Teacher's grammar

[EmmalinaC]

DD1's teacher has written 'You're decoding skills are excellent' in her planner. Would it be very unreasonable of me to highlight this error and add the note 'Your grammar is not'?

I'm a teacher too and sorry JumpedUp and Magic I'm in no way suggesting somebody proofreads your marking, for heaven's sake. My DH is a headteacher and occasionally when he's so exhausted he can no longer see I proofread his newsletter or web page. I know the score and don't need to be told how much needs to be done. My point was that teachers should know their grammar and was giving the benefit of the doubt (and a solution) for tiredness.

*To everyone saying that errors are bound to happen with 300 odd books to mark etc, actually, I think grammar and spelling should be so ingrained and familiar to you that the correct way is your default.

Just my opinion.*

I'm a teacher, and I agree with this. I also cringe at some mistakes I see and really hate the "you're/ your" errors!! But I also make mistakes myself sometimes. Usually due to having to mark at speed. Mistakes will always happen. In fact a good primary teacher will ensure that his/her pupils grasp the basic fact that we all make mistakes/ get things wrong sometimes, or many of them would be too scared to try anything!

Magic I completely agree. But unfortunately we're in the public eye and whereas our children can make mistakes safely and securely when we can guide and advise, our mistakes are fallible and, unfortunately, allow people to judge us.
You are absolutely right when you say grammar should be ingrained in a teacher.
Our children look up to us.

Magic I assumed your comment or should that be you're comment Ask someone to proofread if you're tired was referring to the original post which in turn referred to a comment written on a pupil's work

Sorry (should have proof read) my previous comment was to chocolate

I have been known to correct spelling and grammar in schoolbooks. I'm currently wondering if it would make me look like a snippy fucker if I started correcting DD's name in her reading record, as whoever is writing in it spells her name wrong every time, despite it being written correctly on the FRONT OF THE BOOK

My kids names are ingrained upon my heart. I still sometimes call them my brothers names. Even when I'm not exhausted. Just now I forgot the word teaspoon and had to resort to "thing you stir your drink with". Despite an excellent sense of direction, I have a genuine problem associating the spoken words "left" and "right" with the correct directions. And despite a certain degree of pedantry about spelling and grammar, I have a pathological inability to remember when it is ITS and when it is IT'S.

Maybe some people just never do make these kind of mistakes.

Maybe some people are just amazing.

I would definitely correct your DD's name.

You will not look like a snappy fucker at all. Just put a line through it and write it correctly.

But unfortunately we're in the public eye and whereas our children can make mistakes safely and securely when we can guide and advise, our mistakes are fallible and, unfortunately, allow people to judge us.

Yes I agree with that. There's no arguing with the fact that mistakes in planners/ books etc are a bit embarrassing. I would like to think a friendly apology would be enough to stop anyone being too judgemental though, as long as it only happened occasionally. My view is still that we all make mistakes though. I just can't argue that teachers should NEVER make mistakes - to me that's impossible!

I could see why repeated mistakes from a teacher not grasping basic spelling or rules of grammar would be really annoying though, and as a parent that would bother me.

I'm currently wondering if it would make me look like a snippy fucker if I started correcting DD's name in her reading record

Definitely correct that! I know I'm arguing that teachers should be allowed to make a mistake, but I'm not saying repeated mistakes are fine. Getting your DD's name wrong over and over is not on!

aJumpedUpPantryBoy My original argument is that a teacher ought to have a good grasp of grammar. That's all. My comment about someone helping to proofread was really a "helping hand" for NQTs who might feel a bit unconfident..Perhaps next time I'll speak my mind more freely... this is my first time on AIBU.

There's no indication this was a repeated mistake though.

It is nonsense to think teachers should never make mistakes, just because they are teachers. It's also nonsense to accept teachers that make repeated mistakes through poor understanding. At this stage in the term, op doesn't what kind of mistake it was, so jumping in with "Ahem" in pink ink seems a bit snarky.

See there we go! Mid-sentence, dh came in and immediately started spouting some really, really important information about a box in the loft. I lost my train of thought and ended up missing out a word!

Ooh so can we just start a thread about Gove instead?

Haha - the box is really, really important right NOW, in this exact minute of time and I needed to know about it because it was in front of something dh swore was not in the loft and I insisted was indeed there, just outside the 10cm male-search-radius. He was mildly irritated with the box. It was essential I understood the situation.

Is it just not taught as basics anymore? I remember when I was 12, my English teacher challenged our class over there/they're/their - that we could get it right for the rest of the term. And we did. But it's portrayed on here as a big ask, nice to get right but really, a bit perfectionist. Is that not pretty bloody feeble?

But what is a polite way of pointing out a grammatical error though? I really need some ideas, please.

Raspberry, that is indeed the same search radar.

Such irony: the box is full of my English teaching materials. There are probably 5 different sheets/activities/games to do with your/you're and there/they're/their.

Alconleigh - no-one has said it is a big ask. Just that one mistake shouldn't lead to assumptions about the teacher's ability or snarky comments where a softer approach would do.

YANBU.

I wonder if those who think you are would also suggest teachers don't correct your daughter's spelling and grammar...