Another wasted day of school at MCPS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it's beyond sad that my second grader can't spell the word "went." In the same paragraph he also used "there" instead of "their." He also spelled a number of other words incorrectly. But I can't blame him...they don't teach phonics or spelling (word their way at our school is pathetic). He's above average (according to his teacher and his test scores), and he's in the highest reading group (reading a year above grade level). So I guess I need to blame myself for not teaching him more at home. I'll keep trying...but I think it's annoying that I have to teach him basic skills because mcps has opted to take a sub-par approach to teaching.

I asked my DD's teacher about spelling. I see other kids her age with spelling tests but DD has never taken on.

The teacher told me that they start working on spelling in 3rd grade. I assumed it was MCPS-wide, but maybe not. Anyway, I wouldn't worry about it too much. The spelling will eventually come.

What is pathetic is not only do they wait until 3rd grade, you don't even have to know what the words mean. No vocabulary ever. Grammar? Foreign in public schools.

At my kids' school they do spelling starting in 1st grade. In K they do sight words. When they start spelling they have to know what the word means and be able to use it in a sentence. I wonder why your school waits until 3rd grade. Our school is a focus school, so I wonder if that could play a part as well. The day is jam packed with academics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it's beyond sad that my second grader can't spell the word "went." In the same paragraph he also used "there" instead of "their." He also spelled a number of other words incorrectly. But I can't blame him...they don't teach phonics or spelling (word their way at our school is pathetic). He's above average (according to his teacher and his test scores), and he's in the highest reading group (reading a year above grade level). So I guess I need to blame myself for not teaching him more at home. I'll keep trying...but I think it's annoying that I have to teach him basic skills because mcps has opted to take a sub-par approach to teaching.

I asked my DD's teacher about spelling. I see other kids her age with spelling tests but DD has never taken on.

The teacher told me that they start working on spelling in 3rd grade. I assumed it was MCPS-wide, but maybe not. Anyway, I wouldn't worry about it too much. The spelling will eventually come.

What is pathetic is not only do they wait until 3rd grade, you don't even have to know what the words mean. No vocabulary ever. Grammar? Foreign in public schools.

At my kids' school they do spelling starting in 1st grade. In K they do sight words. When they start spelling they have to know what the word means and be able to use it in a sentence. I wonder why your school waits until 3rd grade. Our school is a focus school, so I wonder if that could play a part as well. The day is jam packed with academics.

In MCPS?? lol

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
What is pathetic is not only do they wait until 3rd grade, you don't even have to know what the words mean. No vocabulary ever. Grammar? Foreign in public schools.

You must be at different schools than we are! My sixth grader has been doing Wordly Wise (vocabulary) as well as sentence diagramming.

Sentence diagramming hasn't been used in years in the curriculum. What school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it's beyond sad that my second grader can't spell the word "went." In the same paragraph he also used "there" instead of "their." He also spelled a number of other words incorrectly. But I can't blame him...they don't teach phonics or spelling (word their way at our school is pathetic). He's above average (according to his teacher and his test scores), and he's in the highest reading group (reading a year above grade level). So I guess I need to blame myself for not teaching him more at home. I'll keep trying...but I think it's annoying that I have to teach him basic skills because mcps has opted to take a sub-par approach to teaching.

I asked my DD's teacher about spelling. I see other kids her age with spelling tests but DD has never taken on.

The teacher told me that they start working on spelling in 3rd grade. I assumed it was MCPS-wide, but maybe not. Anyway, I wouldn't worry about it too much. The spelling will eventually come.

What is pathetic is not only do they wait until 3rd grade, you don't even have to know what the words mean. No vocabulary ever. Grammar? Foreign in public schools.

At my kids' school they do spelling starting in 1st grade. In K they do sight words. When they start spelling they have to know what the word means and be able to use it in a sentence. I wonder why your school waits until 3rd grade. Our school is a focus school, so I wonder if that could play a part as well. The day is jam packed with academics.

In MCPS?? lol

Yes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
What is pathetic is not only do they wait until 3rd grade, you don't even have to know what the words mean. No vocabulary ever. Grammar? Foreign in public schools.

You must be at different schools than we are! My sixth grader has been doing Wordly Wise (vocabulary) as well as sentence diagramming.

Sentence diagramming hasn't been used in years in the curriculum. What school?

Some teachers will still teach some sentence diagramming even though it is not in the curriculum because it helps to explain some concepts in a more "concrete" and visible way. For kids who are visual learners, it really helps to see the parts of the sentence laid out in a diagram.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
What is pathetic is not only do they wait until 3rd grade, you don't even have to know what the words mean. No vocabulary ever. Grammar? Foreign in public schools.

You must be at different schools than we are! My sixth grader has been doing Wordly Wise (vocabulary) as well as sentence diagramming.

I actually thought that sentence diagramming was fun, when I did it in school. In contrast, I hate Wordly Wise (which my sixth-grader also does). I'd like to see some evidence that it's effective at increasing actual vocabulary, rather than just a student's ability to fill out vocabulary worksheets.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it's beyond sad that my second grader can't spell the word "went." In the same paragraph he also used "there" instead of "their." He also spelled a number of other words incorrectly. But I can't blame him...they don't teach phonics or spelling (word their way at our school is pathetic). He's above average (according to his teacher and his test scores), and he's in the highest reading group (reading a year above grade level). So I guess I need to blame myself for not teaching him more at home. I'll keep trying...but I think it's annoying that I have to teach him basic skills because mcps has opted to take a sub-par approach to teaching.

Um, I am sorry you are so frustrated and moving is not always the answer IMHO. But you also have to understand that a lot of kids (including mine) are getting a good education. I think teachers in that respect are way more important than curriculum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it's beyond sad that my second grader can't spell the word "went." In the same paragraph he also used "there" instead of "their." He also spelled a number of other words incorrectly. But I can't blame him...they don't teach phonics or spelling (word their way at our school is pathetic). He's above average (according to his teacher and his test scores), and he's in the highest reading group (reading a year above grade level). So I guess I need to blame myself for not teaching him more at home. I'll keep trying...but I think it's annoying that I have to teach him basic skills because mcps has opted to take a sub-par approach to teaching.

I think the educational experts have decided we'll all be watching videos soon anyway and reading & writing will be elite pastimes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you have a fifth grader, pp? I do. And it's a struggle for him to write two coherent paragraphs. When I raised my concerns with his teacher, she told me that most of the kids struggle with it and that his writing skills are above average. Bottom line: the bar is set very low in elementary school...but not in MS. Next year will be a rude awakening. It's ridiculous that mcps can't prepare students for success.

I'm not a tiger mom...I'm a slacker mom. I'm not overreacting.

Question: What's the longest essay your fifth grader has written without assistance from his teacher or a parent? At our school, it's two paragraphs. And the content is crummy. I was writing reports by fifth grade. My fifth grader hasn't written one single report in elementary school. I think that's shocking. My nephews in other states are receiving a far better education than my kid. It's pathetic.

Blah. Blah. Blah.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it's beyond sad that my second grader can't spell the word "went." In the same paragraph he also used "there" instead of "their." He also spelled a number of other words incorrectly. But I can't blame him...they don't teach phonics or spelling (word their way at our school is pathetic). He's above average (according to his teacher and his test scores), and he's in the highest reading group (reading a year above grade level). So I guess I need to blame myself for not teaching him more at home. I'll keep trying...but I think it's annoying that I have to teach him basic skills because mcps has opted to take a sub-par approach to teaching.

I asked my DD's teacher about spelling. I see other kids her age with spelling tests but DD has never taken on.

The teacher told me that they start working on spelling in 3rd grade. I assumed it was MCPS-wide, but maybe not. Anyway, I wouldn't worry about it too much. The spelling will eventually come.

What is pathetic is not only do they wait until 3rd grade, you don't even have to know what the words mean. No vocabulary ever. Grammar? Foreign in public schools.

At my kids' school they do spelling starting in 1st grade. In K they do sight words. When they start spelling they have to know what the word means and be able to use it in a sentence. I wonder why your school waits until 3rd grade. Our school is a focus school, so I wonder if that could play a part as well. The day is jam packed with academics.

In MCPS?? lol

Yes.

Are you regular in the classroom?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid watched a movie, which is fine with me. Half the class was absent.

You do realize that they really don't learn much at mcps on a good day, right? I have to supplement at home...which is annoying. I went to private school and my parents never had to teach me at home. Our classes were larger too.

Well, I went to a public school in New Jersey and in third/ fourth grade I was learning math that kids in mcps don't see until sixth grade. The curriculum boast "higher level thinking" well from what I've seen most of them can't think their way out a of paper bag. My parent didn't help, but they did take me to the public library EVERY DAY after school instead of plopping me in front of a t.v. to "do" my homework. I learned so much reading for hours everyday on my own that I could have homeschooled myself. I'm not exaggerating.

[Anonymous]

I was diagramming sentences in 4th grade. They don't even start grammar until middle here. It is a very strange slow mindless curriculum. And I agree with a PP. Most kids suck at writing. They hardly offer anything with critical thinking and process. And don't get me started on the severe lack of science in ES

[Anonymous]

My MCPS eighth grader is going to private high school next year. He has been a solid A in English every year, every quarter. But we still find his writing ability very mediocre. We worry about his ability to succeed in this new school and have hired a tutor to help him improve over the summer. It is really pathetic and we wish we had pulled him out of public sooner. The expectations in English vs. math are so lopsided.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid watched a movie, which is fine with me. Half the class was absent.

You do realize that they really don't learn much at mcps on a good day, right? I have to supplement at home...which is annoying. I went to private school and my parents never had to teach me at home. Our classes were larger too.

Well, I went to a public school in New Jersey and in third/ fourth grade I was learning math that kids in mcps don't see until sixth grade. The curriculum boast "higher level thinking" well from what I've seen most of them can't think their way out a of paper bag. My parent didn't help, but they did take me to the public library EVERY DAY after school instead of plopping me in front of a t.v. to "do" my homework. I learned so much reading for hours everyday on my own that I could have homeschooled myself. I'm not exaggerating.

Funny I went to public school in CT suburb of NYC. I am amazed at how much algebra the kids do in elementary school. I don't think I saw and 'x' till 8th grade and I was in the top math class. Are you following your parents example since it worked so well for you?

[Anonymous]

^^ right. If hours in the library after school meant you could homeschool yourself, then do that, and the curriculum won't matter. Problem solved.