Am I Overreacting? Concerning Son's Spelling Test

You will probably be having parent/teacher conferences soon. You could discuss with his teacher what her expectation is so you understand her grading system better. My first grade daughter comes home with spelling tests that are marked all over for capitalization errors and for letters not quite formed right. She writes on the test "100" though. I am glad that her teacher takes the time to teach her the correct format....it doesn't count this year but next year it will and I want her to be prepared. I think it's important to look at the teacher overall and the success that your son is having (or not) in her classroom. If he's having a great year then I wouldn't get too worked up about it. If you feel like the teacher makes him feel like he can't do anything right, then I would call the teacher immediately.

I, too, am a former teacher-3rd grade. I, also, have two sons. I think this is unfair. First graders shouldn't be expected to know a proper noun from a common noun. The only word I would have required spelled with proper capitalization would have been the word I and I would have put a note on the spelling list stating that. I would definetly speak with the teacher about this and see if there is a reason for counting off for capitalizing the words. Maybe it comes from higher up and she had no choice. Good luck. I'll be facing the same kind of problems next year when my oldest enters school.

The words were misspelled. You were a first grade teacher, this is a good time to explain to your son that capitalization can make the difference between a word that is spelled properly and one that is not.

I am a teacher and I find this to be harsh. Perhaps a better idea would have been to take off half a point on each one to send the message of how to correct the work, but still provide your son with credit for what he did do correctly. If it were my child I would voice my concern. You have that right as a parent. Things like that just crush a child's spirit and I don't understand why teachers do things like that. Good luck to you!