I thought school was about LEARNING AS MUCH AS YOU COULD, not LEARNING AS MUCH AS EVERYBODY ELSE. –_– Shame on that teacher, he can use cursive if he wants! Ashamed that a seven-year-old can do better cursive then you, perhaps?
And did the teacher circle that in crayon? Classy.
My kindergartner, who fully understands addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, negative numbers.....etc....was told he could not complete problems that used anything other than addition and 1 digit because his handwriting is not neat enough-for an entire year (and he has a documented small motor delay). The individualization of the USA educational system is dead.
In my old school, they refused to put me in advanced classes because it would make the other students look dumber even though I could easily do 10th grade equations.
When I was in elementary school, my teacher wouldn't let me read the Harry Potter series (even though I could fully comprehend them- and loved them! Still do!) because, and I quote, " Oh honey, they don't have pictures in them, in second grade you're only allowed to read picture books." Made me so mad... I read them anyways XD
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· 9 years ago
The US education system is going up in flames because everything is being standardized due to the misconception that being "fair" to every student means taking away all individuality and forcing some to work harder than they should have to for lack of help, while others are failing their classes due to boredom because they should be in Honors, CP, or AP but aren't allowed because it would "make the others feel bad about themselves for not achieving as highly."
This is nothing new, I'm in my thirties and crap like this went on when I was in school. I was two grades ahead in mathematics and four ahead in reading, don't get me started on science.
I wasn't allowed to use cursive either, and at my first school we had a reading system thing, and I wasn't allowed to progress in that because I was changing the grading curve in my class, and when I looked at the highest reading level available, I thought it was boring. Oh, and the school library didn't have chapter books, only these dumb kiddy things with about three words and tons of pictures.
In first grade, there are standards we have to teach to. We are expected to teach specific handwriting skills to our students. This teacher isn't dumbing it down. S/he is simply following the standards mandated by the area s/he is in. The same holds true for first graders using algorithms to solve math equations. It's great if they can do it that way, but if they don't learn why the algorithm works through strategies and modeling, they will have gaps when they get into the upper grades.
-First Grade Teacher
Yeah. As an educator as well, I learned about this thing called individualized instruction. Students learn at different levels and some learn faster and come to school with more knowledge. Teachers do not use enough scaffolding and student interest to plan their lessons so children learn to hate school. It was a sad day when my 5 year old came home from kindergarten and said he hated school and never wanted to go back because he was bored. He was bored of doing 900 math worksheets in school this year (he did, I have them all). He was bored of having to read at the level he was when he was 2.5 and he was bored because he never got to move or do any learning that was not taught to the whole group.
Thanks to my parents, I was ahead of the game all through grade school, and given the kind of parent I am, I'm already cringing at what I have to look forward to.
Lebfturtle, I do agree that this happens way too often. However, that is not the case in every classroom. In my school I would say that it is a rarity. We work hard to individualize the instruction and meet everyone's very different needs. Definitely a very hard job.
He absolutely does. However, she has to teach to first grade standards. As horrible as it is, she could get dinged for silly things like this during evaluation because writing standards have to be implemented.
For everyone saying this is fake, listen up.
When I was in first grade,my teacher took my Percy Jackson books I had brought and wrote a note home telling my mom not to let me read them as they were over first grade level.
When I was in third grade, I got a quota on my library pass, because I went there almostevery few days with books.
When I was in fourth, my teachers got pissed at my older brother (who would soon be a math teacher and wanted to see how kids learned) for teaching me division and fraction/decimal multiplication and division, along with geometry.
Elementary schools fucking suck, because we arent supposed to suceed yet. Im only in middle school now, and I havent had a problem, so maybe its only elementary, but this stuff happens alot. It sucks.
I wouldn't necessarily say this is about "dumbing down" a smart kid, or holding them back or anything. Or even anything about the teacher being required because of some standard or anything.
In first grade (In most places in the US anyway) kids are still learning how to write in print. They've learned their letters from the year before in kindergarten, but they are still learning how to spell and write in print properly. The best way to learn that stuff? PRACTICE. Write everything in print repeatedly all the time until it becomes ingrained into them and its all second nature. Maybe the kid still has terrible print hand writing and the teacher really wants him to focus on it instead.
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=cursive
P.S. Despite what your teacher may have told you, there ARE such things as stupid questions. Especially when you're connected to the FUCKING INTERNET.
Another example of why we'd rather send our girls to private school than public school, even though we have to make significant financial sacrifices to do so. Oh, and she will be learning cursive this year... in 1st grade.
And did the teacher circle that in crayon? Classy.
-First Grade Teacher
When I was in first grade,my teacher took my Percy Jackson books I had brought and wrote a note home telling my mom not to let me read them as they were over first grade level.
When I was in third grade, I got a quota on my library pass, because I went there almostevery few days with books.
When I was in fourth, my teachers got pissed at my older brother (who would soon be a math teacher and wanted to see how kids learned) for teaching me division and fraction/decimal multiplication and division, along with geometry.
Elementary schools fucking suck, because we arent supposed to suceed yet. Im only in middle school now, and I havent had a problem, so maybe its only elementary, but this stuff happens alot. It sucks.
In first grade (In most places in the US anyway) kids are still learning how to write in print. They've learned their letters from the year before in kindergarten, but they are still learning how to spell and write in print properly. The best way to learn that stuff? PRACTICE. Write everything in print repeatedly all the time until it becomes ingrained into them and its all second nature. Maybe the kid still has terrible print hand writing and the teacher really wants him to focus on it instead.
P.S. Despite what your teacher may have told you, there ARE such things as stupid questions. Especially when you're connected to the FUCKING INTERNET.