Expecting AS child to use Plain Paper + Line Guide .

[TheRealMrsF]

Posting this on ED section too.

Leigh is yr3 and i am sick and tired of comments in his homework book about his handwriting.....

They are expected to put a 'line guide' under each blank page and then as they finish a page move it and put it under the last page etc....

Personally i think this is hard for any young child....but FFS...a child with lousy hand-eye co-ordination........pleeeeeeeease!!!!!

Not only that...but when he hass to do maths...again on PLAIN PAPER.....what about the good ol' squared paper???

So..........what i want to know is....do your 8 yr olds have to do this....a and teachers.....if this is done for a reason.....WHY??????

I have special handwriting paper (red/blue lines) and feel like scrapping his homework book and just using our own paper

Well my (nt) ds is Year 3 too and finds this very hard. He now has lined paper in his homework journal but last year it was plain with a line guide. And guess where his writing is neater?

Could you go in and suggest that he has lined paper instead? It must be so disheartening for him to be constantly picked up on his handwriting. That way he can just concentrate on his writing without having to worry about the stupid line guide.

Sorry, did I just call the line guide stupid ? Don't say that to his teacher!

DS1 is in yr3, they have lines in most of their books and definitely squares in their maths books. Some things they do write out 'smartly' in a book or on paper using a line-guide, but not very often I think.

Has he tried touch-typing btw? DS1 has just started learning and is really enjoying it. DS1 is OK (but not great) with a pencil, useless with a knife and fork, can't tie shoelaces, but is progressing well with the keyboard.

HTH

eek! I hated line guides - school policy to use them in KS1 in the last school I worked in. Made sure I did the moaning, wining teacher routine at staff meetings and managed to get rid of the damn things and get.........books with some lines in! Did the childrens writing improve? Too right it did.

Talk to the teacher about it - I think it's crazy that he's having to struggle with a line guide.

Mrs F dd (year 5) has ruled/squared paper along with the rest of her year. I would write a non questionable note stating that you will be supplying if necessary more adequate work books for ds, stating that you feel it is more important that he is able to show his ability rather than presentation of work! If it is an absolute necessity for tests etc then the school should provide alternatives for ds!

Ds1 is too young for all this but I have to ask - if they want the writing to be done on lines then why don't they just give them lined paper in the first place???? Or am I being really thick?

I think this is ridiculous, why do they do that???? I've only ever seen a line guide in my life in a Basildon Bond writing pad for sending posh letters. Times have changed but this is a stupid rule (pardon pun )

yes davros...and i always chucked those line guides away as i couldn't keep them straight.

at best when he uses the line guide he ends up with it skewed so all his work is diagonal.

also- if this makes sense- cos he presses so hard with the pencil when he has to put the line guide under the left hand page - he cannot see the line guide-so i feel it is pointless.

Yet another 'expectation' the school have of him cos he's so able etc....DH is phoning the Head today- so this will be hopefully discussed.

meanwhile as far as i am concerned- if they expect him to do homework- then i will 'ease the burden' and from tonight i have told him he will do his work on MY PAPER and we will glue it in to the school book- have hopes that there will be a significant improvement- and they will agree he uses it in class.

What his teacher fails to see that with AS there really is a known problem with handwriting work- and if the child has to work so hard at simply getting thoughts onto paper- then it's no suprise to me that the work is bland as she once called it. He also crosses out almost every other word- and this makes his work look messy- and guess what....No Erasers Allowed.

(p.s.....was going to put No Rubbers....then remembered that Coppertop/Davros are around....!)

I bet it's cheaper to buy all plain books rather than an assortment of lined, plain and squared. Utterly ridiculous. Definitely insist he has lined paper.

MrsF ... how frustrating for you and for your DS!! What are they thinking.
When I was teaching (Yrs 3 and 4) we used line guides only for certain pieces of work that were being displayed on the wall ... that needed to be on plain paper IYSWIM? It would be the final draft of a piece of work that had originally been done in their books ... maybe twice a term we did this for creative writing display purposes and children got time and space to do it ...
The rest of their work was always on lined paper in exercise books.
I have been told very firmly by DS' teacher that when we go away for 6 weeks (coming to UK for a holiday) that when DS does any writing it MUST ALWAYS be on lined paper ... she is going to give the the right type of book to use for his diary ... she said "No writing on plain paper!"
Makes sense really ...
Am annoyed on your behalf ... and coppertop hits the nail on the head with her comment!

thanks ghosty-and soupdragon......my DH said the same thing about the cost of books etc....and 'if' that is the only issue- then WE CAN PROVIDE THE BOOKS!!!! (trouble is his teacher is so unapproachable- she scares ME senseless...never mind the poor kids!!!)