My 8 year old daughter has come home with the comment ......................... "Neater writing please Kylie!"

Question

My daughter has been quite distraught about this.

I feel this is a very negative comment. Her writing was actually quite neat, the page looks messy, because she has used an eraser several times on each word, to correct it too make it look neater.

I think the teacher could have commented in a positive fashion.

e.g. Great effort, perhaps next time use a clean eraser.

Can you think of any other very short positive comments the teacher could have made to encourage Kylie?

Answer 1

I would suggest that Kylie lessen her use of the eraser, since that was the problem. I do agree that the teacher should have been more understanding, since she should have seen that it wasn't Kylie's fault that the page was messy.

"Kylie, your handwriting is really neat, but could you use the eraser less next time?"
"Kylie, thank you for your effort, but please try not to use the eraser so much next time."

Basically, I think Kylie should be thanked for her effort in making it look neat, except a reminder to try not to use the eraser that much.

If she is really distraught, she could confront the teacher about it. I'm sure any reasonable teacher would apologise.

Answer 2

Teach Kylie to interpret simple comments in a more positive way by not making such a big deal about it yourself!!! By getting upset about such a little comment, she will learn to be oversensitive and take offense at things where none was intended. Try to help Kylie realize that the teacher just wants her to practice her writing a bit more, until she can write her assignment without having to mess it up with so much erasing! If she is distraught about this, she has alot of pain coming to her in the years to come. Calm her down. Play it nice and easy. Tell her it is no big thing. She just needs a bit more practice. Relax, mom, she has alot harder challenges ahead of her in Jr. High. You can't fix everything for her!!!

Everything that upsets Kylie is not someone else's fault.

Answer 3

She has to be less thin skinned and respect her teacher's comments. At 8 years old, your daughter is old enough to take criticism without the spoonful of sugar. High school teachers, college professors and eventually employers will not sugarcoat things so she has to learn to take criticism for what it is - a comment on her work, and NOT an insult to her as a person. Buy her a big eraser that does not leave stray marks and that should make her work look neater.

Answer 4

That comment hardly sounds harsh, in fact it sounds rather gently put. I used to get comments like "Messy paper" and "Unacceptable". Did I get distraught? No. I didn't like it and I worked hard to neaten up. Now as an adult I am always getting comments on having the neatest handwriting, have been hired by people to address their wedding invitations, and have made a lot of money on the side hand-lettering signs and other artwork. Guess those terse comments paid off.

Answer 5

Sounds like you are more distraught In life your daughter will receive good and bad comments. Its your role as parent to to help her take these comments on the chin.Or find ways of helping her to dothings better such as using a bigger eraser and not s erasing too much.

Answer 6

Does the teacher have 24 or more students ? Is this a chronic problem ? Teachers are only human and are now expected to be counsellors, social workers, surrogate parents, coaches
as well as teachers. They are overworked and underpaid. The comment was not curt and did use `please`. No problem here in my opinion.

Answer 7

Maybe you should have a talk with the teacher. It seems as though the comments have gotten to her and she is striving for perfection and the paper ends up looking worse in the end than it did in the beginning.

Answer 8

It's a little late for that, isn't it? There's nothing wrong with what the teacher said. If the kid turned in a messy paper, she turned in a messy paper. I really don't think this will shatter her for life.