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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

Is your 5yo yr1 dc expected to do this?

25 replies

MamaMimi · 15/10/2009 22:34

A couple of weeks ago dd came home with some homework to practice writing her full name. She has been able to spell and write her own name for some time now so that's not a problem. But now, according to her homework, she has to be able to write it neatly on the line, capitals at the beginning, with letters evenly sized. Fair enough, we practised using guidelines as per her homework.

Today she comes home upset about the fact that she didn't get a sticker as she hadn't passed her target of writing her name neatly enough, on the line, WITH HER EYES CLOSED.

I am , even I can't do it with my eyes closed as I demonstrated to dd tonight, and I've been writing my name for probably 34yrs since I was about 4.

Anyone else experienced this?

I'm pretty sure it's not a curriculum target, probably more a teaching method so I'm thinking of talking to the teacher about it as I think it's too much to expect. Poor dd has 22 letters in her full name fgs!

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emkana · 15/10/2009 22:36

Seems very odd, would def have a word

paisleyleaf · 15/10/2009 22:37

My DD's 5, just started reception - I've never heard of this.

uberalice · 15/10/2009 22:37

Is it possible that she misunderstood the bit about keeping her eyes closed?

seeker · 15/10/2009 22:38

As I always say on threads like this - check the facts before you go in all guns blazing. If something a school does sounds completely incredible, it probably is completely incredible!

Hulababy · 15/10/2009 22:38

The eyes closed bit sounds very odd and certainly not something the class teacher who I worl with (y1 class) would ever set as a writing challenge.

TBH I would go in and chat with the teacher as it seems a ridiculous target and rather impossible to achieve anyway. I can see now educational benefit to such a target at all.

Hulababy · 15/10/2009 22:39

Agree wth going in and not raging war though. Just query it, and express suprise at the target your DD ^thinks she has to achieve, and the fact that you fekt you just need to clarify it on her behalf.

Original poster

MamaMimi · 15/10/2009 22:53

Thanks for responses guys.

My intention is to talk to teacher to check exactly what the exercise is before I criticise anything, absolutely.

But when we were practising her homework dd mentioned that she would have to do it with her eyes closed and I just thought she had got the wrong end of the stick and that maybe the teacher had said they had to learn it well enough to be able to do it with their eyes closed iyswim.

That's why I was so surprised today that they really did have to do it with their eyes shut. This is definitely the case as dd said one of her friends had to do it again as she had 'cheated' by peeking the first time. Dd had 2 attempts but still couldn't do it neatly enough so was told that she hadn't passed her target and will do it again on another day.

Her homework sheet says the target is to write her full name as I said, evenly sized etc., but doesn't mention 'without looking' - surely its impossible to write on the line without looking?!

OP posts:

MollieO · 15/10/2009 23:00

You could write on a line with your eyes closed if you had a ruler on the line. I wouldn't expect anyone to do this seriously and I can't see the point. Surely it is enough to get them writing neatly on the line.

Original poster

MamaMimi · 15/10/2009 23:08

My thoughts exactly MollieO which is why I told dd that it's really not important if she can't do it when her teacher has her do it again.

I kept saying to dd, are you sure? are you sure? with your eyes closed?!!!

OP posts:

katiestar · 16/10/2009 12:38

Please don't believe everything your child says as gospel or you'll pop with exasperation before she's 10.
I guess teh teacher probably said 'you'll be able to do it with your eyes closed' as a figure of speech and your DD has taken it literally !

Miggsie · 16/10/2009 12:41

Get the teacher to write something with her bloody eyes closed...particularly in a language she only started learning to write in 6 months ago.

PoisonToadstool · 16/10/2009 12:42

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

DailyMailNameChanger · 16/10/2009 12:43

That is a ridiculous thing to ask a child to do, any child. It has no value at all as a learning mechanism and no practical application in the wider world (unless we are now planning contingences against sudden and complete loss of sight?). It smacks of some kind of humiliation test to me!

If my dd was asked to do this I would be very cross and would have a lot to say - after I had checked it to be true of course!

alwayslookingforanswers · 16/10/2009 12:46

ermm no - in fact my "average" in writing DS2 (YR1) probably wouldn't be able to write it neatly on the line yet either. Even just to do that (without the eyes closed) I should imagine is pretty hard for a lot of children at the start of year 1 judging by the fact that my DS2 is "average" and couldn't do it meaning that either there's a lot of not so bright kids in his class meaning the "average" is lower, or else only the top peope would be able to do it neatly .....which kind of defeats the object of having a target that everyone can have a shot at surely?

Doyouthinktheysaurus · 16/10/2009 12:47

That's madness.

What the hell is that doing apart from undemining the confidence of children just learning to write?!

Do let us know what the teacher says...

breeminor · 16/10/2009 13:23

MamaMimi - It really might be that your DD is getting confused about the instructions.

My DS was convinced he was meant to keep his eyes shut when he was first given some spellings. It turns out he was getting confused with the 'Look, Cover, Write' instructions. He kept saying Ms S said not to look, which meant 'eyes closed'

Original poster

MamaMimi · 16/10/2009 17:31

Yes, I spoke to teacher after school tonight and just asked if she could clarify the task for me as dd seems to be confused. Thought best to start with this so I didn't feel stupid if dd really had got the wrong end of the stick. And I had said to dp today that it can't be right as I just couldn't imagine any teacher expecting 5/6 yo to do this.

Really glad I didn't go in with all guns blazing as the teacher told me that she had asked them to write their name without copying or looking at name cards or trays.

I get the feeling she has said something like 'Do it without looking at your name' and dd took it as meaning she couldn't look at the name she was writing down and so kept her eyes closed.

Her teacher told me that dd had written it scruffier than she normally does the first time and the second time it was even worse so I explained that this was because she was doing it with her eyes closed!!!

So many of you hit the nail on the head, so thanks. I was just feeling angry and upset on behalf of my pfb, who is quite sensitive but at least I know who she gets it from!

Glad it's all been resolved without any fuss or confrontation tho'. Just an evening of fuming over it! Still have to let dd know what happened as she's off playing at a friends house!

OP posts:

traceybath · 16/10/2009 17:34

You handled it well and you and DD will laugh about it when she's older

Original poster

MamaMimi · 16/10/2009 17:38

Thanks traceybath, I'm already laughing about it with dp

OP posts:

TheDevilEatsBabies · 16/10/2009 17:42

at your poor dd writing her name with he reyes closed.
poor thing

and she'd learnt to write it so neatly as well!

TheDevilEatsBabies · 16/10/2009 17:43

(i can write my name neatly and on the line with my eyes closed. but i learned to do it in junior school because i was a weird child)

DailyMailNameChanger · 16/10/2009 18:27

That is fantastic

I hope the teacher lets her have another go soon - and ensures she understadns this time!

Doyouthinktheysaurus · 16/10/2009 19:14

Bless her little heart

paisleyleaf · 16/10/2009 20:31

awwww

Oblomov · 16/10/2009 21:20

Bless. You did the right thing not to go in blazing. well done. it all seems a bit funny now, doesn't it. ha ha.

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