To think DS has THE messiest maths book? -sigh-

[ds12017]

17... and this is his neatest! His teacher is trying her best to not pull her hair out. This is his writing AFTER having to stay in at break to make it neater

What?

Thats not that messy it is fine

That looks really neat to me!

His work looks pretty neat to me

Really? I promise you, compared to many, it's really not great! It's so frustrating... In a really odd way.

Compared to my 15 year old's, it's a work of art.

Erm, I have high standards I'd neatness in homework and written work but that is far from the messiest maths book I've ever seen in my life.

It's legible for a start.

I'm not saying that you shouldn't set high standards but given the child is 17 I'm not sure that sharing it on the internet is the way to go really.

I would be absolutely delighted (and amazed) if my ds (also 17) ever managed to produce something as neatly laid out as that.

I'm also amazed that the OP's teacher really is pulling out her hair - is she a very new teacher perhaps My ds's teachers have always been very supportive of his struggles with writing neatly. For everything apart from maths and physics he uses a computer, but it's not really an option when using formula.

It's absolutely fine.

I also think at 17, he doesn't need others dictating to him whether or not his work is up to their standard. We were always told in school and at uni that as long as it was legible (which his is), it's fine.

looks fine. 17 years old? Unclench.

Are you serious?!?!

Is this a stealth post? Matrices = further maths. As an experienced maths teacher I would love some of my a level students to produce work half that neat!

There are no points in maths for neatness. I work with some seriously clever people, and their working out is usually illegible scrawl.

That is actually really neat.

But what was it before staying in at break?

Well that's fine but this is the work he's redone yes? I guess the original was much worse.

He's writing on the line, and (for the most part) managing to do one number/one square. This is the kind of book I would hold up to show the younger kids I work with (new entrant to, say, age ten or eleven) what they ought to aspire to.

Not everyone writes like computer font. In terms of adequacy, that is seriously good.

That looks really good to me. I'd say the marks are awarded for the answers being correct and the work needs to be legible and easy for the marker to follow, which it is.

I've done maths at degree level and I think yabu.

Are you sharing this in the hope that people on the internet would laugh at how messy it is?
It's not messy, it's quite tidy and well organised.
I don't think keeping children (can you still really call him a child at 17?) in at break will do much for his motivation tbh; I think it just risks pushing him away.

It's fine - your maths book is a working document - you are thinking as you go along so mistakes, crossing out, corrections are part of the process. Saying that I could show you some horrors, his teacher needs to count her blessings if this is her main focus for improvement.

looks perfectly fine to me.

I don't think you should be posting photos of your 17 year olds work on the internet.

Is this some kind of stealth boast?! What were you hoping for OP??

This post doesn't make sense to me

I think it's very neat.

I'm an artist and I can't be arsed with lines. I don't distinguish between left and right easily either. He's just a creative thinking out side of the box sort

mate...

That's practically typed it's so neat.

It's fine and he's probably too busy getting the answer right to worry about neatness. But also, he's 17 you need to let go a little.