Fed up, decided to homeschool this year - principal said "kids can just use spellcheck" (degree, elementary school)

[bongo]

Students study spelling lists Monday through Thursday, receive 100% on the test on Friday, then proceed to misspell the words in the context of their writing on Monday.

[CA4Now]

Originally Posted by marie5v

But word study is NOT phonetic spelling. It is just explicitly teaching the spelling patterns to groups of children at a certain spelling level, instead of teaching...

My post was not referring to word study. It was in response to the OP's child's former principal stating that the students didn't need to learn how to spell; they could just use use spell check.

Because the students who were taught CA standards in the early to mid 1990s were instructed to learn to write phonetically without having their spelling corrected, they went on to middle school writing the same way. Later the state realized the mistake in this type of instruction.

During the past decade, our state has implemented a high school exit exam. If the students cannot pass the writing portion of the CAHSEE, they do not receive a high school diploma, despite the fact that they may have passed all their English courses. I would imagine that this is true in other states as well.

[villageidiot1]

Originally Posted by bongo

Students study spelling lists Monday through Thursday, receive 100% on the test on Friday, then proceed to misspell the words in the context of their writing on Monday.

So why bother to learn anything since we forget most of what we learn?

On the other hand, we tend to remember things that are regularly reinforced, reviewed or used on a ongoing basis. I haven't forgotten any of the multiplication tables I learned in 3rd grade, which was 50 years ago. I don't remember anything from college calculus.

[suzy_q2010]

Originally Posted by toobusytoday

You know, that's one word I ALWAYS mix up. How do you remember which one to use? I apologize for any cringing that induced!

Associate then with when:

When did I do it?

I did it then.

[Dirt Grinder]

Another cushion for kids going through school, even many private schools, is the use of a calculator for math classes. My child went to a very good private school and they were encouraged to use a calculator in the math classes. I tried to explain that calculators won't be available during college math tests - to no avail.

Fast-forward. My child is now attending a top-notch university and, guess what, no calculators in math class. However, my child's friends going to in-state universities are still using their calculators in math class.

[Kreutz]

Originally Posted by Momzuki

Let me rephrase what I am hearing you say:
1. "You are all dinosaurs, you people who can spell and think people should be able to spell." (appeal to novelty, appeal to ridicule)
2. "I do not value spelling or handwriting and I do not use them, therefore in the future spelling and handwriting will be obsolete. I will use a poorly worded catch phrase in place of actual evidence of my assertion" (biased sample, appeal to emotion, authority)
3. "People with medical degrees, who speak English as a second language, can get away with poor spelling and grammar. Therefore, spelling is unimportant." (biased sample, appeal to common practice)
4. "My boss is rich, and gets away with poor communication skills. Therefore, communication skills are unimportant." (biased sample, appeal to common practice)
5. "My ideas are that we should forget about all the ways of education that have proven effective in the past, and we should embrace all of the recent ideas that have repeatedly proven themselves ineffective. I do not have evidence to back up my ideas, so if someone disagrees with me I will call them a dinosaur." (appeal to novelty, appeal to ridicule)

I do not want to make fun of you or be cruel. I have done my best to truly clarify the arguments you presented. There are more problems, but I stopped at the most basic. It is very difficult to understand where one's own education is lacking. The saying is, "You don't know what you don't know." Your assertions and conclusions are riddled with logical fallacies, as I have noted. Experiences like this are why I view poor spelling as a clearly identifiable symptom of an inadequate education.

I was also publicly educated, but as an adult I realized at least some of what my education lacked, and I have attempted to remedy my educational deficiencies.

This is what the entire issue boils down to for me at this point: Other people may accept an inferior education. I will not accept an inferior education for my children. If others want help obtaining a better education, I will help.

Essentially because of an insight (and an arguably correct one at that) by a single administrator, you yanked your kids out of school.

This is your choice, but the real risk of social retardation your kids may suffer (and in increasingly collaborative STEM fields/workspaces this could be a real problem) as a result of your pettiness over an issue that increasingly matters less and less does deserve some ridicule.

Also, you're teaching your kids when they encounter something they disagree with to just quit.

That will work wonders in the real world.

If your basement isn't finished, you may want to get on that now. The results of your helicopter parenting will never need to leave home to roost.

[Ceece]

Originally Posted by Dirt Grinder

Another cushion for kids going through school, even many private schools, is the use of a calculator for math classes. My child went to a very good private school and they were encouraged to use a calculator in the math classes. I tried to explain that calculators won't be available during college math tests - to no avail.

Fast-forward. My child is now attending a top-notch university and, guess what, no calculators in math class. However, my child's friends going to in-state universities are still using their calculators in math class.

Calculators are dependent on the class. OF COURSE calculators are not only allow but REQUIRED in some settings. Knowing the formula to use is still up to you but longhand math work just for the sake of longhand math work doesn't offer much benefit except to use up a bunch of time. 2+2=4 whether you write it out or type it in. Plus calculators prevent simple human errors that really show nothing except you are human and maybe have bad handwriting. This is especially true at higher levels of math and sciences. Why do you think computers exist???

Your post seems to be trying to pit a "top notch" (your words) university against an "in state" (again, your words) university as if there is a contest and your kid won because his math class doesn't use calculators. But your arguments toward that don't make much sense since and for all I know he's taking basic arithmetic where teaching the formula is still the focus, not applying it.

[Bludy-L]

Originally Posted by Ceece

Why do you think computers exist???

Certainly NOT to take the place of learning the basics!

If no one learned the basics, the there would be no computer programmers. If you can't spell, you'd make an awful programmer of anything....and especially at creating a spell-check.

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[Dirt Grinder]

Originally Posted by Ceece

Calculators are dependent on the class. OF COURSE calculators are not only allow but REQUIRED in some settings. Knowing the formula to use is still up to you but longhand math work just for the sake of longhand math work doesn't offer much benefit except to use up a bunch of time. 2+2=4 whether you write it out or type it in. Plus calculators prevent simple human errors that really show nothing except you are human and maybe have bad handwriting. This is especially true at higher levels of math and sciences. Why do you think computers exist???

Your post seems to be trying to pit a "top notch" (your words) university against an "in state" (again, your words) university as if there is a contest and your kid won because his math class doesn't use calculators. But your arguments toward that don't make much sense since and for all I know he's taking basic arithmetic where teaching the formula is still the focus, not applying it.

You are aware they teach Trigonometry, Algebra, and Calculus in schools?

If you rely on a graphing calculator to solve complex problems without knowledge of the underlying theory you are in a deep trough when it comes to taking math tests without use of such.

And computers certainly don't exist as a substitute for knowledge (my words ).

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by Dirt Grinder

Another cushion for kids going through school, even many private schools, is the use of a calculator for math classes. My child went to a very good private school and they were encouraged to use a calculator in the math classes. I tried to explain that calculators won't be available during college math tests - to no avail.

Fast-forward. My child is now attending a top-notch university and, guess what, no calculators in math class. However, my child's friends going to in-state universities are still using their calculators in math class.

I have to agree with Ceece here. There are some math applications for which a calculator of some kind is a must! Remember, before calculators there were slide rules.