Thursday, August 4, 2011

Incorrect spelling from Teacher - What would you do?


I would appreciate your opinion........

I have a 4 year old daughter who loves to go to school, doing flashcards, reading books, etc. Paige has been going to this school for over a year but will be going to Preschool in September.

Note, this is not to come down on the school because for me, it is more important for Paige to be happy at school then for some of the things I think they could do better, like SPELL.

This is the issue.  Each week they send a Weekly Schedule home of what the children will be doing and Swimming is spelled like this.....

SWIMING

The first week I notice but i'm ok with a mistake, once, twice, ugggh but every week. By 5, I have had it.

I nicely write a note on top of page "I have noticed that Swimming has been misspelled often.  Just a friendly reminder swimming has 2 m's."

I go in and the teacher I assumed made the errors was not there so I tell the teacher that is in charge of Finances.  She laughed :-0  and says, oh that's Teacher P's way of spelling.

ME - It is every week though.

TEACHER - We notice it.

ME - I don't want to see this every week and not tell her how to correct it. We learn every day, it is ok.

I start to walk away and she then says, do you want this.  HELLO, I wrote a note and the correction on it, give it to the other teacher!!!!!!!

I take it and throw it in the trash, i'm totally baffled.  Is she laughing at her boss behind her back or just fed up because she has said it and no change, sigh.

What would you do?  Try again directly to the teacher that made the mistake or just be happy that its only another month before Paige goes to real school - teacher's with a teaching degree or certification?



17 comments:

  1. Oh, that's a tough one. I think I would probably try to live with it for one more month.

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  2. How frustrating! You've already tried to point it out to the teacher; if it really bothers you (or you want to make sure this doesn't keep repeating indefinitely with other kids/parents) I would talk to someone on a higher level (principal? I don't know how these things work). Other than that, I would say ignore it since you'll be out of there soon.

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  3. That is so frustrating. I am very particular when it comes to spelling and grammar, and to see it addressed by other teachers with such nonchalance says so much about our society. I would address Miss P directly. I know your daughter will be out of there soon, but it should benefit other children and parents if the teacher knows someone is paying attention. Maybe they will be more careful in the future.

    Good luck!

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  4. Wow, that's awful! I'm not one for confrontation, so I'd probably just tough it out for another month, but I also think it's not right for the other children who will still be in the school to deal with it. I would probably talk to the teacher who made the mistake directly and think about talking to a someone higher up the ladder. We can't expect children to learn how to spell if they're not being taught the correct spelling!

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  5. Thanks for the feedback, I truly believe someone cannot change something if they are not told so I will speak with the teacher. My daughter is only 4, so this error doesn't affect her, but thanks for understanding.

    I think I should assist the teacher, if she doesn't take it, it is on her.

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  6. I would speak to the teacher again and her superior. To just laugh it off by another teacher is unacceptable behavior in my book. It is the principal of the situation. If I had a little one entering that school, I know I would want a competent educated teacher instructing my child. I think I have a different outlook because my youngest had multiple learning disabilities and we fought the school department for the right education for him. Their response was "be happy if he graduates HS". He graduated college in Engineering magna cum laude.

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  7. That is a tough one, but as Cheryl said, "it is the principle of the situation" Personally, I would probably let it alone, it's only another month, and I would just move on, and "not sweat the small stuff."

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  8. This is a good lesson for your daughter. Tell her no one is perfect, even teachers, and then show her the error and the correctly spelled word. You could say that teacher couldn't correct it because she has already made out all her schedules but she knows she made a mistake. If it was for another year, I would mind, but it's only for a short time left, so I would let it drop. :) Rae

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  9. Your baby is still young and it's only a month. I would just put up with it. I would not refer any other parents there though. If your baby was going on six, I would say switch because I wouldn't want them to show her how to spell!

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  10. As a teacher, I'm sorry you've had this awkward problem. If the teacher had any sense, she would laugh & say "Ooops, silly me!" As for Paige, it's a great lesson that adults make mistakes, too. And the grammar rule is also an interesting lesson--how some words double the last consonant when "-ing" is added as a suffix. Keep teaching the wee one that spell-checking is a good thing & don't be miffed if people think otherwise :)

    P.S. I hope I don't have any typos in this comment after all that :D

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  11. P.P.S. The teacher would also have the courtesy to thank you for your interest in your child's education. So I'll say it: thank you :)

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  12. I would speak to the teacher again. How to teach kids if the teacher herself cant spell properly?

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  13. Thanks again, I haven't seen the teacher. What I decided to do is a thank you note at the end with a few suggestions which include editing each others newsletters or using spell check.

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  14. Well it would bother me too if I had my kid go to that teacher! That so-called teacher should really change the spelling, no matter how small of a mistake it is. If she can't stand to be corrected, she shouldn't be in that profession.

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  15. It's up to you Marce. My 12 yr old had a teacher in the 3rd grade that she adored till he hurt her feelings something fierce 1 month before school let out. I bit my tongue and I really shouldn't have, calling a child an Indian giver and telling the whole class we can't do something any longer because some kids tell their parents what goes on in here was truly a serious offense but I bit it back. He was a bionicle lego toy nut and would con the kids out of the bionicles. I just worn other Mom's about him and he still is at the school, been there for like 17 years or so.

    Paula
    Tomes Devotee

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  16. Swimming was spelled correctly this week, huge smiles. Crossing fingers for consistency now.

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