless you happen to be in a Humanities magnet. My kids are not, and it's definitely the weak link that I have noticed in our low FARMs school.

So what should I do? My kids' reading skills have basically stagnated since elementary (where they were in ELC and it was decent). I try to pick books for them to read (used a library list) by lexile level (both new and classics) and they have been going through it soooo slowly or avoiding it altogether. If given choice they would rather clean their bathrooms and do house chores than read anything I choose - their picks will be low level reading like the "Selection" series, or Graphic Novels. They see me and my husband reading constantly, and we even listen to audio books when exercising/driving, so I don't think it's a matter of influence. We also go to the little library or public library once a week. We have tons of books at home.

So how do I turn this around? I am seriously worried about how little interest they have (and no, they have high MAPs but that is meaningless to me right now) and how they are going to handle more challenging courses in high school/college. And yes, I blame the MS english curriculum and how dumbed down it is. If challenging novels were actually assigned by the school, the kids would just force themselves to read it , and if they at least got past chapter3, they might enjoy it. Instead, they got assigned The Lighting Thief and Hunger Games[u]. WTH!

Ugh, seriously? Those are great books……that my kid read in third and fourth grade. So disappointing!

You let your 4th grader read the Hunger Games? Thats really messed up. The subject is so dark for someone that young.

My Larla is advanced for her age.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, while I do think MCPS has completely gotten way too lax with English curriculum (grammar and spelling have gone completely out the window), I really do think it's a generational and cultural issue, that the school then pivots to respond to.

My kid is a gifted reader/writer, but he's lazy. I tell him he needs to invest time in both reading and writing to get better, even though he scores well in both areas naturally. But it is an absolute battle to actually get him to do it like you said. They avoid and resist and ignore, instead opting for social media, YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, TikTok, etc.

I buy books that are contemporary AND challenging and they're never read. At best, they start them but don't finish them.

I'm at my wits end because this is so different from when I was a kid. I loved reading and yes, my mom forced us to do summer reading long before MCPS ever did, but I complied and learned to love it. But I can't seem to get my Gen Z and Gen Alpha kids on the same page. It's a massive power struggle and I feel like I'm losing. I just can't figure out how to light that spark in them for reading and writing the way I had it when I was a kid. I know technology has a lot to do with it, but it's not like I can will technology away. So now what?

I have a voracious reader, and honestly for us it has been about not allowing technology. She is in 6th and basically gets zero screen time outside of school (where she gets plenty; this is MCPS). Doesn't have a phone, tablet, computer (outside of school), tv, video game console, etc. I think that's the only way in this day and age to get kids to love reading for the sake of reading and not because parents are forcing them to read.

[Anonymous]

I loathed middle school English, and I was only interested in reading fantasy novels basically until college. But in college, I ended up drawn to humanities classes, majored in English, and read many classics on my own to challenge myself. I am now a strong writer and still read a mixture of literary fiction, poetry, and fantasy novels.

So I don’t know what to suggest, because although I value reading/writing as an adult, I didn’t as a child. And giving me reading lists would not have worked! My only suggestion is to let your kid read fantasy books but maybe provide them with ones that are better written or have more complex plots—e.g., Ursula Leguin, the mirror visitor series by Christelle Dabos, basically fantasy novels by writers who themselves are also well read. But I wouldn’t give kids a hard time for reading lighter stuff either.

[Anonymous]

Private school is the only solution to this. I say it as a MCPS teacher. DS was in private for MS. He’s a strong writer compared to his non-CAP classmates.