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Original poster

Y7 Eng: Teacher's remark in book...

95 replies

ampere · 17/09/2010 15:42

'Great discription. Try not to say to much at the beggining'

This is at the 'top performing comp in the county'. Not that that should really make any difference, I grant you, except the school's 'reputation' should allow them to be fairly selective regarding the standard of their teaching staff!

Frankly, I am aghast. AM I a billion years behind the time assuming that a secondary school ENGLISH teacher should be able to spell such basic words?

OP posts:
IHeartKingThistle · 17/09/2010 18:31

Another English teacher here, agreeing with Feenie. Why on earth would we think this is acceptable?!

You CAN be a great English teacher even if you have a spelling problem, but you have to address it and check everything you send out!

msyikes · 17/09/2010 18:31

Ridiculous comment Greensleeves. Do you write for the Daily Mail? You should apologise to teachers immediately for your nonsense.
I am a teacher and think it is disgraceful for a teacher not to be able to spell basic words properly. I cringe when teachers confuse your/you're and the like. Sadly it does happen that some teachers do not spell well, but I am in disbelief that an English teacher could have written the comment the OP quotes. a) for the spelling mistakes and b) for how totally useless a comment it is about how the child can move forwards. Agree, it must be peer marked.
You could either:
-Ask your child if it was peer marked
If yes, that is a valid way for work to be marked but it sounds like the teacher needs to work on getting the kids to write more useful comments- they need teaching how to peer assess well, with the mark scheme.
If no, aargh!
-Ring the HoD (if this teacher is not the HoD) and/or the head on Monday morning and compain vociferously.
Then photocopy the book and sell it to Greensleeve's mates at the Daily Hate Mail !!

Feenie · 17/09/2010 18:18

greensleeves "

Ineedmorechocolatenow · 17/09/2010 18:14

English teacher here, and I agree with gherkin and Jem. It sounds as though it's been peer marked as, apart from the spelling errors, the comment is so vague.

Original poster
ampere · 17/09/2010 16:17

Absolutely, I'm certainly not going in guns blazing yet! And actually, upon reflection, I'd approach the teacher, not the Head of English in the first instance. In fact, I was going to take a 'wait and see' approach as I seriously cannot believe that a school that gets a 90% A-C pass rate in English at GCSE permits this level of teaching in the rather crucial 'identify the DCs with weaknesses' Y7 stage!

OP posts:
jem44 · 17/09/2010 16:13

Well it isn't just the spelling is it? " Great Description. Try not to write too much at the beginning" sounds like an 11 year old, not an adult.

gherkinwithapurplemerkin · 17/09/2010 16:10

Ah yes, peermarking. Good point,jem. Better check that 1st before you make the call.

jem44 · 17/09/2010 16:07

It really is the teacher is it? Have you checked with your child that it isn't a piece of work that is a peer-marked first draft? If it really is the teacher then it is a shocker but it seems fairer to me to chat with the teacher first before going to management perhaps?

HooNose · 17/09/2010 16:05

Agree, that is awful. And before the "So what? s/he may still be a brilliant teacher" brigade come in, let us remember this is from someone who is supposed to be developing children's literacy skills.

I would definitely take it up with the head of department (hope it isn't that teacher!)

Original poster
ampere · 17/09/2010 16:01

I admit I am rather disappointed. Or perhaps I'm dissapointed?!

I am wondering whether (weather?!) there's (their's? they're's?) any point in bringing this to the attention of the Head of English. SURELY I can't be the only parent who feels that, despite this being the era of spell-checkers, there needs still to be a bastion of 'English: Correct usage of' within a secondary school setting and that surely should be the English teacher!

Or maybe they're studying Molesworth....

OP posts:
gherkinwithapurplemerkin · 17/09/2010 16:01

Shocking. Possibly not an English specialist bit really, I would be inclined to have a low-key chat with the Head of Dept.

(English teacher here - and a pedant)

MaMoTTaT · 17/09/2010 15:59

although - having said that my secondary school English teacher (he was the headteacher as well - a private school at that - couldn't spell for toffee either - I always found it highly amusing that an English graduate couldn't spell - and he would have been at university 40 odd years ago!)

MaMoTTaT · 17/09/2010 15:58

oh blimey that's bad - I tend not to get too worked up about these things, not being a great speller myself, but being able to correct mistakes in my work, and having technology at hand to help me the rest of the timeWink - but that is shocking!

LynetteScavo · 17/09/2010 15:57

I work with someone who doesn't know to from too.

Drives me mad, and I feel the need to correct their notes on the computer.

Kids need to learn this stuff in order not to annoy colleagues in later life.

UnquietDad · 17/09/2010 15:53

I think the 'eye-rolling' teachers tend to agree on this kind of thing, don't they? They only feel picked on when people come in saying stuff about how they have an easy ride with the holidays, etc.

It's no surprise that a lot of teachers can't spell. The GCSE generation is now old enough to be in HoD level positions. One of DW's younger colleagues allegedly holds a B in English and can't spell. She freely admits she got her dad to spellcheck all her coursework. Hmm

NickOfTime · 17/09/2010 15:48

take it to the HT. or the governing body. seriously.

i am appalled.

are you sure she wasn't dictating in a hurry to a TA? (i know, i know, there are literate TAs and everything, but some of them aren't.)

SmellsLikeTeenSweat · 17/09/2010 15:48

That's three spelling mistakes in two short sentences, and as you say, they're basic words. I would be horrified.

SmellsLikeTeenSweat · 17/09/2010 15:47

Shock!

Greensleeves · 17/09/2010 15:45

really?!?!?!?

that's fucking atrocious. Not good enough.

ByTheSea · 17/09/2010 15:44

Argghhh. That would make me seethe.

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