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[quote=Anonymous]I read on here because I’m fed up with the education system in this country.

I worked as a substitute and aide in a few of the best public school systems in MA. I also student taught in one. The kids could write well and if they couldn’t then usually there was a reason having to do with a special need or OT. They explicitly taught handwriting, parts of speech, grammar, and spelling. I was in various k-3rd classrooms as an aide and student teacher. I was able to see the teachers teaching and they 100% taught that stuff and it showed in the students’ work.

I was shocked when I taught in FCPS last year and my kids were so, so brilliant! But it usually didn’t show through their writing. I was super confused and thought it was just the state. I moved because the districts I was in before are highly competitive to get teaching positions in. I tried to teach a lesson on capitalization because my kids weren’t capitalizing “I.” They weren’t capitalizing names of people or states either. A higher up came in and told me to stick to Writer’s Workshop (Lucy Calkins) and the pacing guide. I felt like capitalizing rules should’ve been on the pacing guide in first grade but it seemed like most were never taught what needs an uppercase letter and what doesn’t. So, I tried to teach them... They also sometimes forgot end punctuation. My two best writers took writing classes outside of school. These two students told me they never learned how to write a paragraph in school. I asked them because most of the kids seemed to have zero idea how to write a paragraph. I get that it’s not necessary to always try to write perfectly. For example, when I comment on here I don’t... But I feel like kids should receive explicit instruction in the areas of handwriting, grammar, and spelling. If they don’t, then they end up as adults who really struggle with writing. This could effect education and employment opportunities (college admissions letter, resume, cover letter, written correspondence at work...). I was also specifically told to NOT correct their errors as it would kill their creativity. Most parents told me their kids went through years of school without their mechanical writing errors ever being corrected. They wanted me to do this and a few asked about spelling. I taught a spelling curriculum when I student taught and the kids in those schools I was in LOvED playing the game “sparkle” to practice before spelling tests. However, I wasn’t going to spend money on a spelling curriculum and I don’t think I would’ve been allowed to do that anyway. I kept being told spelling isn’t important anymore because of spellcheck (it doesn’t catch every error...). Lucy Calkins seems to be the demon who started to spread the misinformation that spelling and grammar don’t matter at all. She just wants kids pouring out their souls on paper, even if their teacher struggles to understand what they’ve even written (shouldn’t have this often with 4th graders). In the suburbs of Boston where I spent years in other teachers’ classrooms, I saw younger kids write better and they were still creative.

Fast forward to this year and I’m teaching in an “above average” district in MA. Same grade. The writing is SO bad!!! It makes me sad. I’m talking about kids not using any end punctuation. One wrote a whole paragraph with zero end punctuation. It seems like they’ve never had spelling and probably never explicit phonics instruction either. So, I started to wonder why the schools I was in before had such great writers compared to the two schools I’ve been able to teach in. Surely I couldn’t blame Virginia anymore (my apologize!). What I’ve realized is the school I was at last year used Lucy Calkins for reading and writing workshops and so does the school I’m at now!! I started to look into it more and it seems like a pretty popular opinion that her curriculum is utter and pure sh*t. Every school I’ve ever been in was mostly middle/upper middle class or high SES. I have zero ELL students this year. Where I student taught they still did readings from an anthology where each kid took a turn reading a paragraph and then they answered comprehension questions. They used Wordly Wise. They had a spelling curriculum with weekly tests. They did reading groups where each group of students got together to read the same book, discuss it, and the teacher would ask comprehension questions. They were required to write at least three paragraphs because they were third grade. They did dictation. They had handwriting workbooks for cursive. I also tutored in the same area and most kids would come in with spelling homework. It seems like just south of Boston they still teach that stuff. I surely learned all that. I recently found some work from when I was in fourth grade and it was clear that I was taught such things.

This post is rambling on and probably not making much sense. Lucy Calkins would be happy to see me express my thoughts and feelings at the expense of the reader being able to comprehend what I’m trying to say though. Ha!

But seriously, not every school lets teachers choose what curriculum they use. If you are told to teach 100% Lucy and not correct errors like Lucy encourages enough times, then you just stop because why would you want to be let go for teaching kids writing mechanics? I didn’t want that. I’ve decided I won’t teach after this year though because I can’t stand how the system 100% leaves kids behind. You can be so knowledgeable, but if no one ever teaches you how to actually read or write well, then you may get passed through year after year and end up as an adult with those struggles. It makes me blood BOIL. I’ve talked to admin and coworkers about it though and they just don’t seem to care. They think I complain and need to chill. When I see how many fourth graders don’t understand something as basic as the fact that a sentence starts with a capital letter and needs end punctuation, well it makes me really upset as to why they were never taught that. I don’t blame their former teachers. I blame the admin choosing crappy curriculum and making teachers use it.

I’m sure many people on here will think I’m a complaining psycho... I know ten year olds struggling with reading and writing isn’t the end of the world because there’s time to improve before they’re adults .... but the problem is that it seems like they’re passed from grade to grade without ever being taught things that kids in other districts with better curriculum do learn at school. But I’m not allowed to do spelling tests, teach grammar, or circle errors in Lucy Calkins schools unless I do it on the down low apparently since Lucy doesn’t really care about that stuff too much. Most kids need instruction that’s way more explicit to understand such things and Lucy barely brushes on that stuff. And I agree, maybe I’m just really not good at teaching. I try my best to teach what the school wants me to teach though. If you stray from that you can get yourself in trouble.

Here’s some interesting articles on Lucy Calkins that I’ve recently read. I’m sure many of you reading this love her, but I just can’t believe schools actually want teachers doing ELA this way honestly. When I compare the writing I’ve seen in schools that use Lucy to schools that don’t, it’s night and day. Kids obviously learn in different ways, but I feel like most need that explicit instruction to truly understand the importance of writing mechanics. Last year my students said they never learned handwriting at school. It doesn’t look like my current students have either. It honestly breaks my heart. Maybe that sounds dramatic, but they’re in fourth grade and many can’t figure out how to write a sentence properly (as in they making sure it starts with a capital letter and had end punctuation). I’m not sure how having them independently read during reading workshop helps me learn much about their comprehension if I haven’t read every book they have. I’ve been told “don’t round robin read!” The school where I student taught and subbed still did that and I don’t think it harmed them at all, but I’m new to education so what do I know? I just feel like where every schools is so different, it’s really failing kids. It makes me sad and angry. I HATE how I’ve been told to teach writing this year and last. It’s nothing like I saw teachers doing when I was in schools before. :(

https://www.jamesgmartin.center/2016/04/why-many-college-students-never-learn-how-to-write-sentences/

https://www.greenwichtime.com/opinion/article/Opinion-Greenwich-s-failing-literacy-curriculum-15089194.php

https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/56629/how-families-are-pushing-schools-to-teach-reading-skills-more-effectively

https://christinecalabrese.com/the-business-of-writing-an-analysis-of-writing-instruction-in-america/?fbclid=IwAR3R2cQOrFERJWw94cHoJv1bYo1KnHVatsA6U57qy32DZaPYQXjnBrFiLOA

https://mobile.edweek.org/c.jsp?cid=25920011&item=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.edweek.org%2Fv1%2Fblog%2F83%2Findex.html%3Fuuid%3D80050

On a phone and not even going to try to edit my own writing on this screen before I hit “submit.” Judge as you wish! :)

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