Of all, no parent would ever imagine that a trusted educator would attempt to hold back their child’s progress, as we all know that a school is a place where teachers cultivate and praise learning, mostly for first graders, especially if it exceeds expectations.
However, when Brenda Hatcher’s daughter exhibited evidence of fast learning, that’s exactly what happened. This teacher came off as a total drill sergeant, especially after a parent read the note she put on her daughter’s homework!
Brenda’s 7-year-old daughter Alyssa received her worksheet from the teacher, which had an angry note in red. Although it wasn’t something that the girl answered wrong that earned the teacher’s scorn, the Teacher asked the young girl to stop writing her name in cursive instead of print, when Brenda looked through her backpack, checking her day’s work after the caring mother picked up her daughter from school.
The mom then got upset after finding the teacher’s warning message on her 7-Year-old daughter’s Homework, instead of pointing out a mistake or problem with the 7-year-responses, old are the teacher reprimanded Brenda’s daughter for having excellent handwriting, with a picture of the worksheet, Brenda then shared on a Facebook post.
According to a Facebook post, the teacher simply wrote: “Stop writing your name in cursive. You have had several warnings.”
While it is understandable that a teacher’s directions need to be followed, it hardly seems reasonable for a teacher to discourage young Alyssa from practicing the art of cursive. Her hard work needs to be praised rather than being met with an angry note.
She made the argument, as did others on social media, that rewarding children for going above and above in the classroom surely fosters a culture of conformity rather than fostering their unique talents. Brenda voiced her worry that the teacher’s reprimand might prevent her daughter and other students from giving their best effort.
“Alyssa is 7!!! Not only is her mother a military veteran but, she took the time to teach her very young child how to write in cursive… This is her teacher’s response… What is wrong with today’s school system/society???”
While teaching cursive writing to students may not be a top priority in every school, those who have made the effort should be encouraged to continue their studies. Alyssa deserves encouragement, not to be embarrassed or forced to stop writing in cursive, which takes focus, concentration, and a lot of practice to master.
Brenda stated that practicing cursive writing used to be rewarded rather than discouraged, she went on to say that Alyssa doesn’t do this sort of thing all the time.
“The thing is is that she doesn’t write everything in cursive, that’s her own personal signature… I had to learn to write in cursive when I was young… This should never be something a teacher frowns upon, and apparently she can’t even get things right herself as an adult… Considering her little mess at the beginning of her lovely note… To a 7 year old…”
It’s important that teachers and adults urge children to delve into new things. When children look for new chances to learn, the adults in their life become their source of support and reassurance to help them see that the skill is worth pursuing. Therefore, it’s vital that teachers take the time to foster the love of learning rather than discourage it.
Sources: Taphaps, Globalstorynews, Independentminute
