How much is the teacher and how much is the school?

[Anonymous]

I have two friends with kids in the same 4th grade at the same MCPS elementary. One kid is being taught cursive. One is not. They have two different teachers.

How much say do teachers have in supplementing the curriculum?

[Anonymous]

They don't. It's a schoolwide decision.

Our ES doesn't teach cursive. My daughter knows it b/c she was in private school before we made the switch.

My son, however, is starting K and will be taught through his OT during the summer after 2nd grade. For kids with fine motor, cursive is very helpful.

[Anonymous]

Obviously it is the teacher in the example OP gave. It think a teacher could choose to add some lessons if she wanted, but I doubt a teacher could decide not to teach a topic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Obviously it is the teacher in the example OP gave. It think a teacher could choose to add some lessons if she wanted, but I doubt a teacher could decide not to teach a topic.

inconsistent guidelines stemming from poor leadership, as all grade 3 teachers should be working on the same benchmarks

So they're obviously not planning together, for one thing, and if the teacher who's instructing in cursive is finding time to do so, s/he is must be cutting something out. I'm a fan of cursive. But I'd think that parents would be upset knowing that one class is receiving instruction and the other is not.

Bring it to the principal, but I'm guessing that if this is the case, the principal isn't on top of things.

[Anonymous]

Cursive instruction varied at our MCPS ES, too, in third and fourth grades. Also, only one fourth grade teacher of four assigned book report-type projects for her reading students.

[Anonymous]

I would hate to think there was no room for individual teachers to include certain "projects" of interest or value. I have often seen 1 class do a play or community service activity that was not the whole grade.

[Anonymous]

Student/Family - 1st
Teacher - 2nd
School - 3rd

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would hate to think there was no room for individual teachers to include certain "projects" of interest or value. I have often seen 1 class do a play or community service activity that was not the whole grade.

+1