Cursive writing at 4 years of age !! Am I right to be annoyed?

[3catstoo]

Hi,
My dd1 is 4. She started school in Sept. At our local school they like the children to start using cursive writing from day one. For ds1 last year this was not a problem as he was 5. However dd1 is not finding it easy. This does not worry me in the slightest, I think they are far too young to pressure.
dd has been getting spellings since finishing her word pot words. She has to learn 5 a week and write them as part of a sentence dictated by the teacher. Her spelling is good verbally but she still struggles with some letters when writing.
Today she got her spellings correct but the teacher had written a note saying "From now on even if dd1 gets the spelling right but fails to use cursive writing they will be marked as incorrect. She will continue to get the same set until she uses cursive writing".
I am still really angry about this 3 hrs later.
Surley a spelling test should be just that. I am proud of dd for being able to spell the words in the first place and to write them down with the letters the right way around in a legible form. Why a 4 year old is being pressued into cursive writing I fail to understand.
Am I justified in saying something to the teacher (not my favourite person at the best of times)?
This seems to be the only school around here that uses cursive writing from Reception.
Any advice would be gratefully received.

[3catstoo]

I think my own spelling needs attention!!! I should have typed surely not surley.

[Sparklemagic]

Yes, this Is unreasonable - if it's a spelling test, then how depressing and unfair for a child to see correct spellings marked as incorrect! I would feel bullied if good work I did was marked as wrong - outrageous, no wonder you are cross.

The teacher should set and mark a seperate cursive writing exercise if this is what she is trying to 'help' your DD with. I have heard of local school to me starting from the very beginning with cursive writing and like anything in education it's probably fine for some and not for others to learn this way at the beginning and it's a shame that they are so blinkered in enforcing it.

Basically, if it helps I think you're right to be cross and I think you should feel totally justified in talking to this teacher. Good luck, let us know what happens!!!

[Pastarito]

We had this as well. My ds1 struggled a lot with having to do cursive writing from day 1 but now in Yr 2 his writing, although not the neatest, looks quite good.

My ds2 will be the youngest in his year group. Now 3.5 I can't even get him to remember his alphabet sounds at the moment so I really don't know how he will cope with cursive writing in Reception.

I certainly think your teacher should be more understanding. It also seems very early for them to be doing spelling tests. Definitely have a word, and if you don't get anywhere, try the headteacher.

There is a theory - I think I saw it on jollylearning.co.uk or on the dislexia.org site - that joined up writing aids good spelling. Not sure how, but worth looking up... But I think for a 4 year old these expectations are simply too high.

[WideWebWitch]

Oh ffs, this is why children shouldn't go to school as early as they do in this country. I agree with you, it's bloody mad. Tell the teacher you don't care what her marks are, school should be about having fun at this stage and getting used to it and therefore you'd rather she didn't make a big deal of it to your dd thanks very much. I do sympathise.

[WideWebWitch]

What is cursive writing anyway, just realised I have no idea! I don't think my ds had the remotest whiff of a test until he was about 6 btw and this is at state primaries.

[SoupDragon]

Absolutely stupid.

I am delighted that, not only does DSs school not tart about with spellings and "learning" what a word says, they don't teach cursive writing at this ridiculously young age.

they are still little children FFS and should be learning through play.

[Rianna]

Our school uses cursive writing as well in reception, and we have spellingstests as well.
But I can understand how angry you are about that note...contact the teacher and if he/she insists, the headmaster or meadmistress, I think it is too unreasonable to punish a child for not being ready and insisting will do more harm then good.

[thewomanwhothoughtshewasahat]

does cursive mean joined up? or does it mean the sort of writing that can be joined up - ie with hooks at the beginning and end? if the latter then dd's school does this from reception too. SHe's 5 and in year 1 now - she has five spellings a week some of which are quite difficult (stretching and scrambling were amongst this weeks) I don;t particularly have a problem with teh cursive writing but I think the note from your teacher is bang out of order - it's a threat for "poor" performance rather than praise/ackowledgement/encouragement for good - which can;t be right imo. Threats like that might start to become appropriate when they are much older and have clearly shown that they don't care/aren't trying etc. but 4!!!! totally out of order - it's putting her off before she's barely got going - ridiculous

[LadyTophamHatt]

I agree cursive handwriting is crap for reception children.
DS2 who started in Jan has no desire to write at all so the whole cursive thing is utter pointless for him.

Thankfully at our new school they aren't so rigid in the rule and don't force it apon them but the old school was awful....even teaching it it the nursery!!!!


And as for the spelling thing....OMG I would have hit the roof if I read a note like that in the ds's book. Ridiculous that a 4 yr old has spelling anyway but it's disgusting that she'll be marked incorrect for not writing it cursively.
I would be absolutley raging!

[foxinsocks]

is this a state primary?

dd does cursive writing (and has done since reception) but we've only started spelling lists this year (yr 1) and even then, we don't have proper 'tests'.

I think it sounds very harsh.

[thewomanwhothoughtshewasahat]

...if they have clearly shown...etc would have sounded better

[BudaBabe]

OMG - how ridiculous!

DS is 4.5 and in Recp also. They are teaching them writing that can be joined but TBH his is still completely illegible - but teacher praises him hugely for effort (he was totally disinterested until Xmas - told her writing was "boring"!).

Can't believe they do spelling tests!

[DumbledoresGirl]

As a teacher, I know there is an argument for children learning cursive writing the moment they learn to write, and also that being able to do cursive writing aids the learning of spelling.

But I think it is wrong of the teacher to mark words spelt correctly as incorrect just because of the handwriting! Complain!

[singersgirl]

How discouraging for your daughter (and of course for you)! I think spelling tests alone are bad enough for Reception, but marking down for handwriting......

My DS2 is also in Reception and 4.5, and they don't have spelling tests. Of course they work on spelling in the classroom. His handwriting is very poor and he would never manage cursive.

[morocco]

complain asap - it's either a spelling test or a cursive writing test, surely? or have 2 separate marks - full marks for spelling, not so good for the cursive writing part.
ask her what research she (he?) is basing this approach on - then check it out and see what they really say.
I'd be mad

[Hulababy]

As a (ex) teacher I don't see how the teacher can penalise your daughter in this way. Surely the marking policy of the spelling test is to give a mark for each spelling done correctly? Marking in this negative way is actually discouraged in most schools and it is recomended, strongly, it is not done - not even at secondary level, let alone with reception children.

I would go in and suggest that you do not agree with this, ask to have her marking policy for the spelling test explained, and to see how she can change it to a more postive form of marking, as it the recommendation in teaching today. She could for example, have 5 spellings each with one mark each and then 1 or 2 extra marks for the cursuve writing. This would then give a mark out of 7 for 5 spellings. Or to give a spelling mark out of 5, and a cursive writing mark out of x (or preferably an effort mark for TRYING to use cursive).

[Aero]

We've had similar problems with dd. She is 5.5 and in year 1. All of last year they did normal printing and suddenly this cursive writing has been introduced! I am actually of the school of thought that if they must do cursive writing, then they should learn it from day one rather than spen a whole year learning one thing only to totally confuse them the following year by doing something else! Dd was also marked wrongly for spellings where it was clear she had got her letters the wrong way round. She can spell them perfectly well out loud! I did complain about this and had my say re the writing also as I felt it was de-moralising for a child who struggles as it is with reading.

Having said all that, she is getting the hang odf the cursive writing and is rather enjoying the new skill. I am finding it a real struggle at home though to help her as much as she needs to learn five spellings each week and remember them, as well as the reading and extra homework as part of the ELS (Early Literacy Scheme) which is to help her with her literacy, and any worksheets which are normal homework. I also have ds1 (eight) who needs assistance and ds2 who is two and is a constant PITA when homework is on the agenda!
Oh..... I could rant about homework and un-necessary pressure for hours!!!

[robinpud]

The expectatation in state schools is that children in year 2 are beginning to use a legible cursive script. That means they have a couple of years to work up to that. However is yours a state primary 3catstoo? The teacher sounds, well a bit of a dragon I am afraid! Actually no, she sounds like a cow and if she had written something as overtly negative on my 4 year old I too would be livid. I am a teacher and cannot for the life of me understand her approach. I would be tempted to say to her that you are quite happy for her to give dd the same spellings, but that you won't be spending any tie at home practising a cursive script until your daughter is of a more appropriate age. As the use of s cursive script depends on fine motor skills I would also ask her what fun activites she provides in her classroom to encourage the acquisition of such skills. AND DON@T BUY HER AN END OF TERM PRESENT!

[julienetmum]

I am in favour of cursive script fron the beginningg and dd who is 4 and still in nursery is learning that way via Jolly Phonics. The DVD explains how to form the letters in language that 4 year olds can relate to.

However I think the way your daughter's teacher is going about it is appalling. It is one thing to encourage cursive script and totally another not to allow the child to learn at her own pace.

She should be getting handwriting practice to improve her letter formations and leave the spelling tests as that.

[3catstoo]

Thank you for your replies.
It is a state school.
I have nothing against cursive writing if it comes naturally to a child so young (as it did to my DS1) but to put pressure on a 4.5 yr old seems absurd.
My main gripe is that the teacher should not be penalising her for not using cursive writing on a spelling test.
After reading the replies below I feel justified in speaking to the teacher tomorrow.
Thank you so much. It always helps to get someone elses opinion, especially when you feel so angry that you may overreact.
I will let you know how I get on.
3cats.
xxx

[PrincessPeaHead]

I think cursive writing from reception is quite good actually, and don't see anything wrong with having spelling tests. but spelling is spelling and writing is writing and she should NOT be telling him his spelling is wrong because his writing is not cursive. what sort of mad confused message is she sending him? she should be praising every correct spelling to the skies and concentrating on his writing in separate writing exercises.

would be firm and quite cross with her actually.

[PrincessPeaHead]

oh so sorry I read your post wrong - sorry for calling your dd a boy!!

[AntheaTurnerPuff]

Said teacher needs some inset on the development of literacy in young children - as others have said, "spelling" and "handwriting" are distinctly different skills.

Her approach is a sure fire way to destroy a 4 year old's confidence in their abilities as a reader and writer



If you don't get any joy with the teacher, go to the Head - if this is school marking policy it is appalling

[uwila]

Completely agree with PPH. Your child should not be marked as a bad speller when the spelling isn't what is being marked. I'm assuming the teacher records these test scores somewhere and it goes on your DD's record.

I'd have a word with the teacher, and ask her if the curriculum has set out a guidline to teach spelling or cursive writing. And to please not confuse the two... at age 4!

Gosh, my DD will be 3 this month, and if she is to be given a cursive writing test in a year or so I really better get cracking on the alphabet.