teacher tips

Being a teacher is not an easy job, and no one enters the teaching profession because they think they're going to make a lot of money. Most teachers go into the field knowing that they would likely struggle making ends meet but carry a deep desire for shaping young minds.

But because of things like excessive standardized test preparation due to school districts' funds being tied to test scores, teachers don't always have time to teach basic things some students might have missed along the way. This can cause some frustration from everyone involved because in the end a child is not able to receive the proper tools for success. To fill in that gap, teachers rely on parents to help prepare their children to be as successful as possible in school.

Mr. Wilson, who goes by the name Mr. Wilson's Twin Brother on TikTok, shares several things he's noticed about the students entering his fifth grade classroom over the past several years and reveals four skills children need to have before entering the fifth grade. The list may be surprising for some, though judging by the response from teachers, being underprepared is an all too common issue.

Mr. Wilson prefaces the video by saying, "I take it as a point of pride that I make my classroom accessible to all different types of children, but the main goal of a fifth grade classroom is to prepare a child for the increased demands of middle school. And as you know, middle school is a type of place where there are seven different teachers and they don't have the same ethic of care as an elementary school teacher does. Some of them will and some of them try to but due to the structure of middle school it's just not feasible."

The teacher goes on to explain that the children entering middle school need to have a certain level of basic skill, not just for academic purposes, but for safety and survival. These are the things he says are imperative students know before reaching fifth grade classrooms:

Fifth graders need to write their name on every paper. Photo by Santi Vedrí on Unsplash

1. Consistently and automatically writing their name

Mr. Wilson says, "Those of you who are not teachers may be really, really appalled that this is where the list is starting but when I tell you in each of my five years of teaching I have to give a test the very first week of school to make sure my children can spell their names. And when I tell you that in those five years of teaching that I have never had a class where 100% of those students pass."

Wilson clarifies that he's not speaking about children that have significant intellectual and developmental delays, but those who have somehow been passed along.

2. Reading beyond CVC words

CVC words stand for consonant, vowel, consonant, and Wilson gave the examples of short first words like "cat," "bat," and "run." These are some of the very first words children learn to read in kindergarten. They start with a consonant, have a vowel in the middle and end with another consonant. Wilson explains that some of the fifth graders entering his classroom can't read beyond these simple words, which hinders their progress because the curriculum requires children to read paragraphs.

They need to read beyond "Hop on Pop." Photo by Josh Applegate on Unsplash

3. Knowing how to add and subtract simple problems

Wilson shares that math is an area where he tends to give a little more grace to the children because so many students struggle with being confident in math. But he notes that by the fifth grade, math skills crank up several notches so counting on their fingers to solve simple single digit subtraction and addition problems can be an issue. This is because fifth grade is the year that they focus heavily on math skills that build on the knowledge of simple addition and subtraction. Before fifth grade ends, students are expected to master multiplication, multiplication and division of decimals, and more.

4. Easily recalling their address and parents' phone numbers

"If for whatever reason I call your kid over to my classroom phone and say, 'Hey, give me a phone number for mom or dad' and they don't know that number, how are they going to get home if God forbid they're out in the world alone, isolated and somebody comes over to them and says, 'Hey, I want to call your parents to help you get in contact with them,' and they don't know what phone number to call," Wilson asks.

boy sitting on concrete stairs Photo by Gaelle Marcel on Unsplash

In the end, Wilson shares that he's speaking from an area of concern and not judgment because things have been hard for everyone since Covid. He explains that a lot of the skills are not just things that qualify kids for the fifth grade, but things everyone should be able to do to be safe in the world. Several teachers lent their support for his message by relaying their own stories.

"My 8th grade students legitimately struggle to write their names consistently and their handwriting is atrocious," a fellow teacher admits.

"I've had 5th graders that didn't know their birthday," another says.

"In my experience 5th grade is the hardest elementary grade to teach because the academic leap is so wide," someone else shares.

Wilson and others offered some tips to help get the kids who need these skills back on track. Working with the kids at home is a recurring theme in the comments. One parent suggested changing the WiFi password to the parent's phone number to help with memorizing. Wilson shares that if a parent is concerned that their child is missing these skills then one of the most helpful things to do is to ask the school to hold the child back. He explains that this will give the child more time to catch up on the skills they're missing and build maturity needed to succeed in the next grade.

While the message may be harsh for parents and caregivers to hear, it sounds like Wilson isn't simply complaining but making parents aware of an issue they may not know they need to check for. Hopefully sharing this honest message with others will help children excel in fifth grade and beyond.