Speaking of grammar...

[rbnyc]

Here are some snips from recent notes from my son's teacher:

"He spoke rude to his friends."

"He was speaking rude again today."

"We did it different then we usually do."

"The only thing that he got low points were were for speaking rude to his friends."

"Today on his writing sample he began all of his sentences with lower case letters and forgot end punctuation and so I am just trying to make him aware of editing his work."

"I would still like him to be remember his red reader when packing up on Tues. and Wed."

"I know he can do these things he is going to have to try his best to be a very attentive and follow classroom routines."

"He spoke rude to Mrs. Gardner too."

Ok, I guess my son is rude at school...but that's not the point!

[rurallib]

1. maybe he should quit spoking altogether.

I got a nasty note from a just out of college supervisor who was just full of herself. Filled with fucked up grammar.
I took a red pen, corrected it and put open on her desk so all could see. I put a note on there that said 'please correct so I can understand.'
probably could have got me fired. She was gone within a year.

[rbnyc]

2. I have reflected the correct grammar back to her...

...but I have never actually corrected her. For example, if she writes, "Your son was speaking rude again," I'll write back, "We spoke to him about speaking rudely."

I know my son is tough and we are very focused on improving his behavior. But, we have no confidence in her. It makes it harder than it has to be.

[femmocrat]

3. It almost sounds like the teacher learned English as a second language.

Is he/she originally from another country?

[rbnyc]

4. She's not.

I wish that were the case.

People can't write or speak in general, it seems. This is just the world we live in.

[femmocrat]

5. I hope she isn't teaching the grammar section of the standardized tests!

LOL

[chollybocker]

6. Obviously, your son has developed a new language, called Rude.

Since he insists on speaking it to his friends and Mrs. Gardner, he might be better off in a Rude speaking school.

[rbnyc]

7. LMAO!!!

That's so freaking funny. I can't wait to tell my husband. Thanks for cracking me up.

[chollybocker]

9. I mean, if SHE can invent a new language, why can't he?

Your son should be able to - nay, encouraged - to speak freely in his new Rude language, just like she can flaunt her bilingualism in her letter to you.

[zen_bohemian]

8. LOL! I would write .......

My son is bilingual. He speaks English and is currently learning Rude. I would first correct the notes that were sent home, then add this as a side note.

A teacher should have better grammar than that, she should be embarassed.

[woo me with science]

12. ROFL!

:rofl: :thumbsup:

[pacalo]

10. I dare you to correct it, give it a score, then return it to her.

:evilgrin:

[rbnyc]

11. My husband made me promise...

...not to do that. I was going to bring it up in our parent/teacher conference, but she's actually leaving soon. She starts maternity leave in 2 weeks and he will have a new teacher for the rest of the year. I can't wait to meet her.

[NV Whino]

28. Oh lordy!

She bringing another idiot into the world?

I hope his new teacher has some grammar skills.

[Sanity Claws]

13. Send back her notes marked up in red ink

and give her a big F, while you're at it.

Tell her you expect a teacher to show a greater knowledge of English grammar, especially since she is supposed to be teaching it.

Those notes make me wonder what she means by "rude." For all we know, the boy may have simply been pointing out how inept she is.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

31. That's harsh. The teacher is trying to give criticism

and the grammar is a little off.

I'm thinking C- or D+. You are grading her way too harsh.
:hi:

[Odin2005]

14. They are notes, not a formal essay.

She was writing how she spoke in an informal note. I so the same on DU or Facebook. Now if it were formal letter I would be concerned if it were not formal written English.

[petronius]

15. But communication between a teacher and parent is professional communication, shouldn't

it be somewhat formal?

[rbnyc]

16. Even informally...

...a teacher should demonstrate knowledge of the difference between an adjective and an adverb.

Edit: I know you were agreeing with me. Thanks. I replied under you post, but was responding to the whole exchange.

[Odin2005]

17. ANYONE under 50 who denies saying "it works good" or "I'll do it quick" is lying to themselves.

My high school English teacher would say something like "I've taughten it a lot" it's a perfectly normal aspect of the local dialect here in the Upper Midwest to stick "-en" on many irregular past participles and most do it without being aware of it even if they would NEVER do it in formal writing.

[Bertha Venation]

27. Odin, sweetie, I'm not lying to myself.

I'm under 50 and I do not say "it works good." I say "it works well." I promise.

I've been told my speech is stilted* because I speak with proper grammar. Eff 'em!

:hi:

* Actually, what I was told is "you talk like a textbook."

Edited: Oh, hey, just read another of your posts: "unless they are neurotic snobs." Woo hoo! I'm a neurotic snob! :) :loveya:

[petronius]

19. Yes, even in the least formal circumstances, habitual non- or mis-use of

adverbs or other basic structures is a bit surprising for a teacher in particular. But beyond that, this kind of note should not be considered informal at all IMO. Professional standards really need to be kept high in conversation between teacher-parent, teacher-student, and colleagues.

It would be nice if DU had a reply-all sort of function, although I can't in the slightest conceive of how it would function. So many times I want to say something to all the participants in a sub-thread (but it usually works out)...

[Odin2005]

21. You you claim to NOT to use "good" as an adverb?

You seem to not understand the difference between the formal written standard and ordinary spoken English. Most people, encluding well-educated people, are NOT AWARE of the differences in their ordinary speech compared to the written standard form unless they are neurotic snobs. I am a quite well-read person, but I am from a working class background and the "mis-use", as you call them, of adjectives, as well as the spread of -en to other irregular past participles is not something I was aware of in my speech until I became interested in linguistics.

[petronius]

23. You're missing the point. The mis-uses described in the OP are not

regional colloquialisms or casual slips (assuming this is a representative sample of notes) - they imply an insufficient grasp of basic language rules in someone who should know better.

Secondly, although we all have different voices for different circumstances, the OP is not describing informal communication. So, the teacher's casual voice, whatever it may be, is irrelevant.

[woo me with science]

24. Well said on both points. nt

[woo me with science]

18. I don't know a single educated person who says, "He was talking rude to her."

It's just wrong, spoken OR written.

I disagree. If it were just one note with errors, that would be one thing, but this is a sad pattern.

[Odin2005]

22. educated people do it all they time, you just are not aware of it.

Most people are NOT AWARE OF the differences between their own speech and the formal standard, even the well-educated. I NEVER noticed that I had "boughten", "caughten", "soughten", etc. as past participles until very recently, and I am an educated person.

[nuxvomica]

20. It sounds like the teacher took a fiction-writing course

One of the popular rules: never use a word ending in "ly". So some otherwise literate unpublished authors truncate them to adjectives. Example: "The creek trickled calm through the woods." I'm serious. There are people who actually think this is a better way to write.

[REP]

25. Please correct it - if she doesn't know better, she needs to ... she's teaching others, forfuckssake

[Bertha Venation]

26. my god, that is so disheartening

Do you ever mark up the teacher's comments and send them back?

Edited to say never mind; I've just read the full thread.

[JitterbugPerfume]

29. is our children learning?

:shrug:

Hi sweetie:loveya:

[rbnyc]

30. Hi.

:loveya:

Great to see you.

[mainstreetonce]

32. Make corrections

Give her a small gift as she is leaving. Include with it a small note and a copy of her corrected correspondence. Tell her you want to help her improve if she contemplates coming back to the profession.


As a former teacher, I could not let that amount of mistakes go unnoticed.

[rbnyc]

33. I'm glad to hear from a former teacher.

I truly value teachers and I want to be supportive. But, I don't think it's okay for a teacher not to know the difference between then and than. My son said "should of" instead of "should have" the other day and I had a fit. It's bad enough he hears poor English from his peers. The adults in his life should be able to set a good example.

Thanks.

[Ptah]

34. You have offered an excellent suggestion, mainstreetonce.

Thank you.