What do you think of this letter from DDs teacher?

QUOTE(Overachiever @ Sep 6 2007, 12:12 AM) [snapback]394809[/snapback]
*Proofread carefully to make sure your spelling, grammar, usage, and punctuation are correct, and THEN click "send."
*Incomplete and/or superficial answers will be returned for more careful consideration. "
This is the part that would irk me too. I think the actual "assignment" is fine. But did he have to add this condescending remark? It seems he's getting off on the wrong foot. I'm afraid I'd have to add a note to mine telling him what I thought and give him some suggestions on how he could improve that letter for the future!

 

I would have reacted the same way too.... sounds like its going to be a long year hu? and I think I would be contacting him or at least letting him know my feelings on the letter in a polite way of course.... Good Luck... I feel for ya

 

I guess that I am in the extreme minority here. I do feel that he should have worded better but I feel that the point of the assignment is to get a feel for the "tone" of the household- not the education of it. Is Trinady starting high school this year? If not she is probably in 8th grade. By sending home a very specific assignment for the parents he will find out if they (the parents) follow directions well, he will find out the educational foundation in the home, he will find out if the parents are confrontational and he will find out if the home is technologically up to date. By getting this info on the parents he will have a better idea of where his students are coming from and be able to tailor his teaching to that. That is alot to obtain from one assignment but that is what I see him taking from it.

Yes, I feel it is condescending but I would go with it and see where things go...maybe ask him about the tone the next time you see him (maybe open house night)

 

QUOTE(cwinslow7 @ Sep 6 2007, 09:51 AM) [snapback]395188[/snapback]
I guess that I am in the extreme minority here. I do feel that he should have worded better but I feel that the point of the assignment is to get a feel for the "tone" of the household- not the education of it. Is Trinady starting high school this year? If not she is probably in 8th grade. By sending home a very specific assignment for the parents he will find out if they (the parents) follow directions well, he will find out the educational foundation in the home, he will find out if the parents are confrontational and he will find out if the home is technologically up to date. By getting this info on the parents he will have a better idea of where his students are coming from and be able to tailor his teaching to that. That is alot to obtain from one assignment but that is what I see him taking from it.

Yes, I feel it is condescending but I would go with it and see where things go...maybe ask him about the tone the next time you see him (maybe open house night)


Exactly what I've been trying to say, but expressed much better

 

QUOTE(cwinslow7 @ Sep 6 2007, 02:51 PM) [snapback]395188[/snapback]
Is Trinady starting high school this year? If not she is probably in 8th grade. By sending home a very specific assignment for the parents he will find out if they (the parents) follow directions well, he will find out the educational foundation in the home, he will find out if the parents are confrontational and he will find out if the home is technologically up to date.


Yes, she's a freshman now. This is accelerated English.

You are quoting DH almost verbatim. I was going to have him read these replies, but now that you're backing him up, I can't let him see this. LOL Just kidding!

 

I do agree with you, Christina, and like I said, it's not the actual assignment that bothers me, but rather his condescending attitude/comments. I do not like being talked down to, especially by an educator.

 

I personally didn't think there was anything wrong with it until I got the last 2 remarks.

QUOTE
*Proofread carefully to make sure your spelling, grammar, usage, and punctuation are correct, and THEN click "send."
*Incomplete and/or superficial answers will be returned for more careful consideration. "


Those 2 things bothered me.

As a former teacher I think this, minus the last 2 remarks, is a great way to get insight as to what the parents hope the year will bring and anything they want to tell you about their child. When I taught I did send parent homework similar to this home at the beginning of the school year, so I could find more out about the students/parents, and what they hoped the school year would bring.

 

LOL, you ought to print out this thread and give it to him!! It seems most of us have no problem with the assigment, just don't care for his "reprimand" regarding spelling, content, and grammar.

 

Perhaps he still had his "teacher hat" on when he drafted this and didn't think about how it would come across.....HMMMM....sounds like most men I know.....they have good intentions with poor delivery of the message.

 

I think it's a joke. I think he wants you to do those things, but the form he put it in was meant to be humorous like YOU are the student.

If not, how could you really take that seriously? Most parents are educated enough not to need these directions.

 

Extremely condescending, especially the part about him returning it to you if its not proof-read. I've given more respect to the college undergraduates I've taught, while making sure they knew my expectations.

Seems to me like Mr. English Teacher thinks that he is more educated than all the parents of his students. I rarely give my 'credentials,' but I would probably complete his 'assignment' and sign it with my proper title (PhD)... and I hate to do that because my education (and my husband's- also a PhD) should not matter to my childrens' teachers. They should be evaluated on their own strengths.

Also, if the goal of this letter is to work with the parents to educate the students the best way he can, then he shouldn't act so superior. I'm sure you weren't the only parent to be rubbed the wrong way by this letter. -Leighann

 

Overall I think he is just a control freak and used to giving out assignments to little kids and is oblivious but.....

The part I really have a problem with are the last two lines.
QUOTE
*Proofread carefully to make sure your spelling, grammar, usage, and punctuation are correct, and THEN click "send."
*Incomplete and/or superficial answers will be returned for more careful consideration


My children go to a Title 1 School and we have many families whose parents don't have email, don't know how to read or write, let alone correct grammar, and many don't speak a bit of english. That email would get a teacher in my child's school in big trouble!!!! It goes against all social justice philosophy and is just condescending and discriminatory.

I would forward it to the principal.

I had to come back to add I just realized the word it evokes for me....humiliation. It will totally humiliate those who do not meet his standards. It is just very provocative.

I received similar questions from my ds's teacher, getting to know you, what do you expect from this year, what do we need to know about your child but there was not a hint of insult in it and I was so happy they asked. THis is just toally different for me.

 

I would have reacted the same way. Thats awful...isn't the english class for the kids, not the parents?

 

QUOTE(twoplustwo @ Sep 6 2007, 11:38 AM) [snapback]395285[/snapback]
Overall I think he is just a control freak and used to giving out assignments to little kids and is oblivious but.....

The part I really have a problem with are the last two lines.
My children go to a Title 1 School and we have many families whose parents don't have email, don't know how to read or write, let alone correct grammar, and many don't speak a bit on english. That email would get a teacher in my child's school in big trouble!!!! It goes against all social justice philosophy and is just condescending and discriminatory.

I would forward it to the principal.


This is a really good point! Is it extremely inappropriate for this teacher to assume that everyone has access to a computer (for email or to type it out) and that everyone is fluent in English. -Leighann

 

The assignment allows for typing or for writing it out, he has taken into consideration the fact that not all have access...if he get's a typed copy he will know that the student doesn't have internet access, if he gets it handwritten he will know that that student cannot produce a typed report if that is a future assignment and he can then privately give the student an alternate option. I do not even have an issue with him spelling out that he wants the parental assignment proofread...scan some of our posts in this forum...many of us have awful spelling and grammatical skills. The only portion of the entire assignment I would have an issue with is the "THEN hit send" and the final notation that the assignment may be returned...other than that I have no issue with it at all. That very last portion set a foul tone.

Edited for my spelling mistake

 

QUOTE(first_time_mommy_2_be_twins @ Sep 6 2007, 04:21 AM) [snapback]394823[/snapback]
This part that part would REALLY bug me. The rest of it was "okay" I guess aside from the fact that he is giving you an "Assignment" rather than emailing you an OPTIONAL questionaire.



I agree with this. The rest of the letter is actually a good idea. The teacher wants your opinion on what you expect from the class. However, the end of the letter is rude to do to a parent. Obviously, you would want your students to proofread and check for grammer before turning something in (Duh it is English), but to say that to a parent and say it may be returned...the parent isn't the student and the parent isn't be graded....I would make a comment about this part in your return letter.

April

 

QUOTE(cwinslow7 @ Sep 6 2007, 08:59 AM) [snapback]395328[/snapback]
The assignment allows for typing or for writing it out, he has taken into consideration the fact that not all have access...if he get's a typed copy he will know that the student doesn't have internet access, if he gets it handwritten he will know that that student cannot produce a typed report if that is a future assignment and he can then privately give the student an alternate option. I do not even have an issue with him spelling out that he wants the parental assignment proofread...scan some of our posts in this forum...many of us have awful spelling and grammatical skills. The only portion of the entire assignment I would have an issue with is the "THEN hit send" and the final notation that the assignment may be returned...other than that I have no issue with it at all. That very last portion set a foul tone.

Edited for my spelling mistake


In my opinion,
The assignment is extremely discriminatory. What if a parent can not read it as they don't speak English? or can't write in English? How humiliating for them if they don't know proper English and he basically said he will not accept it improperly written. That will make those who may not be well educated to feel bad about themselves and probably not do the assignment at all. The wording and connotation is unaccepting of other's and is snobby. He might as well have said, those who don't have a high level of education suck and are not worth my time reading your responses. I think it is an elitist attitude and should be insulting to anyone who considers other's feelings and lifestyle.

If a child needs to have internet access for an assignment they can go to the library so it is really none of his business if they have internet access at home. Just because I may choose to handwrite something is irrelevant to if I have the means to type something. If he wants those kinds of answers, he can ask directly. He can not infer the answers to the questions listed above by this assignment alone. If he needs to know if someone has internet access at home, he should ask that question.

Why would he be so offended if I misspell a word? I have my masters degree and still misspell things sometimes (I'm human) and sometimes it's a typo. But who is he to tell me he is too good to read a typo. He should be grateful that I actually have the time to answer his questions while I am taking care of 4 kids, working and running my household.

 

I feel I have to jump back in here and say that I do NOT think you should let the tone of this letter go. I can't think of any principal I've ever worked for who would support this form of communication with parents. Obviously, it's a good assignment for the most part, as it does allow him to learn about the students. But the last 2 points were ridiculously overbearing and inappropriate.

If you feel that you should complete the assignment, I recommend you include it as part of the email you send to the teacher, detailing your concerns over being talked to this way, and you should CC the principal. Don't BCC the principal, the teacher needs to understand that this is causing you great concern, and he needs to know you've taken it above his head.

If this teacher is going to bully parents in this way, imagine how he treats students in his classroom? Having high expectations is fine, but being demeaning is a whole different ballgame.

The other thing I find funny about this is that, for someone who expects parents to turn in proofread work, perhaps he should have proofread his own work before sending it home. Last time I checked, "acct" is not standard English for the word "account".

 

I have a problem with the "send from your own e-mail account". I am sorry, but I would not allow my kids, right now (6 years old), even at 14-15 years old to have their own e-mail account.... Too many weirdo's out there, I would contact the principal with or about the appropiateness of this assignment. Just my thoughts about this.

 

QUOTE(Caleb2Cody @ Sep 6 2007, 11:40 AM) [snapback]395411[/snapback]
I have a problem with the "send from your own e-mail account". I am sorry, but I would not allow my kids, right now (6 years old), even at 14-15 years old to have their own e-mail account.... Too many weirdo's out there, I would contact the principal with or about the appropiateness of this assignment. Just my thoughts about this.


I'm confused...I thought he meant for parent/guardian to send it from their own email account? right?

 

QUOTE
Last time I checked, "acct" is not standard English for the word "account".


Sorry, this was one of my abbreviations when I typed this out last night. The underlines and caps were his, though.

QUOTE
I'm confused...I thought he meant for parent/guardian to send it from their own email account? right?


This is why I read and re-read it; but I think he means from the parents' account, as that is the stated purpose of the assignment.

And I totally agree that it is just rude and intimidating to reject a parents response, whatever it is. I work full time and have infant twins; I'm lucky if I have any time to answer at all!

(of course, I'm sitting here at TS all morning LOL) (but that's not the point!)

 

All I have to say is that you can tell he's an English teacher, LOL.

 

Maybe you could add in at the bottom a space for your grade received?
This would totally bug me... I understand his reasons for why he would want it completed, but he had poor wording.

 

QUOTE(dollymomma @ Sep 6 2007, 12:19 PM) [snapback]395498[/snapback]
Maybe you could add in at the bottom a space for your grade received?
This would totally bug me... I understand his reasons for why he would want it completed, but he had poor wording.


or...maybe attach a copy of your transcripts?

 

The more I think about this, it's got to be an English teacher's attempt at humor, don't you think? Treating your assignment like one of his students? I don't know. Just a thought . . .

 

QUOTE(berebunch31 @ Sep 6 2007, 09:17 AM) [snapback]395365[/snapback]
I feel I have to jump back in here and say that I do NOT think you should let the tone of this letter go. I can't think of any principal I've ever worked for who would support this form of communication with parents. Obviously, it's a good assignment for the most part, as it does allow him to learn about the students. But the last 2 points were ridiculously overbearing and inappropriate.

If you feel that you should complete the assignment, I recommend you include it as part of the email you send to the teacher, detailing your concerns over being talked to this way, and you should CC the principal. Don't BCC the principal, the teacher needs to understand that this is causing you great concern, and he needs to know you've taken it above his head.

If this teacher is going to bully parents in this way, imagine how he treats students in his classroom? Having high expectations is fine, but being demeaning is a whole different ballgame.

:Clap:

 

If he meant it to be funny, he should've included emoticons of some sort. Email is a notoriously flat medium, and it's pretty obvious from this thread that "humor" is not the first response most people are having.

I think I might have to call him, now that I've had time to ponder it, so I could talk to him directly and get a better feel for his demeanor and how he meant this to come across.

 

QUOTE(cwinslow7 @ Sep 6 2007, 10:59 AM) [snapback]395328[/snapback]
I do not even have an issue with him spelling out that he wants the parental assignment proofread...scan some of our posts in this forum...many of us have awful spelling and grammatical skills. The only portion of the entire assignment I would have an issue with is the "THEN hit send" and the final notation that the assignment may be returned...other than that I have no issue with it at all. That very last portion set a foul tone.

I've been thinking about this all morning, and the longer I think about it, the longer I like it.

My first reaction would be to send a response:

Mr. Teacher:

I am in receipt of your Parental Assignment due September 7. I have several concerns based thereon.

Please give me a call at xxx-xxxx to schedule a meeting to discuss each of our concerns.

Regards,
Mom.

I have, however reconsidered my opinion. I agree with the post quoted. Look at how many of us cannot form a response using proper grammar, capitalization, spelling and usage. I've even noticed glaring errors made by the teachers among us.

I have concluded that this guy is a very good teacher. Why? Because he is "demanding" the same from the parents as he is of his students. Why should he accept less from adults than he does from 13 year olds? Frankly, I am appalled at the lack of proper communication skills I see everywhere. On this message board and a few others I frequent, I see horrible mistakes in every thread. Mistakes that any graduate of sixth grade shouldn't be making. This teacher has illustrated that he won't stand for that. Not from his students and not from their parents. He expects everyone to put thought and effort into their assignments.

You should be very glad that your daughter is going to be taught PROPER grammar skills.

And by the way, when I was in charge of deciding who to call for an interview based on candidates' resumes and cover letters, I immediately tossed any letter with any mistakes. I didn't care how qualified a candidate was, if he or she couldn't proofread a cover letter for a job in a law office, he or she was not welcome in my firm. Period. Grammar matters.

 

QUOTE(BellaRissa @ Sep 6 2007, 08:05 AM) [snapback]394885[/snapback]
While I do think his assignment was high-handed & assumed that parents do need to be "corrected" & "graded", I applaud his effort to create a cooperative, teamwork approach with the parents of his students. I would send back the most perfect, clear, polite eMail that I could compose. He is probably going to get a bunch of junk from parents who don't know how to spell, punctuate or proper grammar & I would want to stand out from the crowd. Don't be such a prickly pear - be glad he cares enough to involve you.


I don't call this teamwork. I call this 'one up' work. With all due respect to this teacher, as the mom, I'd feel very ticked if I'd get such a letter. In fact, I'd probably send it back as he requested. But the next day I'd send in a form of my own with a whole bunch of stupid questions.

Dear His highness,
In order for me to be a good parent, you will need to fill out this form and date it correctly, circle the date with a different color pen and mail it. It should be postmarked by tomorrow's date.

1. What gifts do you like for your birthday?
2. What's the worst thing a student could do to you?
3. What would you do if two students needed your attention at the same time?
4. How would you react if a student is disrespectful to you?
and so on.

I'm just horrified at the rudeness of this teacher.
QUOTE(cwinslow7 @ Sep 6 2007, 03:59 PM) [snapback]395328[/snapback]
The assignment allows for typing or for writing it out, he has taken into consideration the fact that not all have access...if he get's a typed copy he will know that the student doesn't have internet access, if he gets it handwritten he will know that that student cannot produce a typed report if that is a future assignment and he can then privately give the student an alternate option. I do not even have an issue with him spelling out that he wants the parental assignment proofread...scan some of our posts in this forum...many of us have awful spelling and grammatical skills. The only portion of the entire assignment I would have an issue with is the "THEN hit send" and the final notation that the assignment may be returned...other than that I have no issue with it at all. That very last portion set a foul tone.

Edited for my spelling mistake

Posting on TS is very different than a parent sitting down to write an assignment. And IMO, he'd gain more by recieving them as is, as he'd know more about the parents.

 

I was an English teacher in the public schools and am now an adjunct professor, and I would NEVER send anything like that to parents. The tone, and as an English teacher he knows all about tone, was terribly insulting. It is great he is trying to get to know the students, yet his job is to teach them how to write and get their point across the best way possible, something he obviously failed to do himself. I would be very annoyed to say the least if I received such a note.

I have to ditto the idea of second language learners. What about students who have parents who struggle with English? Some might have parents with learning disabilities that struggle writing down their thoughts and ideas. Is he planning on making assumptions regarding the children if their parent struggles mailing something back that meets his standards.? You are no longer a student, and should not be spoken to as such. If your answers do not satisfy him, so be it. To email you again and ask you to be more concise is rude and condescending. I understand not wanting to make waves, but my gut would want me to march into his classroom and ask for some kind of explanation regarding his tone in the email. I would have serious reservations regarding his classroom management this year.

All this to say, I agree with you!

 

QUOTE
I have concluded that this guy is a very good teacher. Why? Because he is "demanding" the same from the parents as he is of his students. Why should he accept less from adults than he does from 13 year olds?


Because his role is to educate 13 year olds. His duties do not include grading parents' responses to his request for partnership.

 

QUOTE(Fay @ Sep 6 2007, 12:08 PM) [snapback]395598[/snapback]
Because his role is to educate 13 year olds. His duties do not include grading parents' responses to his request for partnership.


And, yes, we have all seen posts that were imperfectly composed, but sometimes this is due to the fact that not everyone took typing in school (I did, lucky for me, since it wasn't that big of a deal when I was in 10th grade; back then typing was a job skill, not a life necessity), and sometimes people might have a baby or two crawling on them, or they might be in too much of a hurry to proofread.

Whether I can compose something grammatically perfect or not has little bearing on whether I am a good parent, or on whether I can communicate effectively with the teacher about my child's education.

I am not his student, and would prefer to be addressed as his equal.

 

I think it is terrible. I know I would flip. What bothers me, as it has been stated numerous times, is that the teacher's job is to educate the children in his class not the parents. There are more effective ways to open a dialogue between a parent and a teacher than that offensive email. Also, this arrogant *** is a high school teacher with probably only a BS/BA. I would react differently had this email originated from a Harvard PHD professor....but then again, I think a person with a higher education would know to treat people with more respect. I also like how his schedule is so busy that email is the best way to contact him?!

Once again I reinterate- ***!

I look forward to the many stories that are sure to unfold this year about this man. Perhaps there should be a sub fourm dedicated to this potential teacher of the year candidate. I can see his campaign posters now, "Educating students and their sub-intelligent parents simultaneously!

 

QUOTE(~rosie~ @ Sep 6 2007, 05:44 PM) [snapback]395554[/snapback]
I've been thinking about this all morning, and the longer I think about it, the longer I like it.

My first reaction would be to send a response:

Mr. Teacher:

I am in receipt of your Parental Assignment due September 7. I have several concerns based thereon.

Please give me a call at xxx-xxxx to schedule a meeting to discuss each of our concerns.

Regards,
Mom.

I have, however reconsidered my opinion. I agree with the post quoted. Look at how many of us cannot form a response using proper grammar, capitalization, spelling and usage. I've even noticed glaring errors made by the teachers among us.

I have concluded that this guy is a very good teacher. Why? Because he is "demanding" the same from the parents as he is of his students. Why should he accept less from adults than he does from 13 year olds? Frankly, I am appalled at the lack of proper communication skills I see everywhere. On this message board and a few others I frequent, I see horrible mistakes in every thread. Mistakes that any graduate of sixth grade shouldn't be making. This teacher has illustrated that he won't stand for that. Not from his students and not from their parents. He expects everyone to put thought and effort into their assignments.

You should be very glad that your daughter is going to be taught PROPER grammar skills.

And by the way, when I was in charge of deciding who to call for an interview based on candidates' resumes and cover letters, I immediately tossed any letter with any mistakes. I didn't care how qualified a candidate was, if he or she couldn't proofread a cover letter for a job in a law office, he or she was not welcome in my firm. Period. Grammar matters.


I have to say I was moderately offended by this post. I am a high school teacher and and adjunct professor.... I do make egregious spelling and grammatical errors when posting on TS.... WHY because I am in a hurry. I like to be part of Mommy conversations and twins conversations as I get precious little of that in my daily life BUT I like to cuddle my babies too, and have time to grade papers, write powerpoints, make notesheets, write tests, and make dinner and feed the animals and then God-willing to snuggle my husband so I am not careful with my writing here. It just isn't that important to me. Grammar matters, but why should it matter here?

I promise that I can write with the best of them but the effort that takes is best spent elsewhere.

I would bring it to his attention in a non-confrontational way....EX. I wanted to speak to you about the assignment can we meet face to face. And then get a feel for who he is based on that meeting. I think he probably meant it for an assignment for the students or copied and pasted a student assignment and a parent assignment together and the tone got muddled. This could be an opportunity to really get to know a teacher and build a good relationship.

 

My take on this letter is that he is trying to show the parents what kind of work he expects from his students. I think this is an example of the instructions he will provide when his students have an assignment. In dealing with adolescents every day he probably has to be very specific. In the classroom setting, I am sure he hears every day how "you never told us we had to do this, or that". Kids can selectively tune out instructions and only hear what they want to hear. And sometimes teachers assume that kids should automatically know certain things about schoolwork. So he states exactly word for word what he is expecting, and that spelling and grammar are important. Maybe he is going to use these as a lesson for the kids that even in the grownup world you need good language skills and how to follow directions. Also, if a parent looks over the assignment for their student before it is turned in, he/she will have an idea whether the student is "getting it".

HOWEVER, I can see how it would tick someone off. And the pp's are right, you don't know if it was meant in humor, or as a warning that much will be expected. I think the teacher is probably a control freak, and doesn't realize that his tone is condescending. I will be interested to see what the teacher has to say about the reactions he receives from this "assignment."