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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To scrawl all over letters from school in a red pen & give them 2/10?

84 replies

spiderslegs · 04/01/2012 21:04

DS started school today & came home with a Large Brown Envelope with the word URGENT scrawled across the front.

He was very concerned that I opened & read it. Upon doing so, it contained a wad of 'official' forms that I had already signed & returned in September and the grammar & syntax had NOT improved since the last time I signed them.

Not one apostrophe, tautologies, pluralised singles (wellie anyone?) & garbled, barely legible syntax.

So AIBU to return them signed (again) with corrections in red?

The school is rated outstanding by OFSTED & all letters carried the teacher's or Headmistress' name.

OP posts:
Crapricorn · 04/01/2012 21:38

are going to proceed!!!

Original poster
spiderslegs · 04/01/2012 21:43

My use of capitals was as a result of my son's feelings of importance about The Envelope.

OP posts:
StealthPenguin · 04/01/2012 21:47

Examples of tautology: "PIN number". Considering that "PIN" stands for Personal Identification Number, you are essentially saying Personal Identification Number Number. This also applies in the case of "ATM Machine". Automated Teller Machine Machine".

There are also ones such as "pair of twins", "sink down", "extra bonus" and "past history".

Oh, and YANBU!

pointythings · 04/01/2012 21:48

Go ahead, do it. I say this as someone who receives immaculate correspondence from their DCs' schools (both state, neither OFSTED outstanding) so it can be done.

I've done the apostrophes thing at nursery too, had a quiet word with the manager who was actually really good about it and arranged training for the staff!

Lynne Truss is my hero.

Original poster
spiderslegs · 04/01/2012 21:56

Pointy - you give me hope, would a school be as amenable to suggestion as a nursery though?

Stealth nice tautologies - I am a particular fan of 'free' gifts.

OP posts:
Original poster
spiderslegs · 04/01/2012 22:08

Good name change Resolute - do you need to know anything else?

OP posts:
pointythings · 04/01/2012 22:11

spiders not sure that a diplomatic approach would not be better than a document with corrections which might appear as blunt to say the least.

Perhaps a well-worded letter would be better? It's hard to gauge - DD2's primary is quite large, almost 400 pupils so it has a large admin team with its own manager. She is very approachable - not chatty, but will take you seriously if you come across as professional. In a small village school it might be different and a letter might end up making people feel 'got et', in which case a quiet word with the teacher to scope the situation might be a better solution.

I like tautologies too, but in my line of work I get more jargon and gibberish, which can also be fun - a recent example was 'We are planning to implement the GOAT (Glossary Of Acronyms and Terminology) on Android'. I had visions of robot caprids roaming around the NHS research environment. Some people should not be allowed to communicate without vetting. (sorry for the completely unintentional farm animal joke).

MsEltoeNWhine · 04/01/2012 22:14

DD got a card from her nursery class when she left. 'Sorry your leaving'.

I had to put it on the mantelpiece. She was so proud of it. It was awful. And now we have to keep it forever.

I know it's only nursery but it's attached to the school, thankfully I haven't spotted anything too awful on correspondence so far this school year.

Angelswings · 04/01/2012 22:17

It's so sad that the wonderful people who take such care of our children are talked about in such a way.

There is more to education that grammar. A well rounded, happy, social young adult who has a good chance of getting a job and the ability not to judge but love people as they are would be a good start

Think you should guess from that

I think UABU

isithometimeyet · 04/01/2012 22:17

Tsk
I suspect Large Brown Envelope was ironic?
Yours,
Them

ElaineReese · 04/01/2012 22:19

Of course you are being unreasonable, and you will look like a bit of a tit, to be honest. I may be a pedant on some things with my students who pay to be taught, but sending things back in red pen to people who have not asked for your input is just rude.

Angelswings · 04/01/2012 22:22

As for nursery staff, if you want than to have a degree, you will need to pay so much more.
A love of children a GSOH and the patience of a saint would seem to me to be better qualifications than an English GCSE

busybusybust · 04/01/2012 22:22

This drives me insane too - but from a different perspective. I'm an administrator for an FE college - and am really, really appalled by the letters (notably Parents' Evening letters) sent out by tutors!

I now demand that they email them to me, and then I render them readable and grammatical.

OneHandWavingFree · 04/01/2012 22:25

The tautology that drives me crazy is "3 a.m. in the morning" or similar. Grr.

I don't think that "be absolutely sure that you're clear about the nut allergy" is an example of one, though.

"Be absolutely sure" just emphasises the importance of the request, as in "be absolutely sure to close the door after you."

Maybe I'm missing something?

MsEltoeNWhine · 04/01/2012 22:27

I didn't say anything (and wouldn't) and yes we had it on the mantelpiece. It was the nursery class of the school, not a private nursery, so yes, a qualified teacher. But that's by the by. I can spot errors from a mile away, they jump out at me. I can't help it.

As a rule I don't point them out though, I think that's where the line is crossed.

Original poster
spiderslegs · 04/01/2012 22:28

Angels sorry to quote but, 'A well rounded, happy, social young adult who has a good chance of getting a job and the ability not to judge but love people as they are would be a good start'

I don't think an ability to 'love people' will help with general office work unless you are working for Peter Stringfellow.

And 'A good chance of getting a job' will be scuppered if you hand in a load of illegible nonsense.

& Yes isit capitalisation was. Thank you.

& Elaine they may not have asked for my input but they are certainly giving their input to my child. Why is it rude to expect them to know what they teach?

OP posts:
ElaineReese · 04/01/2012 22:31

In a card expressing sorrow that a child is leaving, I think it is churlish in the extreme to bitch about the way in which that sorrow is expressed. If the card was from the child's GCSE English teacher, that would be different.
I spot the mistakes, but I wouldn't feel the need to try to make anyone feel crap about making them unless that person had entrusted his or education in English to me. Otherwise it's just being nasty.

EcoLady · 04/01/2012 22:31

Our local paper regularly does a special edition for Mothers' Day with pictures & messages from school classes. The photographer takes some snaps of smiley little faces too. Last year's had a lovely photo of a Y2 class, with their teacher, proudly holding a printed sign that said "We love our mum's".

ElaineReese · 04/01/2012 22:33

Why is it rude to send something back covered in red pen? Em, if you cannot work that one out...

I think if you are genuinely worried about it, you should have the courage of your convictions and go and speak to them face to face. Sending back correspondence in red pen is a bit cowardly and spiteful, though.

pointythings · 04/01/2012 22:35

Angelswings I am not expecting a degree from nursery staff, but the basics of spelling and grammar should be a given. If their GCSEs don't give the staff that (which is a clear failing of the school system) then the training they have as nursery staff should address it.

Do you know how many job applications go straight in the bin because of poor spelling and grammar? Telling people that being kind and caring is going to be enough does no-one any favours.

spiderslegs I would suggest you have a think about an approach that will work, but don't let this go. A school administrator should have a solid command of the English language. If the staff at my school can do it, so can the staff at other schools. Ultimately it's all about being professional.

Whatever you decide, visualise me standing behind you cheering you on (no short skirts and pom-poms though, I'm long past that Grin.

imogengladheart · 04/01/2012 22:43

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
spiderslegs · 04/01/2012 22:51

Thank you to Pointy & all others who suggested a measured approach - I have corrected them in black & will take them in tomorrow & speak to DS's teacher. I await her response.

However, as she already thinks I'm an agitator, I don't expect much.

OP posts:
ElaineReese · 04/01/2012 22:53

Golly, I wonder why she thinks that!

ilovesooty · 04/01/2012 22:53

A well rounded, happy, social young adult who has a good chance of getting a job and the ability not to judge but love people as they are would be a good start

It rather helps if s/he can write English properly.

MsEltoeNWhine · 04/01/2012 22:59

Who did I make feel crap about making the card?

Never mentioned it to DD or them, thanked them for the lovely card, put it on the mantelpiece, put it in her memory box. Smile