upworthy

school

Education

Mom is shocked when her daughter says state writing exams don’t involve writing anymore

“Are you saying that in the 1900s you had to hand write all of your exams?”

Mom shocked after daughter reveals there's no writing in state writing exam.

State standardized testing isn't something that most kids or parents look forward to. They're typically long, boring, and don't accurately measure how well every child understands the information they've been taught throughout the year. But it's currently the only way for states to get measurable data on the education happening in public schools.

Erin Monroe was driving her daughter to school when she learned her daughter had state testing in English Language Arts (ELA). To no one's surprise, Monroe's daughter was not thrilled about taking state testing, especially for a test that likely required a lot of reading and writing. This was Monroe's time to shine by pulling out her pep talking and comforting skills to ensure her 6th grader had positive words to remember during testing.

season 7 episode 6 GIFGiphy

The mom wasn't prepared for the emotional whiplash she was about to endure when her daughter dropped the truth of her ELA exam. There's no manual writing involved.

"I was like, I get it. It's a lot of work. It's a lot of reading and writing but we all had to do it. Just do your very best and get to it, I know your hand's going to really be hurting at the end of the day," Monroe recalls about the conversation with her confused daughter before reiterating to her child that it involves a lot of writing.

This bit of information not only confused but amused the middles schooler who came back with a bit of a reality check for the mom by giving her the amusing truth of today. "And she goes, 'wait, are you trying...are you saying that in the 1900s you had to handwrite all of your exams?'"

diane guerrero latina GIF by IdentityGiphy

She threw in the 1900s. THE. 1900s. As if to make it seem like this millennial mom was really riding in a buggy trying to survive dysentery. After the insult and revelation that there was no handwriting involved in the state ELA test, Monroe jokingly kicked her daughter out of her car.

"You're trying to tell me you're complaining about doing your exam and you get to type it? Um, absolutely not. First of all don't call it the early 1900s and it was good character development," Monroe says she told her daughter.

There's something about the reminder of growing up in the "1900s" that just takes the wind out of your metaphorical sailboat. Viewers of the video were equally amused and shocked by this seemingly new information with one person recalling, "The fear they instilled in us for not having #2 pencils."

"Do the blue books not exist anymore?!?!?!?!?" someone demanded to know.

"My kids literally said their state tests are on their laptops & I wholeheartedly got mad for a second, if you don’t give these kids a scantron!!!!!!!" another chimes in.

Dexters Laboratory Type GIFGiphy

"I still have the calluses on my index finger… 20 years later," someone else jokes.

"My 6th grader was also complaining about her writing exam and it never even occurred to me that she wasn't actually writing.. I'm going to go sit in the rocking chair and watch Wheel of Fortune," another commenter writes.

"I was showing kids the 'tools' they can use to take their test - ruler, highlighter, magnifier, etc. I'm the librarian and also teach some tech, but I used to teach 4th grade, so I was explaining that the last time I gave the test, it was on paper and the tools were cardstock. One of the kids said, 'What, in, like, 1965'?' I'm 49. Child."

Cursive is a fading art.

If you're on TikTok, you've more than likely seen "The Cursive Challenge," at some point over the years. Parents–and even teachers–get the Gen Z-ers in their lives to attempt a style of writing that is no longer taught in many schools.

The videos range from people who are truly earnest in their attempt at the challenge to those who are hilariously baffled by the fact that cursive writing even exists at all. One such person was Chaun Domingue (@Chaundomingue on TikTok), who tries to get his Gen Z daughter to pass the test. He gives her a handful of words, and she gives it an honest try until she adorably devolves into a giggling fit. He then shows her how it's done.

@chaundomingue

@maggles_77 trying to write in cursive. 🤣

Even celebrities have gotten in on the fun. On the Cincinnati Bengals TikTok page, a handful of NFL football players give it their all. Handed just a whiteboard and an erasable marker, they're asked to write "Bengals" in cursive. While the first player tries, we hear someone admit, "I haven't written in cursive since, like, fifth grade." They're good sports (of course), and some do a decent enough job, but for the most part, it's a "B" followed by unrecognizable squiggles – which gives everyone a good-natured laugh.

The comment section had some notes. One points out that Chase Brown "had the biggest smile on his face like he was so proud of his work." Another notes that "Mac (Hippenhammer) just adding a bunch of extra end letters."

@bengals

Well… they tried 😅 #cursive #handwriting #nfl #bengals #dailychallenge #itriedmybest

The style of writing remains a hot topic. Over on the Southern Living blog, writers Valerie Fraser Luesse and Zoe Gowen make a case for the style in "5 Reasons Why Everyone Should Know Cursive." The gist of the post, at least for the writers, is that cursive writing is a nostalgic tradition. "Cursive is a lost art. Scratch that. It's an art. It's not lost quite yet. When you write in cursive, you are encouraged to embrace your creative side."

They also maintain that it's faster than writing in print and, quite simply, "It looks nice." "A flowing cursive is one step closer to the art of calligraphy, and it's a necessity if you want to sign your name in a formal fashion."

But many on Reddit seem conflicted. On the subreddit r/stupidquestions, someone essentially asks why we stopped teaching cursive. The top comment answers pragmatically: "Because it’s hard to read, and with the onset of everyone using technology, with the fonts we have on the screens in front of us, it’s just what we’re used to now. Calligraphy is an art, and there are plenty of calligraphy artists online making videos of their work." But they add a hopeful note: "For what it's worth, they still teach cursive in schools, at least in Australia. And GPs (general practitioners) the world over are keeping cursive alive, too."

Another Redditor agrees: "I wrote in cursive until teachers asked me to stop in 7th grade. Students would exchange work and grade each other, but apparently, a number of students had complained they couldn't read my cursive. Even knowing cursive, I struggle to decipher the handwriting from the colonial era. If I am looking at primary sources, it's easier translating ancient Latin than reading English from a personal letter of a 17th-century politician."

cursive, gif, handwriting, cursive writing, calligraphyRed Nails Thank You GIF by Hello AllGiphy

This person adds a technical explanation: "Because today, we have pens which can be lifted without dropping ink, which would screw up writing. Technology evolved, and we adapted to use the fastest way, which is not cursive but some kind of hybrid."

However, some still prefer it. "I'm probably one of the few people who finds it much easier to write in cursive, probably because I was never taught to write in print. For context, I went to primary school in France in the 2010s. I'm not sure if they still teach it now, but I think the majority must still do."

This comment surprisingly got some negative feedback: "Many U.S. states now require cursive as part of the elementary school curriculum. Good! Why? Because it's a 'grown-up' skill that should be a normal part of a child's social education – like self-feeding, potty-training, and self-dressing. Also, because cursive writing is expressive and beautiful. Print is common and clunky. And, as a poet once put it, 'If eyes were meant for seeing, then beauty is its own excuse for being.'"

Screenshots via YouTube/Chris Rosa

Deyshia Hargrave speaking at a school board meeting, being arrested

We all know teachers have one of the hardest jobs in America: Educating our country's children while often working without enough resources, institutional support or even a livable salary. But a story from 2018, showcases one of the most egregious examples of unfair pay in the public school system. But we promise it has a happy ending.

Why should a superintendent get a raise while teachers in the same district struggling to make ends meet see their paychecks flatline — year after year after year?

Teacher Deyshia Hargrave begged the question. Minutes later, she was handcuffed and placed in the backseat of a cop car. The scene was captured below by YouTube user Chris Rosa, who attended a board meeting for Vermilion Parish Schools in Louisiana. You can watch Hargrave begin speaking about 33 seconds in. The situation starts becoming contentious around 6:35 minutes. Hargrave is arrested at 8:35, and then walked outside in handcuffs and placed in the back of police vehicle.


- YouTubewww.youtube.com


Hargrave was questioning the school board how they can vote to give the superintendent a raise when school employees have not gotten a raise.

"We work very hard with very little to maintain the salaries that we have," Hargrave, who teaches middle school language arts, said during a public comment portion of the meeting, stating that she's seen classroom sizes balloon during her time at the school with no increased compensation. "We're meeting those goals, while someone in that position of leadership [the superintendent] is getting raise? It's a sad, sad day to be a teacher in Vermilion Parish."

According to comments Hargrave made to BuzzFeed News, she believes Superintendent Jerome Puyau was already making $110,000 before the board voted to give him a raise of $38,000. The raise alone is roughly the salary of "a teacher, or two cafeteria workers, or two janitors," Hargrave told the outlet.

After Hargrave spoke out again later in the meeting, a city marshal on duty asked her to leave — even though the school board was still addressing her.

"You're going to leave, or I'm going to remove you," the officer told her, as seen in the video. Many people in attendance seemed shocked. "Are you serious?" someone asked, aghast, in the crowd.

Hargrave leaves the room, followed by the officer. But moments later, someone chimed in, "he's putting her in handcuffs" — and the room erupts in disarray.

"I am not [resisting], you just pushed me to the floor!" Hargrave is heard screaming at the officer, as he forcibly removes her down the hallway and out the building in handcuffs. "Sir, hold on! I am way smaller than you!"


- YouTubewww.youtube.com


According to KATV News, Hargrave was booked in the city jail for resisting an officer — a fact that left many commenters online flabbergasted. School officials are reportedly not pressing charges. "Umm ... what charges could they possibly make?" one Redditor noted.

With help from the Reddit community, Rosa's video has gone viral, garnering more than 600,000 views in less than 24 hours. Clearly, Hargrave's earnest question about inequality in our education system — met with a grotesque abuse of power — has clearly touched a nerve with people across the country.

"I don't know how this teacher could have been more polite and patient in her earnest desire to find out why the superintendent deserves a raise while the teachers work harder with less," YouTube commenter Scott Wells chimed in. "She continued to press because they refused to come up with an answer. Seems like a good question to me."

We agree.

Thankfully, Hargrave's efforts were not in vain. The incident ended up going viral, drawing national attention from several media outlets, including Upworthy, who pointed out the injustice in blocking educators like Hargrave from having a place to speak in opposition to the pay raises. Later in 2018, a Lafayette court invalidated the superintendent's contract, according to The Daily Advertiser. A state appeals court backed the decision.

The Advertiser reports that in 2019, Hargrave filed a lawsuit over her arrest. Later that year, the Vermilion Parish School Board voted to remove Payou from his role, according to KATC. Later that year, Payou agreed to resign from his position and a settlement was reached over the initial case surrounding his pay raise. He is now retired.


This article originally appeared six years ago. It has been updated with new information.

Education

Mom calls out teacher for giving her son a 'zero' for not providing class with school supplies

Her viral video sparked a debate as to whether or not providing school supplies should be mandatory for parents.

A zero grade for not providing school supplies?

The debate as to whether or not parents should supply classroom supplies is not new. But as prices continue to rise, parents are growing more baffled as to how they can be expected by teachers to provide all the various glue sticks, colored pencils, rulers, and other various items the incoming students might need.

What’s even more perplexing, however, is penalizing the children of parents who won’t (or can’t) provide them. This was the case for Shanitta Nicole, who discovered her son received a zero grade in his new school for not bringing school supplies for the entire classroom.

school supplies, school, pencils, paper, markers, paperSchool supplies is important and expensive.Image via Canva.


Nicole was especially surprised by this reaction since she had already gone through the effort of making sure her son had every item he needed from the school’s supplies list, which was slightly different than the one they previously had.

To Nicole's surprise, her son's seventh grade teacher informed him he was expected to provide for the whole classroom, not just himself. And, thus, her received a zero grade for failing the assignment, so to speak.

Even though Nicole thought the rule was “weird,” she went out and bought the bulk items, which included tissues, Clorox wipes, hand sanitizer, pencils, Expo markers, and red pens. And yet, the next week, her son still had a zero. Concerned, Nicole emailed her son’s teacher.

“I’m like, ‘hey…my student has a 83 in the class and everything else in the class is 100s and 98s and he still has a zero for something called ‘classroom supplies.’” she said in a video.

“‘We bought the supplies anyways, but I don't feel like it's the parents' responsibility to supply your classroom. And I definitely don't think it's appropriate to assign a grade to students based off of whether or not they've supplied your class with supplies. That doesn't make any sense.’”

@shanittanicole

Am I doing too much? #fyp #school

While Nicole’s email did get the teacher to reconcile the grade, there was no acknowledgement about her other concerns regarding the responsibility of parents to provide the entire class with supplies.

“So, I emailed the principal because I just, I might be extra, but I just want to see what's going on. Why do I have to buy supplies for the classroom?” the frustrated mom asked. Nicole’s video quickly went viral on TikTok, and several weighed in to agree that the teacher’s actions were misguided.

“That is so unfair!! Especially for the kids whose parents CANT afford groceries let alone classroom supplies,” one user wrote.

Another added, “You are not wrong. It is 100% ok for [the teacher] to ask for supplies, but mandate it for a grade? Absolutely not.”

This point is truly what Nicole took umbrage with, as she noted several times in the comments. It has less to do with being asked to help and more to do with her son’s grade depending on it.

grades, progress report, report card, grading, schoolAsking for supplies is ok, mandating it is not. Image via Canva

In a follow-up video, Nicole shared that the school principal did end up reaching out, notifying her that while, yes, teachers are allowed to ask for donations, it should never be mandated. What's more, as Nicole notes in the below video, her son was being penalized for not providing supplies for an honors class he only attends for one period (50 minutes) a day. This wasn't even his homeroom. Though that wouldn't justify the teacher's ask and attached grade, it might have made a little more sense.

@shanittanicole

Replying to @yafavv._.dancer😍😘💞😍😍💞 Graded Supplies Update #fyp #school

“What the teacher was trying to accomplish, but it definitely wasn't appropriate,” the principal told Nicole.

While the teacher might have not handled this situation in the best way, it goes without saying that this is a larger systemic issue—one that isn’t exactly fair to parents, teachers, and students alike.

Most public school teachers spend a significant amount of their own money on classroom supplies, to an average of $673 per year, according to a recent survey of more than 1,100 educators by the Association of American Educators (AAE). That number only goes up for teachers in high poverty schools.

At the same time, according to a 2022 survey with Savings.com (that was updated in 2024), the typical parent also spends nearly $600 on school supplies, not to mention other necessities like clothes, backpacks, haircuts, etc.

In the grand scheme of things, there’s no use placing full responsibility or blame onto teachers or parents because either way, students get caught in the crossfire. This is clearly a universal burden that needs attention.

This article originally appeared two years ago.