Wallenpaupack School District

[kinpa]

Greentown I am pretty sure you don't have much to compare it with or your posts would be different. My step kids went and go to south. At south they tell us that step son is extremely intelligent. He can not even do the work my grandchild in 3rd grade north can do(she is an A & b student). My step daughter who will be graduating this year went to south- she can not spell nor can she do the easiest math, she actually made the honor roll last semester- this semester she is barely making it. My step son gets Ws which means working to ability- and he passes every year(he is in the middle school). This school district is no longer interested in doing their job- they only want to be big fish in a little pond and the kids are truly suffering because of it.
We all need to get our heads out of the sand and force the district to make the changes needed for our kids to be as good as other districts.

[LIMAMA4]

I agree with Hat. As a parent, you need to be involved in your child's education and keep on top of what is going on. Kinpa, IMO, I would report the "no need to know how to spell because of spell check" incident to the principal. If you get nowhere, go to the superintendent. A philosophy like this is doing a great disservice to these children. Yes, of course, they need to know how to spell!

[greentown]

Originally Posted by kinpa

Greentown I am pretty sure you don't have much to compare it with or your posts would be different. My step kids went and go to south. At south they tell us that step son is extremely intelligent. He can not even do the work my grandchild in 3rd grade north can do(she is an A & b student). My step daughter who will be graduating this year went to south- she can not spell nor can she do the easiest math, she actually made the honor roll last semester- this semester she is barely making it. My step son gets Ws which means working to ability- and he passes every year(he is in the middle school). This school district is no longer interested in doing their job- they only want to be big fish in a little pond and the kids are truly suffering because of it.
We all need to get our heads out of the sand and force the district to make the changes needed for our kids to be as good as other districts.

Do these kids who are having the problems with spelling and math take advantage of the tutoring and other extra help that is available? If your daughter can't spell or do math because of the teachers at the south school, she has had six years of middle and high school to get help and do better. Does anyone encourage her to spend any time reading? That in itself would help her improve her spelling skills. I don't understand how she can be on the honor roll if she can't read/spell or do basic math. Maybe the best you can do is send them to a different school or ask about the possibility of holding them back for a year or two to give them time to catch up.

I have nieces and nephews in other school districts and I believe my kids are leaps and bounds ahead in their education and extra curricular activities.

[greentown]

Originally Posted by LIMAMA4

I agree with Hat. As a parent, you need to be involved in your child's education and keep on top of what is going on. Kinpa, IMO, I would report the "no need to know how to spell because of spell check" incident to the principal. If you get nowhere, go to the superintendent. A philosophy like this is doing a great disservice to these children. Yes, of course, they need to know how to spell!

I'm not sure where this issue with not knowing how to spell is coming from. Throughout elementary school, my kids have always had weekly spelling tests, and the program the the South school uses now has a weekly list of 20-25 words, with nightly homework using the words and a test at the end of the week. I test my kids the night before the actual test, so that they know which words might give them trouble and they have never had a problem learning the words. It only takes a few minutes to do this.

[LIMAMA4]

Greentown,

It sounds as though the ball was dropped for this girl. She is now graduating high school not knowing how to spell. We are talking 12 years went by and no one got her caught up. I'm asking myself the same question, where were the weekly spelling tests? Who reviewed the mistakes with this girl and made sure she knew for the next time? If the child is struggling, you need to make sure they get the help they need. It seems as though every level just pushed this girl through. To not correct the problems early in life, IMO, is more devastating to the child later in life.