Is it ok to help DC to prepare application for school

[Anonymous]

DC is filling out application for 5th grade magnet programs. There are several essays in the application. While DC is writing the essays, the essays do not look organized and flowing. I was wondering if you have helped in wring essays for your child. The application says parents should not help, but I have heard even college students take help for writing essays. Is it ok?

[Anonymous]

Are you English speaking? What about the instructions in English don't you understand?

[Anonymous]

If it says that parents shouldn't help, don't help.

[Anonymous]

For the HS magnets, the magnet coordinators say that you can help on the conceptual level, but not in editing. For an example of "conceptual" help one magnet coordinator talked about helping them think through ideas, and "why don't you mention that you did X last summer" sort of thing. They claim to be able to tell if your kid writes a beautifully polished essay on the magnet app but then writes an essay for the magnet test that is riddled with grammatical errors.

I'm going to guess that certain pushy parents we know help a great deal with the essays. Does this hurt the kid because the magnet app committee can tell?

[Anonymous]

No, you really aren't allowed to help. And remember DC has to write an essay during the test too -- if you make the essay in the application much better than he/she can do on his/her own, it will show!

Don't worry, they don't have to be perfect. Don't give your DC the example that cheating is ok. And believe me it is cheating!

[Anonymous]

If your DC can't write the the essay, maybe he shouldn't be in the magnet program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, you really aren't allowed to help. And remember DC has to write an essay during the test too -- if you make the essay in the application much better than he/she can do on his/her own, it will show!

Don't worry, they don't have to be perfect. Don't give your DC the example that cheating is ok. And believe me it is cheating!

You are right that I do not want to be pushy parent and I do not want to set an example that cheating is ok. But was wondering what kind of help and support parent provide in the application process.

I guess like PP suggested, suggesting something DC forgets is probably ok. writing the essay for DC is not ok. However, what happens when you see the essay is jumpy, and ideas are not really, supporting the theme. Is it ok to suggest that DC needs to correctthat kind of mistakes, without showing how.

[Anonymous]

I know it's super tempting to help. And I think it's ok to help your kid brainstorm initial ideas -- for example, if they just can't think of a time when they were inspired by math, you could say, "how about writing about that time when ..."

But I don't think it's ok to give them a lot more guidance than that. If you think they did a quick/sloppy job, you could tell them you know they can come up with something more organized/descriptive etc.

Anything more that that is crossing the line, I think. And it's important to remember that if they can't write in an organized way on their own, they might not be ready for the work that's done in the magnets, particularly Eastern. My DC just started there, and the teachers are quite demanding and expectations are very high.

So in many ways it's a disservice to your kid to help them. But remember, too, that the test is the most important thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:



Anything more that that is crossing the line, I think. And it's important to remember that if they can't write in an organized way on their own, they might not be ready for the work that's done in the magnets, particularly Eastern. My DC just started there, and the teachers are quite demanding and expectations are very high.

So in many ways it's a disservice to your kid to help them. But remember, too, that the test is the most important thing.

Not the OP. But I saw parents here seem to think that if they are not up for writing an organized way, the kid is not ready for magnet program. Have DC in 4th grade in regular elementary school (missed the HGC boat in wait pool). What can be done to improve a kids' writing skill, when the challenge they get in elemntary school is so little. I do beleive my DC should have gone to the HGC, but for now I have to supplement his education at home.

Thx.

[Anonymous]

I think this would be a good question for the magnet coordinator at Eastern. (My impression is that TPSS doesn't have the same writing requirements but it would be good to ask.)

About half the kids at Eastern don't come from an HGC so they wouldn't have had the same writing instruction and many do very well. I think the teachers do instruct them on expectations so it's a question of how quickly they catch on and how much they are a "natural" writer. If your child hates to write and doesn't do it well, the program would probably not be very enjoyable.