Getting written feedback on boarders' work

Periwinkle
Sat, 02 Nov 2013 11:06:50 +0000

I remind everyone this is an anonymous internet message board. As such, we will interpret others’ posts in the light of our own experiences.

First: I know a family whose child graduated from our local public high school. The mother has stated she and her husband are “helping the child with essays” due in a college class. Modern technology makes this possible. (The mother casts aspersions on the professor. I have no way of knowing if these aspersions are accurate.) In case I’m being too subtle about the description, I’m certain the parents are writing sections of the child’s essay.

So, my question of, “when will you stop?” was not snark. It was a serious question about the extent of this parent’s planned intervention. Is it a limited time intervention, to make certain the student interprets the teacher’s feedback appropriately? Or is it open-ended, the only justification being that without the intervention, the student won’t produce his best work?

Either interpretation is conceivable. This is an anonymous message board.

Second: Achievement/intelligence tests are not calibrated for academic prep schools. There are quite a few boarding school students who could conceivably matriculate in college, were they only to be judged on their intelligence and academic preparation.

And yet, some students who score at the highest levels on intelligence tests have difficulty adjusting to living and studying away from home. It isn’t an insult to the child or family to inquire if this might be so. Intelligence, academic skills, and maturity don’t develop at the same rate. It would be nice if they did. Homesickness cannot be predicted.

It can also be thrilling for a bright child who has been lonesome at home to suddenly enter an environment with intellectual peers. Schools vary in the degree of personal freedom they allow students. Some schools require study halls; others don’t. I like mandatory study halls for younger students, because at the least it means the students aren’t distracting each other for at least two hours. It can be hard to buckle down and study if a buddy’s offering to critique your wardrobe or play computer games (adjust temptation as needed.)

Third: sometimes learning disabilities only show up in high school, particularly if the child’s really, really smart. It isn’t an insult to the child or family to inquire if this might be so.

Fourth: some teachers grade particularly strictly at the beginning of the year. Thus, the grades sent home in the first grading period aren’t the grades which will have been earned by the end of the year.

Fifth: If parents are concerned about a child’s performance, it is necessary to speak with the advisor. There are many steps a school can take which can help a child. The student might need to visit the writing lab (if there is one), or might need to work on basic grammar skills. As there are official bodies which discourage the teaching of grammar, this is entirely conceivable. Schools can require supervised study halls, with teachers on hand to give guidance if necessary.

Sixth: Some prep schools have strict grading policies. If you look at Deerfield’s school profile, only 2 students achieved averages over 95 last year; about a third of the senior class scored over 700 on each part of the SAT, though, and they have great college placement. The grades earned in freshman year may not correlate with the grades earned in middle school, but that doesn’t necessarily mean there’s a reason to worry.

Seventh: The schools I know well are goverened by honor codes. They take plagiarism very seriously. I do not know how they would treat a student who allowed others to rewrite his work. I would not want to find out. A teacher or tutor at school will know what help is permissable under the school’s rules. If a student’s work makes a sudden jump in sophistication, teachers will notice.

I do not know you. I am not implying you would go that far. This is an anonymous message board.