Mistakes in student displays not corrected - bad?

[mamandedeux]

Please tell me if this would bother you. I went for a tour of my DS1's new school recently. He will be starting school full-time in September, in first grade. The school is full French, and has a great reputation. However, I noticed that many of the student works on display in the library and the hallways were full of typos and grammar mistakes, and left uncorrected. These were blatant mistakes, like wrong verb tenses, mispelled words... Would this bother you?

[whatsnextmom]

It wouldn't really bother me. What was the context of the display? Was it for parents to show true and age-appropriate work the kids have done? Was it some sort of competition where the best works were displayed as opposed to this being actual classwork. That work isn't typically corrected. Were they science project type displays which are typically graded and corrected with the child personally as opposed to marking up the display itself? This is a school and the kids are learning. It's nice to display the kids work at times but you wouldn't want to put up a paper full of red marks. My DS goes to a tri-lingual school and even as a 5th grader, he still makes some mistakes. I much rather see real work the kids are doing on their own on the walls than manufactured work.

[Silly Willies]

I think you are expecting to much of kids work.  Perfection comes over time in steps.  Trying to reach to high standards only discourage.  You build on one skill at a time and it takes years to improve. 

[WantRice]

Nope. Wouldn't want to give parents the impression that their children are perfect and have nothing left to learn. Boy would they be in for a shock when they got the report card. 

[mamandedeux]

I guess I hadn't thought of it that way. My problem with it was that the projects seemed to be more or less of a permanent kind, with huge (error-filled) titles. My initial thought was that kids learn through exposure and if they see the same errors day after day, wouldn't they come to think of it as ok? I mean the word, verb, what have you, not the fact that kids make mistakes... For example, one poster had the following: Partegez les histoire (Share your stories). There are 3 typos/mistakes there. If you're a 5 year old, walking by that poster 5 times a day, wouldn't you come to assume that this is the ok way to write this sentence and repeat that same mistake? How about making the kids make the corrections before putting them up? Maybe I am over zealous, but it does bother me.  

[CarrieMF]

I'd expect the 5yo wouldn't be able to read or understand what was on the displayed project.  

Kids generally do NOT get their grammar & work expectations from work that is displayed from other students in the halls.

I have NEVER seen corrected work up on display & my kids are in grades 3, 4 & 7.

A big reason is it would show other kids that the child made mistakes & some of those mistakes could be very small.  they'd be setting the children up for teasing from other students over mistakes they've made.

How would you feel if every student & parent who walked in the school could see what mistakes(big or small) your child was making in their displayed work?   What if your child was a special needs student & didn't have the skills to make everything perfect?  Should those type of errors be pointed out to everyone?  

The kids displayed work changes every 3-4 weeks.

[Linda on the move]

Originally Posted by mamandedeux 

 My problem with it was that the projects seemed to be more or less of a permanent kind, with huge (error-filled) titles.

That sounds weird to me. Displays done by children are usually changed out pretty often. It's part of the point. I wouldn't be impressed with a school that left the same work on display forever. Aren't the kids doing new things all the time?

[One_Girl]

I wouldn't be bothered by it.  Displays are things that are changed out monthly and I would take it as a sign that it is the kind of school that balances out teaching with age appropriate expectations.  I wouldn't want my dd in a school where she had to be corrected constantly for making mistakes just in case a younger child noticed the mistake and never learns that it is a mistake.  If the subject is language arts and kids are learning the writing process then they should be editing their work to the best of their abilities, but depending on the age that may just mean spelling sight words correctly or having punctuation on the paper,  I don't see value in taking class time to perfect small, age-appropriate mistakes that will disappear as children go on into higher grades and gain more knowledge.  If you are looking for a school that only accepts and displays perfection or one with an atmosphere that expects mistakes to be hidden away than you should probably look for another school though.  This seems like something big enough to bother you and that may mean that this school isn't a good fit for your family.  There is nothing wrong with wanting a school that stresses academics very seriously and only displays the finest work, it isn't something I personally find value in but there are parents who do and there are schools that cater to that desire.  I suggest you listen to your feelings and look around for other schools to find one that is a better fit.

[LynnS6]

I'd be much more concerned by a school where the work had no mistakes!

Spelling is largely developmental and it will come eventually, given exposure to print and a focus on form at appropriate times. If the purpose of the work displayed was not spelling, then I wouldn't be worried.

[mamandedeux]

ok, ok... I'm overreacting. See, I don't expect perfection. My DS1 is 4, can read and write, but I never correct his mistakes. Our fridge is covered with his artwork, and his name is mispelled on all of them (he still reverses some letters). I figure he'll self-correct at some point.

I guess my concern was that the display has been up for a few months now (it was there when we first visited in January). Although I must admit that I know nothing (zilch, nada..) about how kids learn and have never attempted to ''teach'' my kids other than through play (by that I mean no flash cards, or memory games...). I'm happy to know that this is standard and that it's all good! I really like the school, and want my child to enjoy it, not be groomed to be the next prime minister.

Thanks mamas!

[Polliwog]

I can pretty much guarantee that the kids rarely (if ever) read the stuff on the walls. And I agree with the above posters.

[ecoteat]

Some work that kids do is fully edited, proofread, and perfected. Some assignments are never intended to go that far. ALL kids' work is worthy of sharing in some capacity. I have no problem with imperfections in kids' work, but I would be annoyed by an incorrect banner or title to a display.