Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments parent to teacher advice

I read this last year on Ho@gies and thought it was sooo perfect... maybe you can find it helpful too.

http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/september_secret.htm

Hi, one thing I wish is that with my daughter's papers she got some feedback on them. I know that teachers are busy, and she writes really well, but it would be nice if someone would teach her the next step even though it is not part of the curriculum for that grade. Since 5th grade she has very little red marks on her paper and then usually for silly spelling mistakes rather than any true grammatical improvement. She is self taught in that area, and I am not of much use.

On the writing front, as a writer, I see that my 7th grader has to write a lot of papers and gets comments on his graded papers, but he has very little actual writing instruction. When my DS12 writes his papers he writes as he thinks and then goes back and makes sure that the computer isn't telling him he has mispelled words or forgotten capitalizations. And then I tell him to go back in and make sure he explains why he's making the statements he's making. And then I tell him to make sure he adds adjectives and adverbs to make his writing more interesting. But the thing that seems to take discussion between him and me is when it comes to how a paper is organized and how it flows. I think some kids get all this instinctively (I know I did) but other people need help seeing how what seems logical to them needs to be explained to other people. I think it's important to talk about writing for a particular reader or readers. Heck, half my graduate writing courses were about this very thing!

Anyway, my point is, I am able to help my kids because I am a writer, but I get frustrated that the actual writing process is not really taught by a teacher, and I think that at middle school age kids really don't want to be taught by their parents quite so much. So, while I know it takes a lot of a teacher's time to discuss a student's paper with them, it would be really wonderful if they did!

This applies to 5th grade this year but I hope it isn't going to happen in my child's middle school next year.

Please don't assign a paper Monday due Friday week after week after week. First, I hate that the testing for these kids (4th, 8th, 10th here in FL) are 45 minutes writing to a prompt. So the teachers give them tons of practice writing to a prompt. That is all fine an good because there will be essay tests ahead that are answer the question in a short amount of time. But there is so much more to writing than endlessly writing to a prompt.

I love it when teachers are confident working on sentence-level writing in addition to the overall organization of a paper. The kinds of skills needed to put together a cogent sentence translate easily to the skills needed to assemble a compelling argument.

1) Give the kids poorly written paragraphs, then have them make it better. Rewrite and fix problems on an overhead after the kids have a go at editing it alone. Editing is a great way to improve writing.

2) When issues consistently show up in multiple papers of the group (e.g. a lot/allot, your/you're), review the issues as a class instead of just commenting on the paper.

3) Give optional extra credit projects using Latin and Greek Roots, diagramming, parts of speech. Give major kudos to the kids who participate.

I already wish my child had you for a teacher; this question tells me you're good. My experience has shown that the really GOOD teachers ask questions, seek to improve, admit mistakes, and collaborate with others; then use their own brains to make the final call. Enjoy your teaching adventure.

Remember that at that age they want to be treated like adults one minute and like kids the next. But as much as it seems like they want you to be their friend, remember they really just want you to be friendly to them.

I wish teachers would remember that kids want to be shown respect - for their ideas, their thoughts, their individuality and most of all, their feelings. (It'll make your life easier too, because with these behaviors comes mutual respect - and this goes a long way in a classroom of hormonal teens.)

Remember to talk to them rather than at them.

Oh, and remember its ok to admit that you don't know everything, and that some of them may know more than you and that you too make mistakes.

Good luck! I love teaching and that age is one of the most difficult as well as most rewarding because there is such change in those year, both emotionally and physically and intellectually.