Does your preschool/pre-K teacher speak using correct grammar?
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Anonymous
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We're now in a highly regarded DCPS preschool and I was rather surprised to observe our child's teacher (who has a bachelor's degree) uses a lot of incorrect grammar, around the parents and kids. We dealt with this issue while in daycare, but I knew there was only so much you could expect from daycare teachers with limited education levels, and I wasn't as concerned when my child was younger. I thought formal preschool would be different. Are my expectations too high for public school? Is it different in other DC public schools? In the 'burbs? Presumably you don't have this issue in private schools (although please warn me if you do, because I wouldn't want to pay private tuition for that!). Trying to get some perspective here. Teachers in my mediocre public school 30 years ago were grammar maniacs, and I just sort of expected it to be that way all over. (And was hoping to de-program some of my preschooler's daycare-acquired grammar). Thanks.
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Anonymous
| I think it's rather shocking. And we wonder why so many three year olds aren't speaking correctly. |
Anonymous
| I would absolutely expect my child's teacher (of ANY aged child), to use correct grammar. |
Anonymous
| Nope. Our DC learned how to use "ain't" from his teacher. |
Anonymous
Wow! Have you been able to correct this? Is your child in a DCPS preschool class? Op, our DC is in a private preschool and everyone, from assistant teachers to administrators, use correct grammar. We went this route because we missed the lottery. My neighbor's kids got in at a good DCPS preschool and I haven't heard any complaints. |
Anonymous
| Shocking! So, it's the teacher, not an assistant? Either way, they should definitely use correct grammar. I'm afraid it's far too common for some teachers - I'v heard the same from some other parents at area schools. |
Anonymous
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For God's sake, correct English should be a minimal requirement of teachers who should be teaching little children how to speak.
No wonder why speech therapy has become a BOOMING business. |
Anonymous
| My LO picked up the word "yep" at our private PS. Not the end of the world, but really annoying. |
Anonymous
| My kid got yep from me... Oops. |
Anonymous
| My children hear Standard American English at home, spoken in a Standard American English accent. When they go out into the world, they hear different versions of English, spoken in different accents. Nothing bad has happened yet. |
Anonymous
This. The parents' influence is greatest. OP, my son goes to a little private school out in the burbs. His teacher is very smart and talented. Love her. But she's from rural Pennsylvania and still speaks like it. Which includes things like "could have went." Nails on the chalkboard for me. But my son doesn't pick it up. I'd take a little more caution with the choice of books you read to him in the early years. Pick ones with good grammar. |
Anonymous
| When you say "poor grammar" do you mean the occasional "could have went" -which I also dislike- or constant abuse of verb/subject agreement, etc. |
Anonymous
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When I was a student teacher, my roommate came home very upset about her master teacher who wrote these homonyms on the board:
doe dough door |
Anonymous
| Yes. She also writes using correct grammar too. We are at a private FWIW. |
Anonymous
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Last year, our preschool teacher often spoke using african american vernacular english. This year, our teacher speaks standard american english.
I'm usually caught off guard, or at least take notice, when our teachers use AAVE because it's not what we speak. But it is what some people speak, and it's a recognized dialect, and we wouldn't tell a teacher with a southern accent to shut it off. Currently I am fine with it. When DC is older we probably won't attend the same school, so it will be a non-issue. |