It's Friday and time for your Letters of Intent! Let's have it...the good, the bad, the ugly of your week written in letter form and signed by you. Be sure to grab my button from your left sidebar and link up at the bottom. If you're writing about the bad or the ugly this week get it all out now so that you can start your weekend fresh without any of this week's baggage hanging around and spoiling things. I look forward to your Letters of Intent!
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Dear T.E.A. (Texas Education Agency),
I know you work hard in order to provide the children in the state of TX the best possible education. I'm sure you spend countless hours studying, comparing, and finally deciding on the most appropriate curriculum for not only my children, but all children in the public school system in the entire state. Thank you for your hard work.
That being said, I feel you have made a serious error in judgement when choosing the Spelling curriculum for elementary grades 1-5.
First off- the new rule is that the children get a list of words with a Phonics rule and they are to learn those words. That sounds great. My problem is that the teachers are not allowed to give those practice words on the actual test. It is assumed that once the student learns the Phonics rule then they should be able to spell any word with that rule. That sounds perfectly logical in theory. However, there is a problem.
The problem is that the lists are now based on memorization of Phonics and not set to a specific rule. For example, my son's words this week (he is in 2nd grade) are using the Phonics blends "er", "ir" and "ur". If you say those blends aloud they all sound exactly the same. Essentially, it is expected that my son memorize the words which use these letters but at the same time know words for tests that he has not actually seen in practice. How is this a fair assessment of his understanding of the subject? Let me help you with that answer. It's not fair. It is setting the students up for failure and frustration.
On a side note: after speaking with a first grade teacher I am even more concerned that 2 weeks after the 2nd grade is struggling through these spelling words, then 1st grade is given the same exact list. This is ridiculous and not within the best interest of the students. They need developmentally appropriate curriculum and the State of TX is failing them right now.
I would appreciate your prompt attention to this matter. This week's list is not an anomaly- it has been a weekly occurrence since the first grading period of the school year. I feel as though there needs to be a curriculum change for all grade levels for the subject of Spelling.
Sincerely,
An involved mom who is trying to trust in the government to give her children an education that will help them to become productive members of society as adults.
27 Validations To Make Me Feel Worthy:
You go girl! I tell you Bella starts full day kindergarten next fall and I am going to be so proactive, they aren't going to like me, I'm sure! Use your brain. Something may look good on paper, but in reality - not so much!!!
That doesn't sound right to me & I used to be a teacher. I get the whole learning the rules...but let's also give them words to study to apply the rules. I'll bet they review & help the students a heck of a lot better when standardized test are coming up.
Oh man, I hope you are really sending that letter. That sounds so ridiculous and unbelievabley unfair!
OK, I've started this 6 times and finally said forget it. This infuriates me to no end. Even though my child is almost 22, I still have vivid memories of some of the most ludicrous assignments she was given ~ mostly all in the name of TAAKS. The 2nd week of third grade one of her spelling words was onomatopoeia...onomatopoeia can you believe it? What a great mommy your kids have!
Why phonics? WHY!? They're confusing, especially if the teacher has a bit of an accent (like they do here in Georgia). Tech the kids what each letter sounds like, start with words that don't have confusing combinations, or maybe just focus on one that week...arg!
I hope you're sending that letter to the State Board.
Sounds liek " words their way" program??
HOpe you sent it.
xoxo
supah
You really need to send that letter in to the Curriculum Director, or at least the school administration.
School, especially spelling, is hard enough for kids. Why do we try to make it harder??
Oh, no! That's so wrong! I could see doing some practice with other words during the week and trying to get the kids to understand how the rule works, but only testing on the list words!
I think you should send that letter. Education here in Texas is sooooo lacking, it's infuriating. Although, I guess we shouldn't be surprised, because last I read the head of the TEA homeschooled his kids. Yep, the person running the Texas Education Agency does NOT send their kids to the school system they are in charge of. That in itself should tell us something.
That is ridiculous!! I taught kindergarten and first grade and I can tell you that Spelling lists are about memorizing and reproducing the words given, NOT applying a phonics rule. Take bird for example: there is no rule that explains why it is spelled with the "ir" rather than being berd or burd. Not 6 or 7 year old would know that if that hadn't learned to spell bird with "ir." Take it to the school board!
It's crap like that that makes me want to homeschool again. Then I come to my senses.
Great letter! I think you should print it and mail it! We haven't experienced spelling words yet...but I know the fun is coming next year:)
Did I mention I homeschool? Ugh. I'd be up in the school's face daily...
I am on board with you sending it too! Schools can be so frustrating at times. We are currently at a magnet school after pulling my kids from a school last year that wouldn't let me daughter check out a book that was her reading level because they needed to save those books for the grade level above hers. Who sensors kids at the school library? Grrrr! This year is better at our new school but if problems start arising I will be homeschooling! Good Luck!
Yikes! Sorry... schools are messed up (says the girl that they started to skip from 1st to 4th grade, then suddenly threw into "special ed" classes because they didn't have enough sign language interpreters for the advanced courses - UGH).
Hope you actually send this letter to someone. With the ir er ur phonics lesson typed throughout :)
My kid is having the same problem. I nearly wrote PUCK YOU to my kid's teacher when she requested another conference w my child. It took an entire 24 HOURS to calm down.
Good Lord! Sass can't spell with the list right in front of her! And when she tries to spell words she doesn't know, it's like trying to figure or morse code!
I didn't write today because I'm screwing around with my URL, but I did give you a plug.
Julie, This is such a great letter. And you are so right! It is heinous that they don't get the see the words they are going to be tested on. My son goes to a Classical school (based on the traditional latin-based learning) focused on the trivum; early elementary learning is based on memorization, middle school is logic, and then high school is rhetoric. Children learn best by MEMORIZATION and to not allow them that method is seriously detrimental. So sorry you're dealing with this.
Yep I agree with several of your commenters. I think you should print this and send it. It is nice enough! :)
Perfect letter. Don't change a thing and send it on to TEA.
Wow...you may actually need to send that one!! Just wow.
Jen
I have recently helped a friend of mine's child with her spelling list, and it sounds exactly like what you are talking about. That state is West Virginia, which is about as low as you can get on the totum pole for reading, test scores, etc. I was thinking as I was helping her with her list, "She is just memorizing these words. She has no clue how to make it plural, why it has i instead of e, etc." Don't get me wrong, the child WAS able to memorize the list, but that is not the point. AT ALL. Great letter. I already read your next post, so here's to hoping you can get some kind of ball rolling.
ok - my Ladybug is in second grade in Texas and we just have spelling words - you know - a pretest and then an advanced test and they have to write the words in sentences - thank GOODNESS because she and I would both be freaking out if she did not get to practice~ I wonder why the difference? I love that she has to use the words in sentences and they sometimes even get bonus points for changing to word tense. Hmmmmm
Grrrrr...the whole concept of phonics bothers me. In all honesty, the English language really doesn't lend itself well to teaching spelling via phonics -- there's so many exceptions to the rules that the rules don't really help, especially when you're just in 1st or 2nd grade!
If you do send this letter, please let us know what kind of response you get.
I'm with everyone else- I think that you should send that letter. My son is in 1st grade and I would be pissed if his school pulled the same crap. It isn't a fair system at all.
I agree, send the letter and see what happens. Yours might not be the only one, but part of a significant number to gain the attention of the powers who decide.
Okay, even though I'm only in the classroom as a sub right now, I am appalled by the things the kids tell me they're doing in class and even more by what they're not doing-because everything they are doing is for the freaking TAKS test. Stuff like this with the spelling test makes me even more mad at the state of Texas and how they're running our educational system.
You get 'em, Girl!
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