09/15/2011:
"math and i am a student that is in the 2nd grade "
12/2/2010:
"My second grader has met most of the expectations and I hope he continues
to excel beyond expectation."
10/13/2010:
"I have a 2nd grader and I am concerned the skills they are being taught
are not rigorous enough.
She is in a 2/3 grade combo class which I am also a little concerned
about. Also the 'homework' is alarming to me. A single page of
activities was sent home for the month to complete. No worksheets,
nothing turned in for review. And the spelling list for a weekly test
consists of just five words for the 2nd graders and 5 different words for
the 3rd graders. My student could easily learn the '3rd grade words' but
isn't tested on them. I am freaking out a little.
At home I challenge her with work she can do but she'll refuse because
they haven't covered that yet in class. It's very hard to get a kid to do
something as an assignment from a parent if the expectation isn't as high
at school.
It is the job of the educators and the parents together to make sure each
student is being challenged at their level. So I don't buy the statement
that the benchmark should be set at the lowest common denominator for the
whole class. Ridiculous. If we do this even our brightest kids won't be
ready for higher education. I don't want my kid taking a year of remedial
classes in college because they weren't prepared in K-12.
And yes I do get involved in the school and volunteer to support my child
and others.
We are even thinking of switching schools if not for this year, next year
to a school with a dedicated 3rd grade classroom.
"
09/10/2010:
"As a women chemical engineer, I work in a male-dominated field and am
sensitive to gender references in documentation and spoken word. Despite
the fact that my child is a boy, I am frustrated when writers (and
speakers) exclude one gender in their message.
I regularly hear the argument that the male gender is used generically.
If that is the case, then why don't we ever see the feminine gender used?
That, of course, is a rhetorical question. In trying to make this point
to my male colleagues a few years ago, I gave a presentation that included
a documentation package. In both, without saying a word, I used only
feminine gender - they got the message loud and clear, their comments
being that they had never realized how the choice of gender affects the
listener/reader. In this case, they told me that the seemingly
inconsequential changes made them feel left out!
The use of a single gender leaves out half of the population. A site such
as Great Schools should be leading the way in eliminating gender bias,
including and perhaps starting with the documentation that is published on
your website. It is very easy to be inclusive with the two most common
approaches being the inclusion of both genders at every reference (i.e.
him/her) or alternating gender references (i.e. every other reference is
female).
I will look forward to seeing us all working to un-bias education and the
materials in which we communicate.
By the way, this is a helpful article for parents of BOTH boys and girls!
Thank you for providing valuable information in a concise fashion - it
makes it easy for busy parents to quickly receive important and helpful
information.
"
08/31/2010:
"wow i love the comment left by the teacher. so true people dont think
befor they type you guys do alot as teacher's but i was also taught that
train starts at home. "
08/30/2010:
"Folks who commented previously...I'm a 2nd grade teacher and I don't think
any of these skills are too far below considering most of us teachers have
25+ students in a classroom. Sure, when you home school and have 1 or 2 or
even 3 kids they exceed these standards by far. Give me 1 to 3 kids any
day and I'll have them reading college level! Please don't criticize these
standards and what we're expecting of children...the standard has to be
set somewhere so that we can ensure that ALL students are learning. Those
of us who are really great will push and challenge the kiddos who are
already meeting and exceeding to go to higher levels; and we'll still get
our other students to meet the standards. Please think about what you're
saying before you pre-judge teachers and education. And if you really
think this isn't right, I dare you to become a teacher. Better yet, I dare
you to become a teacher in a high needs population...and when you're just
as successful with a group of 25 ch!
ildren all at varying levels -- well then you can possibly criticize."
08/16/2010:
"Gosh my son is homeschooled and is going to go to public school this year
in 2nd grade, he already knows his multiplication up to the 12's and his
division...and reads 200 page books, didn't know school was so behind like
this."
08/16/2010:
"if your 2nd grader can't work together in a group, reason, or better yet
know right from wrong.. well then there's an issue there don't you think.
Of course it's expected for them to expand their vocab... as it is all the
way thru school...
to answer the question about curisive... most schools i'm finding out wait
till 3rd grade... the other question about your child's handwritting not
being up to par so to speak... leap frog is the BEST FOR THAT!!!!"
08/16/2010:
"My students are expected to know the above by First Grade."
08/16/2010:
"Regarding art and creativity what should be a second graders development
goal to reach?"
07/21/2010:
"WOW! Is this all that we are expecting of our 2nd graders? If so, the
future of this country is in trouble. Why is this acceptable to anyone? "
02/16/2010:
"Were does cursive writing and money come into play/ I thought it was 2nd
grade, as most schools are writing in cursive in 3rd grade?"
10/27/2009:
"MY little boy is in second grade. And hes having alot of trouble whith his
writing skills. How could i improve them?"
