Letters home from school

[Callisto in NC]

Okay, so we had a case of MRSA and the new principal sent a letter home. The letter is just this side of pathetic with grammar errors. Is it wrong to expect the principal to send home a correctly worded, grammatically correct letter? Even if his secretary wrote it, he should proof it, or have the English department proof it, before signing. Don't you think? Am I being unreasonable in my expectations? This is a High School principal, the possible last leader some children will have before going out into the real world. Shouldn't he make sure the letters he signs his name to are correct?

Or am I just expecting too much?

 

[kitchenelf]

I guess I'm at a different stage in life. Maybe the important thing that day was getting the letter out. If it makes you feel better by all means say something. Where it will get you other than known as "that lady" I'm not sure

 

[jpmcgrew]

Okay, so we had a case of MRSA and the new principal sent a letter home. The letter is just this side of pathetic with grammar errors. Is it wrong to expect the principal to send home a correctly worded, grammatically correct letter? Even if his secretary wrote it, he should proof it, or have the English department proof it, before signing. Don't you think? Am I being unreasonable in my expectations? This is a High School principal, the possible last leader some children will have before going out into the real world. Shouldn't he make sure the letters he signs his name to are correct?

Or am I just expecting too much?

No you are right they should have perfect grammar and punctuation.
I certainly dont all though I try I used to know it all but never really needed to use it much until I came here and to think I used to great grades for it.
However I do think I get my messages across

 

[Callisto in NC]

I guess I'm at a different stage in life. Maybe the important thing that day was getting the letter out. If it makes you feel better by all means say something. Where it will get you other than known as "that lady" I'm not sure

Well, since the school knows I was the assistant to the PR director at the school district, they might know my thought process.

 

[jpmcgrew]

I guess I'm at a different stage in life. Maybe the important thing that day was getting the letter out. If it makes you feel better by all means say something. Where it will get you other than known as "that lady" I'm not sure

Yes as we get older its kind of ok but people working in the academic world must know this stuff.

 

[Callisto in NC]

Yes as we get older its kind of ok but people working in the academic world must know this stuff.

And that's where I'm coming from. This isn't from any old company, it's from the man leading the school teaching my daughter and grading her on her English skills.

 

[mikki]

I got a letter home like that and my kids,who actually noticed the mistakes before me, were wondering what kind of grade they would get if they wrote something like that so we copied the letter without the school letter head or signature and they took it to their English teacher and asked them to edit it. You should have seen all the corrections. By the end of the day it was all around the school and they must have gotten the point because I have never received another letter like that.

 

[Callisto in NC]

I got a letter home like that and my kids,who actually noticed the mistakes before me, were wondering what kind of grade they would get if they wrote something like that so we copied the letter without the school letter head or signature and they took it to their English teacher and asked them to edit it. You should have seen all the corrections. By the end of the day it was all around the school and they must have gotten the point because I have never received another letter like that.

That's great!! Glad the school got the point.

 

[mikki]

It also made the kids see that everone makes mistakes. As much as we grownups want the kids to believe we are perfect , I'm sorry to say we are not.

 

[VeraBlue]

Unfortunately, composition is one of the first classes to be lost to budget cuts. Before that class comes art, music appreciation, shop and home economics.

Too many people say it is the message that counts, and not the way it is received (or delivered). Hogwash, I say.

 

[jpmcgrew]

Unfortunately, composition is one of the first classes to be lost to budget cuts. Before that class comes art, music appreciation, shop and home economics.

Too many people say it is the message that counts, and not the way it is received (or delivered). Hogwash, I say.

I agree especially if you enter the business world or in any other world you dont want to come across as a complete moron and kids need to learn this.Its called the three Rs reading,writing and arithmetic.Out west its reading,riding and roping
Americans are not famous for good schooling but in Europe and Asia its a really serious issue.
One of my pet peeves is when some says pitchers instead of pictures I have met college graduates that cannot spell to save their lives.I never went to college but I can spell better than some.

 

[Katie H]

Guess I'm from that "old school" place because I think the letter should've been written correctly. Yes, the message needed to get out but, since it came from an educational institution, it should also have been properly done.

I feel fortunate that I had awesome English teachers in my formative years and equally capable ones while in college.

The language (both written and spoken) of our youth has become sloppy, IMO, and that saddens me.

 

[Andy M.]

As a hiring manager in business, I was instantly turned off by any resume containing spelling or grammatical errors. Considering how important a resume is in getting you an interview, one would expect it to be perfect. So many were not even close.

I used to lecture my children on the importance of making a positive first impression in the manner of dress, as well as spoken and written language. First impressions are very difficult to overturn.

I always try to write with correct grammar, punctuation and some style. I usually reread and spell check my posts to ensure there are no errors because I think that's important. Everything we write can be viewed by thousands of people and we will be judged by what they see.

 

[jabbur]

The speed of the message should have nothing to do with grammatical and spelling errors. It's not like they didn't have time to write it, copy it and distribute it. It could be done in a day and be done correctly. I would definitely say something about it. It does reflect on the leadership of the school. While it is good to let kids know we grownups make mistakes, we still need to set a good example for them for them to follow.

 

[buckytom]

without a doubt, it should have been proofread and corrected before it was sent out. it's from the place that is charged with educating your children, for god's sake. if they can't write properly, what other shortcomings are they offering your kids?
regardless of whether you'd be "that lady" or not, you should bring the fact to their attention. if nothing else, they'll realize that you're on top of things and might be more interested in your kids' education, since you obviously are.

i mean, don't embarrass anyone, but a phone or other private conversation can't hurt.

this reminds me of a letter that i received from the ceo of my company, les moonves, as a congratulations on my 20th anniversary on the job. my wife has written thousands of letters and drafted hundreds of leases in her jobs as a commercial real estate manager and while running a law office. every single i must be dotted and t crossed in both of those types of documents or it's cause for said document to be useless and thrown out.
well, when she read my congratulatory letter from the head honcho, she was amazed at the number of mistakes. this is from the office of a guy who makes $100k per day, and his secretary can't write to save her life. dw wanted me to post it at work after she was able to take a red marker to it to point out the numerous errors, but i'd like to make it to 21 years, so i declined.

 

[expatgirl]

A couple of mistakes are "ok" but if a letter sent home to parents by a professional representative of the school is full of grammatical and spelling errors then I would feel very uneasy myself, especially with the ease of using spellcheck. I agree with others in sharing your concerns with the school office.
If you're interested you should be able to find out how your child's school performed overall on achievment scores, district wide literacy tests, state required assessment tests, etc., and against other schools in the same city district, as well as compared to other districts in the state. Our Houston Chronicle publishes all of that info every year. Quite interesting!

 

[VeraBlue]

A couple of mistakes are "ok" but if a letter sent home to parents by a professional representative of the school is full of grammatical and spelling errors then I would feel very uneasy myself, especially with the ease of using spellcheck. I agree with others in sharing your concerns with the school office.
If you're interested you should be able to find out how your child's school performed overall on achievment scores, district wide literacy tests, state required assessment tests, etc., and against other schools in the same city district, as well as compared to other districts in the state. Our Houston Chronicle publishes all of that info every year. Quite interesting!

When did it become socially acceptable for a couple of mistakes to be okay? Are we, as the receiver of a letter, not entitled to excellent communications?
I disagree with you. I don't believe a couple of mistakes are okay.

 

[Rom]

It should be 100% grammatically correct. His teacher's wouldn't let their students get away with that, therefore he shouldn't be allowed to . I would've brought it to his attention and expressed to him that his lack of grammatical correctness leaves you wondering what kind of education your children are getting.

LOL you should mark his letter/mistakes with red and send it back with a big question mark on it

 

[DawnT]

Grammar

Having worked in a school for 13 years, I find it unacceptable to get anything from an authority figure that is grammatically incorrect!! While he/she may dictate it to a secretary, said secretary is able to spell check or use a dictionary! I can. You have every reason to expect this from the office of the High School Principal.

 

[elaine l]

The same thing happens at the school where I work. It is unacceptable.