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Primary education

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Original poster

DS new teacher called his writing "tatty" - what do you think to this, both parents and Teachers?

71 replies

hulahoopsilove · 18/09/2013 14:08

DS is and in year 4, new teacher. His is a good all roudn acedemic however his writing is a little on the untidy side.

Last teacher said that he has so much in his head, so much buzzing around that he's whizzing through the pages to get it all written down. It is one of his goals to try to write neater etc,... end of the summer term she said she didnt feel it was a huge problem as it was "secretarial" and that his content and grammer was great and that any critisum could halt all of this.

Ok so now back to school and new year new teacher. Learning a lovely topic at the moment that he is really enjoying however the teacher looked over his shoulder and said his writing was "tatty" - he's gutted.

What do I do, parents evening in a couple of weeks so I really want to bring this up - concerned as its a new teacher and dont want to get off on the wrong foot however I think this should be talked about.

How should I go about it - I would like both parents and teachers views please?

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Taz1212 · 18/09/2013 20:42

It could be worse- DS once had a teacher who would describe messy work as "a dog's breakfast" in front of the whole class.

You've said he needs to work on his handwriting, maybe he needs a push?

moondog · 18/09/2013 20:52

I once had a terse report describing me as 'lax'.
The teacher was right. I was. (I also learnt a new word.)
You would probably have to go to some sort of interactive reflective workshop to be re-educated by some appalling lefty type if you said that sort of thing now to a kid.

iseenodust · 18/09/2013 20:57

Say nothing to the teacher. Tatty, messy, dire, her job is to help him learn and providing honest feedback is part of it. DS has just gone into yr5 at a new school. They've put him on 5 mins handwriting homework per evening. Of course he's moaning but I'm happy because he needs it.

WeddingComp · 18/09/2013 21:02

Read that as twatty ha ha! Thought that was a bit harsh

halfwayupthehill · 18/09/2013 21:06

I am with ischel...teacher is right to criticise but needs to do it in a constructive way, describing the problem and suggesting strategies. Tatty is not helpful. It is like just saying bad.
What is moondog's reading scheme. Dd ready to move off readers to real thing.

Bitzer · 18/09/2013 21:13

so sorry to hijack the thread but was reading it and would love to know from moondog and justbecauseIcan what the reading scheme was that moondog recommended. Would be v grateful for an alternative to the Oxford Reading Tree things for DD1

amothersplaceisinthewrong · 18/09/2013 21:18

Oh for God's sake, you want a discussion with a teacher because she had the temerity to criticise your precious boy for tatty writing??? You both need to toughen up a bit. Examiners marking his exam script when it is the 200th out of 200 will not bother to try and decipher his tatty writing....

MrsTedMosby · 18/09/2013 21:31

Oh no, I think I must have traumatised DS. He brought home his first homework in Y5, did it, and I then ripped the page out and told him it was a total mess and to do it again neatly.

I would totally support his teacher doing the same if his work was as messy at school as his homework was. (I can't see his teacher doing that though, she's not an old dragon like me!)

sarascompact · 18/09/2013 21:37

Please tell your son that my handwriting was described by my form tutor as "as if a spider has fallen in a pot of ink and crawled across the page". It's no better now.

My partner's handwriting is a bit of a mess too.

We both got good degrees from RG universities.

I certainly wouldn't make an issue of it with the school staff but I would reassure my child that tatty handwriting doesn't need to mean incapability.

stardusty5 · 18/09/2013 21:46

I don't agree that the differences between the teachers are 'inconsistent'. They are both right in that its important to nurture his enthusiasm and confidence, but he does also need to master the basic motor skills.
Both have raised concern about his handwriting in different ways. If 'softly softly' didnt phase him, then maybe the shock of the direct approach might spur him on to work on his writing.
It can be hard to feel like you are criticising someone's dc! Sounds like the teacher was being v tactful with you.

ishchel · 19/09/2013 07:50

I would send a note to the teacher saying that 'tatty' did not offer he son any constructive steps to improve his writing and you'd like her to drop a note in his bookbag which suggests some strategies to help him improve. ;-)

That would be me letting her know that I know that tatty is not constructive feedback and she can do better than that.

bigTillyMint · 19/09/2013 07:56

If your DS was really trying and his handwriting was still really poor, then maybe she needs to be thinking about whether he has a specific difficulty with pencil control.

However, the word tatty implies that she thinks he was just a bit messy - ask the teacher for strategies for him to improve his handwriting.

DS had poor handwriting at that age. It is still borderline legible in Y8. Like his fathers

titchy · 19/09/2013 08:04

She may well have actually offered some constructive things to improve his writing you know....

nooka · 19/09/2013 08:12

Children are not the most accurate reporters, so I'd really not go steaming in, just ask about the handwriting issue at parents evening. If you are concerned and have the opportunity you can always make some time with her before then.

To me tatty is slang for potatoes, so I was a little puzzled. My ds has significant writing problems. His teachers tended to tell him he was bound to become a doctor... He uses a laptop now.

BlackberrySeason · 19/09/2013 08:20

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

OddSockBox · 19/09/2013 08:36

Blackberry, I'm dyspraxic too! Spent so much time practising handwriting at school and it hurt me to write too, because I had to press so hard to make the pen do anything. I needed a computer because my brain went a lot faster than my hands. Surprised there is such an emphasis on writing neatly for long passages that surely everyone these days would be doing on a keyboard as an adult!

Cheryzan · 19/09/2013 09:58

Right, but surely it's important to determine if the child can't learn to write neatly, due to poor fine motor skills or something else, and start to put the appropriate support in place.

Or if he can learn, and just needs a handwriting intervention. Done either at home or at school.

It's really not good enough to just leave it as 'oh, he has messy handwriting'. It bites you in secondary school.

He may or may not ever need to write in the work place, but he has to get through school first.

It's a real pain to use a laptop in secondary. You have to carry it with you the whole time. And work out where to plug it in. And hand your hw in via a USB stick. The logistics of it are very hard for a young teenager. It's not at all an easy option.

MrRected · 19/09/2013 10:03

I have called my own DS's homework a "pig's party" ..... on many, many, many occasions.

... NOT

Sparklysilversequins · 19/09/2013 10:04

I am THE most precious parent you'll ever meet, I daren't post what I have dd's school related mini tantrums about because I would be roasted on here but I don't have a problem with that word being used.

Also agree that some kids/people will never write neatly, have a ds with dyspraxia who has the writing style of a four year old at age 10, however he can type like a demon and is home educated at the moment so I don't see it as a massive problem.

DuelingFanjo · 19/09/2013 10:31

I am someone who left school without ever conforming to the need to write 'joined-up'. At 6 I had a lovely teacher who recognised that though my writing was 'tatty' I was good with words (for my age) and would write for ages.

As I moved up school I was continually pulled up on my terrible handwriting and it changed all the time as I tried to conform but now it really isn't an issue at all.

zingally · 19/09/2013 20:52

Speaking as a teacher, I wouldn't have a problem with the word. It's not a word I would use, but I might say it was "messy" or "untidy".

If he (and you) know his writing is messy, this might just be the boot he needs to neaten it up. After all, there are points given in the Yr6 SATs for handwriting, and those few points might (and do!) make all the difference sometimes!

Don't let him fall down on something easily fixable.

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