I would be very tempted to return this to the teacher with the errors marked. I am a high school English teacher and I am very careful with any material I create for my students(or borrow from another source). Unfortunately, over the years I've seen an increase in the number of teachers of all subjects who cannot use correct grammar, spelling, or punctuation. It is especially appalling to see a lack of English skills in an English teacher. I have had English teachers come to me for explanations of grammar rules so that they could teach the students the next day!

I'm in school administration, not a teacher. Twenty years ago, I typed reports hand-written by psychologists and social workers. These are people with at least a master's degree (many with doctorates). Only three people [of sixty-plus] had any conception of proper grammar useage, and not more than a dozen could turn in a report with every word spelled correctly. There were also those whose handwriting crossed the border into illegibility - it was impossible to determine whether or not those reports were well-written! In my present job, I read the reports written for more than six thousand cases a year, and I'm sorry to say that, SpellCheck notwithstanding, the spelling and grammar leave room for considerable improvement.

It would be very easy to blame the colleges for accepting poorly educated students, or the high schools for graduating students lacking a basic knowledge of English, or even to blame the elementary schools for not teaching the rudiments; but I feel that the real blame should rest upon the general public who vote against the tax monies which support the schools, and who don't demand quality education. If I had received a note such as in the original posting, one copy would have gone to the principal, and another copy to the local school board representative. I don't ask the teachers of my children to be paragons; however, I do expect competency.

My first thought was to simply send him a note respectfully pointing out that "accepted" and "excepted," while being homonyms, are not synonyms. As I read further and saw more and more errors, though, I scratched that idea because I didn't want my pointing out of his shortcomings in the language arts department to have any potential influence over his treatment of my son. I'm still entertaining the idea of returning a corrected version to the District Superintendent, however.

The brief thought of sending a copy to the op-ed section of the local paper passed through my mind, since this school district is considered one of the top two in the county, but on further consideration I realized that the quality of use in the document and the local paper were nearly on par.

I wish folks would learn that spell-check is not a subtitute for proof-reading! There is not a single misspelled word in that document; there are many that do not make sense in the context that they are used.

Good God,that just makes me cringe, I wouldn't send it back marked even though I'm an ex teacher. That strikes me as a put down because it's saying.."Gee,look at all the mistakes you made which I will now point out to you." Kim,what do you want to do about it? Are you comfortable talking to the teacher? Would you be comfortable sending back the form along with a note? Or are you more apt to grumble and then let it go? I don't like doing anything anonymously but depending on the nature of that teacher,a direct confrontation/conversation could have an adverse effect on your son. My way of handling it,and each of us would probably do it differently,would be to send the form back to the teacher via mail,with a note saying thank you for the very clear list of rules but that in reading it along with your child,you both found some glaring grammatical errors and you hope that somehow this was never proofed and that it won't happen again as it sets a very poor example for any student who happens to read it,and if this should happen again,you'll have to do more than just send a note.

The poor grammar isn't what necessarily bothers me. The overall tone of the piece does. It leaves me with a negative feeling and seems to motivate using threats. I feel that is not the best way to lead a class. I suppose the pressures on a high school teacher are different from those of us who teach on a different level, but the longer the list of rules the less likely a teacher will be as successful in the classroom. It takes time enforcing all those rules, time that could be used for instruction.

Michael,
Who didn't care for high school the first time around and still has the same opinion all these years later. The inefficency of most school systems astound me.

good point Michael and I agree. I wonder if times have changed so much that teachers need to spell everything little thing out in writing at the beginning of the year so their butts are covered in case it's time to discipline. When I read of some of the things parents around here squawk and take to court,or at best the school board,it makes me shudder to think of being a teacher again. Is 9th grade considered high school there? In this area,it's called either Jr. High or Middle School and high school is 10th,11th and 12th.

My understanding of elementary, middle, and high school is that elementary school is grades 1-5, middle school, 6-8, and high school 9-12. It seems the junior high designation was phased out sometime in the past.

I believe the designations vary by school district. Here elementary is K-6, middle school is 7&8, and high school is 9-12.

I agree with you, Michael, that the message is one of intimidation, but in my experience, and Marda notes this, one has to cover one's a$$ every which way. I know that in my university that every possible requirement must be meticulously spelled out if one is to withstand a student's grievance with a professor's decision about grades, attendance, academic honesty, etc. I try to temper the list of requirements with a modicum of gentleness but I can't let stuff slide or I'm the one in trouble.

Marda, I like your idea of gently pointing out the errors in person. I have faced almost identical situations (picture elementary, more often than secondary) and my real-life practice was to take it to the teacher and say something like, "Ooops, your draft was copied and given to the students instead of your finished version." [Not one teacher ever said that the sent note was *not* a draft, lol.] But I admit I lose patience with teachers who seem incapable of reaching for a dictionary in spite of writing many notes and instructions to their students: I use a "count of five" before taking the next step. When the fifth note containing blatant errors comes home, I do take copies of all the notes to the principal with a request that the teacher be reminded of how important it is to set a good example of English useage.

However, I think my brain glitched on my posting: talk with the teacher first - but if the slop continues, let it be known to the principal. My county does a fantastic job of hiring qualified teachers, but occasionally one comes in that just isn't up to par. I don't think parents should automatically assume a teacher doesn't know better, but equally, I don't think a parent who sees an ongoing continuance of mistakes should accept them as being a proper example for their children to follow!

Over here there are variations in the division of grades, but no usage of "junior high" in the middle school names.

I know that I am lucky in that I don't have to teach freshman or sophomore classes. It's amazing the difference in maturity when a student makes the transition for being an under-classman to being an upper-classman. I would say that 95% of the misconduct of students come from fresman and sophomores.

Thank you for taking the time to print this out. I understand how that must disturb you. Last week, I received a letter from the registrar's office of the University in which I just enrolled. Whomever issued this letter does not know the difference between you're and your, nor do they know the difference between they're and their. But they are welcoming me to their institution of higher learning, and promise they will educate me in ways to improve my life. Harumph.

I suspect that schools are like so many other institutions in that they are an assemblage of specialists anymore. Perhaps this instructor is a mathmatical genius. Then again he/she may not have math skills either. LOL.

I don't think this should just be ignored completely. To do so is approval by silence. I guess each of us handles situations like that dependent on our own personalities. If that were my child, I think I'd wait to see how this instructor performs in his own field. If he/she proved very competent, then I suspect I'd get them aside down the road at a parent/teacher meeting and suggest they might want to be more careful proofing their communications, because that one was so poorly written it misrepresented their ability. If the instructor is equally sloppy in their math skills I'd save the evidence and be heading to my school board.

As for the tone of the letter, I am comfortable with that. I think it has simply come to this in classroom situations and I have empathy for the teacher in this respect. I think kids are much more comfortable knowing right up front where limits are set. There is precious little time for actual instruction as it is. It isn't fair to students to take classroom time to teach immature or apathetic students proper ethics or etiquette.

No matter where a student spends their ninth grade year, this is when their grade point averages and high school credits begin accumulating for transcripts. It's high school.

Oh my! That poor teacher has had to please the 'powers that be'. He has combined the class rules with his grading policy and hasn't done justice to either. It appears that he made a basic outline and put the details into sentences.

Kim, you have a ticklish problem. This is your hypersensitive son in this class with this relatively sensitive blind teacher. Am I right? Perhaps when you approach him you can ask him to help you better understand what he means in the note. Then suggest he could send another copy out to students and parents with the clarifications he made to you.

I wish you good luck with this. I agree with what Pidge, Marda and suzy have to say. They are much more wise and gentler than I would be.

As an aside, now that I am back in school as a student I find myself 'grading' the other students' reports, and worse yet I am evaluating the teacher's directions for those reports. GAK! Once one, always one, eh?

Jan

What is wrong with evaluating your own teachers? By the time you hit the university level, you should be expecting returns on your dollars.......both tuition dollars and tax dollars. I'll never forget my first math class as a university student. The professor was into baseball. I was the only female in the class of prospective engineers. Sitting through lecture after lecture discussing baseball for a whole semester was torture and a total waste of my parents' money and my time. I did daydream alot, drew some good caricatures of him, and got my naptime in. I learned NOTHING. I resented that.

I became more and more aware of the quality of my classes, when it became totally my dollar I was spending. As an adult, my time was precious when I was trying to make it stretch in every direction........ including a job and children. Unlike secondary school, college level classes are not to an homogenous group at a specific age level. Thankfully, the last few decades have seen an integration of mature adults in classes along with the dewey-eyed youth. I think it holds a teacher to a higher level, interacting with other adults. They are not so quick to buy what is being sold.

At the end of the course, whether a continuing ed subject or a credit subject, or a training class.........take very seriously the request to critique your instructor. If possible, give constructive critism when appropriate.

May I ask that you look at this from a different viewpoint??

I applaud the teacher's attempt to set up a guide to what is expected of the student. There should be no misunderstanding on that. However, the spelling and grammar mistakes are something else. I do think that something should be said in order that perhaps there would be an effort made to improve.

I am very good at Math, belonged to honorary Math Society in College. I cannot spell worth a flip. I nearly flunked every English test I ever took in High School and College.

This may be this person's problem too. Would you prefer a great Math teacher that can't spell, or a mediocre Math teacher that has strong English skills?

If a person could not spell or was not taught correct grammar in his or her own school years, there is little chance that they will develop those skills later in life.

So the question is.....Is this person qualified to teach MATH? If the answer is NO, then the obligation is to get someone who can, but not just because of spelling mistakes.

I think several of us have suggested just that, PB. If they prove to be a good math teacher, a word to them discreetly about their communication skills would be plenty sufficient and actually doing them a kindness, although they may not think so at the time.

I stink in my grammatical abilities but have always done well in math and science. The first university I attended cranked out a lot of good engineers and scientists, but there was no room in the curriculum for any more than the barest of essentials in communication or humanities. It's a common thing in schools offering only engineering or science degrees.

I can turn out a decent piece of composition, but have to check it over and over for spelling, punctuation and wordiness, izzat a word? Then it still gets by with errors. But, when it has to go out to other people as a part of one's job, at least they should attempt to correct it. Not to do so is just sloppy.

I'm sure they have access to other instuctors who would be glad to look it over. Education is a team sport.

In my district, the rules for homework, make-up work, late work, etc. are dictated by district policy and it is mandated that we must include them in a communication to the students and parents as well as in our long-range plans. We also must post them in the classroom.

I don't have a problem with most students and parents with these policies, as the policies have been set in every class from grade seven up (I teach nine through twelve). The rules are useful for those students who choose not to complete assignments on time and those who are frequently absent.

There are some parents that never come to school until their child is failing and then they come to blame the teacher. Never mind that they have had emails, notes home, and phone calls requesting conferences that they are too busy to schedule. (I'll stop now because I can see I'm getting off topic and starting to harp on my own pet peeves, lol).

suzy, I need to clarify that my evaluations of the reports and directions were not that of an experienced educator, but of an 8th grade cliqueish "Queen B". Of this, I am shocked at myself and not very proud.

On the whole the class is really good. The students are bright and eager, and the instructor is knowledgable and sharp. I am enjoying starting a new career.

I agree that whether the teacher is competent in his math skills is the most important issue. I do not, however, think that that should be the only valid issue. In my mind, for an educator, regardless of subject taught, to send home a note abusing the language arts as badly as that note does sends a message that English simply doesn't matter anymore. "Dumbing down" is completely acceptable and even encouraged. (I'd better stop there - I just went into a rant that belongs on TOF - not here.)

I'm not sure what I'm going to do about it yet, but I agree strongly with Suzy that doing nothing is giving silent approval. I'm very bad at confrontations (which is why #2 DS [the one Jan referred to] is now living with his father), but I might be able to manage Meldy's "draft" line. I really appreciate the input, keep it coming! Thanks!

BTW - on the topic of "dumbing down," does any one else go nuts every time someone says "bird flu" instead of "avian flu?"

not particularly but there are other things that are like nails on a chalkboard to my ears.

Too Funny!

Our school was so poor the only secretary we had was whatever student had a free hour to come in and type and answer the phone. No one ever thought about criticizing the messenger.

Everything anyone needs to know is in a book, on the internet, on tv. If someone can inspire and motivate the student to give their personal best, must they also be perfect?

I have had teachers that inspire and others that seem to be a wet blanket. I wondered how the latter can be retained and get results. The good ones that are passionate about what they teach are to be admired for infecting the students. They are also more likely to have their act together with the tools they use to convey the subject.

"Interested people are interesting." Quoted from the head of the hort department at the community college I attended. I later taught arboriculture and landscape pruning there part time till the budget was cut. It was fun and popular likely because the students got to climb trees.

must they also be perfect?

I guess that depends on what you mean by perfect. To me,good grammar is not what I would use as a yardstick. It's something one learns in elementary school,again in high school and reinforced in college. If you've been in school all those years and managed to graduate not knowing basic English skills,it would make me wonder about many other things. When we first moved here I worked as a sub until a position opened. I remember walking into a class room and the social studies lesson of the day was teaching the kids about our midwestern states. There on the board were a list of something like 5 states and 3 of them were spelled incorrectly. Now,that teacher was a good guy and the kids liked him. Must he also be perfect?

Just let me ask this.....of all the events transpiring in the political career of former vice president Dan Quayle, will you ever forget potatoe? In many minds, that word is going to be the defining memory of his whole career.