Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

And when would that be?

Elementary schools used to be called 'grammar' schools for a reason. Yes, you can't expect a first grader to understand the concept of irregular verbs, but 4th and 5th graders are developmentally advanced to be able to learn grammar and spelling. Why do you think your 'gifted' 9th graders can't name the parts of speech? Because they haven't been properly taught in upper ES/MS.

What was the reason?

Anonymous wrote:

And when would that be?

Elementary schools used to be called 'grammar' schools for a reason. Yes, you can't expect a first grader to understand the concept of irregular verbs, but 4th and 5th graders are developmentally advanced to be able to learn grammar and spelling. Why do you think your 'gifted' 9th graders can't name the parts of speech? Because they haven't been properly taught in upper ES/MS.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I teach older students and the grammatical and spelling errors that occur early in the writing process are often a part of the struggle writers experience as they try to figure out exactly what they want to say and how to say it. As they go through prewriting and drafting, often these issues are cleared up.

It's important NOT to focus on editing until the very end of the writing process. If a writer feels writing is all about good grammar and spelling s/he will fixate on writing correct and safe and boring sentences because sentences with complex and new ideas are HARDER to write, and s/he will avoid that out of the fear of making mistakes. You will set your child up to be a very average writer if this is what you obsess over.

Elementary students should be taught spelling and grammar, but it should not be their primary focus.

I don't know where you teach, but many of the 9th graders I've had in the past in my SS schools couldn't identify parts of speech, nor did they know the difference between a fragment and a sentence.

but when you're reading below level . . .

So I disagree with your philosophy. As someone who's seen the pendulum swing back and forth over the past two decades, you can't substitute one thing for another. There is the need to both MEMORIZE and free write w/o being "burdened" by errors. But drafts riddled with errors of which students are UNAWARE are drafts that remain drafts.

I don't teach for MCPS.

Even many of the "gifted" 9th graders I teach struggle with sentence fragments and can't always name the parts of speech. I always mark these things, and I did not mean to suggest that these issues magically go away, nor that you should be substituting one thing for another. Rather there is a stage to focus on grammar and spelling, and it's not at the beginning of the writing process.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I teach older students and the grammatical and spelling errors that occur early in the writing process are often a part of the struggle writers experience as they try to figure out exactly what they want to say and how to say it. As they go through prewriting and drafting, often these issues are cleared up.

It's important NOT to focus on editing until the very end of the writing process. If a writer feels writing is all about good grammar and spelling s/he will fixate on writing correct and safe and boring sentences because sentences with complex and new ideas are HARDER to write, and s/he will avoid that out of the fear of making mistakes. You will set your child up to be a very average writer if this is what you obsess over.

Elementary students should be taught spelling and grammar, but it should not be their primary focus.

I don't know where you teach, but many of the 9th graders I've had in the past in my SS schools couldn't identify parts of speech, nor did they know the difference between a fragment and a sentence.

but when you're reading below level . . .

So I disagree with your philosophy. As someone who's seen the pendulum swing back and forth over the past two decades, you can't substitute one thing for another. There is the need to both MEMORIZE and free write w/o being "burdened" by errors. But drafts riddled with errors of which students are UNAWARE are drafts that remain drafts.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Even if the posters who claim their kids don’t have spelling or cursive are being truthful, they are all W cluster parents. So it’s only instructive insomuch as it shows what W schools are like. It doesn’t represent mcps as a whole.

Not true. My kids aren't in a W school. We are upcounty.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I have four children in mcps elementary, and I've compared notes with parents from dozens of schools. Plus, DCUM had a recent thread lamenting the lack of cursive and the random approach to spelling "instruction."

DCUM as the basis of information.

If numerous posters comment that their children aren't receiving spelling or handwriting instruction while only a few report their children are, then that's useful info.

Even if the posters who claim their kids don’t have spelling or cursive are being truthful, they are all W cluster parents. So it’s only instructive insomuch as it shows what W schools are like. It doesn’t represent mcps as a whole.

Anonymous wrote:So the choices are incredibly hard curriculum in magnet programs or substandard education in the regular schools?

An apropos snapshot of the achievement chasm. Like global warming it will just continue to get worse.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I teach older students and the grammatical and spelling errors that occur early in the writing process are often a part of the struggle writers experience as they try to figure out exactly what they want to say and how to say it. As they go through prewriting and drafting, often these issues are cleared up.

It's important NOT to focus on editing until the very end of the writing process. If a writer feels writing is all about good grammar and spelling s/he will fixate on writing correct and safe and boring sentences because sentences with complex and new ideas are HARDER to write, and s/he will avoid that out of the fear of making mistakes. You will set your child up to be a very average writer if this is what you obsess over.

Elementary students should be taught spelling and grammar, but it should not be their primary focus.

I don't know where you teach, but many of the 9th graders I've had in the past in my SS schools couldn't identify parts of speech, nor did they know the difference between a fragment and a sentence.

but when you're reading below level . . .

So I disagree with your philosophy. As someone who's seen the pendulum swing back and forth over the past two decades, you can't substitute one thing for another. There is the need to both MEMORIZE and free write w/o being "burdened" by errors. But drafts riddled with errors of which students are UNAWARE are drafts that remain drafts.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:teacher here (many years in the system - enough to have seen three superintendents)

moving to Frederick . . .

Teacher with a spouse who is also a teacher in MCPS. We've also been here through three superintendents and are considering moving to Howard County. The disparity among schools in different parts of the county is becoming more and more appalling. Students whose families are unable to afford to live in Bethesda or other more privileged parts of the county are at a great disadvantage. For example, middle school students in the eastern part of the county are often limited to learning one foreign language (usually Spanish), while students in the Bethesda area are typically offered at least three choices (usually French and Chinese in addition to Spanish, and often others such as Italian). This is just one example where we feel that our children are falling behind others because we are not living in a W cluster.

I don't feel like my children are at a great disadvantage. Middle-school offers French and Spanish, high school offers German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and ASL.

-resident of the Siberian hinterlands

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:teacher here (many years in the system - enough to have seen three superintendents)

moving to Frederick . . .

Teacher with a spouse who is also a teacher in MCPS. We've also been here through three superintendents and are considering moving to Howard County. The disparity among schools in different parts of the county is becoming more and more appalling. Students whose families are unable to afford to live in Bethesda or other more privileged parts of the county are at a great disadvantage. For example, middle school students in the eastern part of the county are often limited to learning one foreign language (usually Spanish), while students in the Bethesda area are typically offered at least three choices (usually French and Chinese in addition to Spanish, and often others such as Italian). This is just one example where we feel that our children are falling behind others because we are not living in a W cluster.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I have four children in mcps elementary, and I've compared notes with parents from dozens of schools. Plus, DCUM had a recent thread lamenting the lack of cursive and the random approach to spelling "instruction."

DCUM as the basis of information.

If numerous posters comment that their children aren't receiving spelling or handwriting instruction while only a few report their children are, then that's useful info.

Even if the posters who claim their kids don’t have spelling or cursive are being truthful, they are all W cluster parents. So it’s only instructive insomuch as it shows what W schools are like. It doesn’t represent mcps as a whole.

What makes you think that they are all W parents??

We’re at a FOCUS school in Silver Spring and there has not beeen any cursive Writing instruction at school. Do you think lower-income parents lie us don’t care? We do. We taught our kids at home.

Anonymous wrote:teacher here (many years in the system - enough to have seen three superintendents)

moving to Frederick . . .