to think that a teacher should know the difference between lose and loose?

[Lovecat]

I am sure someone will tell me IABU, but I need to rant about this!

Before Christmas, DD managed to lose her reading book somewhere between school and home (ie it never made it home in her bag but the teacher swears blind it isn't in the classroom). There was a bit of a stand off between the teacher and myself (I knew it hadn't come home, she basically refused to believe that) with the result that DD didn't have a reading book or was heard reading for the first half of the term. I was rather annoyed by this but we read other books at home.

At the parent's evening she repeated that DD had lost the book and we must look harder for it at home. I reiterated that DD had never brought it home and it was somewhere in school (the teacher couldn't even tell me what the book was at this point so for all I knew it could have been found and put back on the shelf!). I also said I was unimpressed that she had not been read with, but could we start again with a clean slate. She made me promise that we would once again search for the book at home and after half term she would get another book.

All of the above is to explain why, in her reading diary, the teacher wrote 'happy reading - try not to LOOSE this one!'

This teacher is not dyslexic, before that one gets mentioned. I know that lose/loose is a common misspelling and people assume loose is right because of the 'oo' sound in lose (darn phonics!) but this is a teacher! Teaching 7-8 year olds to spell!

I'm so tempted to circle it in red pen.... but I won't. I'm not that much of a loon. I shall merely grind my teeth and count the days til DD is out of her class...

I see this a lot in school. The newer teachers are the worst offenders.

If I am unsure of a spelling, I will get a dictionary and go through it with the children to find the correct one. It's not rocket science and shows them that even adults can't spell every word.

Wow, thank you! Was afraid I was being too pedantic (it has been known )

She is a newish teacher, about 24, full of confidence that she is right, and I was bloody furious with her about the reading book. DD has many dyspraxial traits (that was how she was assessed, anyway) and is very disorganised. At home we have a tick list of things she has to do from getting up to going out the door (and the same for coming home & tackling homework) as otherwise she would go to school half-naked with no school bag at all! We have spent a lot of time working with her on routines and she has improved tremendously. School was meant to be helping her with this too and to be fair in Y1 & Y2 this happened - it's just this teacher who seems to gloss over her issues when I mention them. And the routines are why I know for a fact that she didn't bring the book home - first thing I do once she's through the door and taken off her coat is go to her desk and unpack her schoolbag. So no book ever made it through our door. I reckon it got mislaid in class & was tidied up back into the bookshelf...

Believe me, I complained like stink about the not being heard to read - unfortunately DD didn't tell me she hadn't been read with in class, she just said that 'Miss' wouldn't give her a new book to take home as she had lost the old one. I found out that she hadn't been read with at all at the parent's evening. My face --->

I would write a note underneath hers.
I didn't LOSE the first one!

Yes, please do this ^^

She possibly spends too much time on FB and Twitter - repeatedly seeing this word spelled incorrectly!

I wrote 'advice' the other day...as in 'seeking some advice'.

It didn't look right and I very nearly changed it to 'advise'

It's OK, I took myself outside and gave myself a good kicking

:o Worra

The problem here is the teacher being sure she's right, which is annoying even if you are always right, but is insufferable when you are wrong.

If i were a teacher who struggled with spelling, I would be open about it and get the class to help me.

As a parent I would never 'red pen' a teacher. They are adults! That sends the wrong message to DC and underminds the school. They need to have pride in their teachers/school. You would also have to be very careful never to make a mistake in any dealings with the school yourself.......you will be torn to shreds in the staff room if you do.

I would overlook it once or twice because everyone makes mistakes, gets tired or has bad days.

If you fell the need to take it furture and maybe other parents are concerned you should speak to the HT and governors (sp?).

Ah great! A spelling thread!
Can us peddants join in?

I don't understand why anyone would consider that this doesn't matter. The context may well make the meaning clear - but the best way to be clear is to use the correct word! To use 'loose' implies setting the book free somewhere. I do now have a lovely image of the book flutting around the classroom like a butterfly.

Dammit. A spelling mistake. I intended to put flitting. I'm blaming fat fingers...

I think it sends the wrong message that children's mistakes should be corrected but teacher's mistakes (and yes, everyone makes them) shouldn't be because teachers are perfect. You can have pride in someone without feeling that they are beyond criticism. Since this is something the teacher is correcting themselves, what they do has to be correct themselves. It isn't something to let slide.

Were the pages of the book bound together too tightly requiring you to loosen them to enable your daughter to practise her reading perhaps? Would your use of a red pen have any effect on the teacher?
Does the teacher affect a snooty demeanour? Would she appreciate your implied advice to check her spelling in order to avoid you losing your patience with her? Would she be embarrassed?

this is fun

I'd definately do as suggested above and write I didn't LOSE the previous one.

Unless there are continual mistakes, I tend to let them pass me by, but I did have to point out the typo on the poster advertising the school's summer fair.

At least I assumed it was a mistake and they weren't really running a 'WILLY wanging' competition

With a very young child I wouldn't even point out a teacher's spelling mistake. I would have a word with the school.

Once The DC start to notice the HT should know there is a problem and the teacher needs help to sort things out. I have known year 3 and 4 DC correct a teacher's spelling.

As a TA I never had a problem admitting that I always struggled with reading and spelling when I was younger. I hope knowing that helped some of the less confident ones. I always had a dictionary to hand and it's nothing to be ashamed of.

Don't all shout at me but I really need to ask - can a teacher actually teach if they're dyslexic?!

I know a dyslexic English teacher. She teaches abroad though.

I give you the most recent comment in dd's home/school diary:

"DD's name [incorrect spelling] was fassinated by learning about fly's and germ's"

Seriously, Showy? Wow. Just wow.

YANBU. I am a teacher. She should know the difference.

Anyone can make a mistake. I would only complain if spelling mistakes happened all the time.

YAB a little U if it is the only mistake you've spotted. We can all make the odd one out of tiredness and absent-mindedness. I have a PhD and I still stumble over stupid things if I'm tired and in a hurry.

ShowOfHands

That is a whole other league.

Absolutely true. She spells dd's name differently every time she writes it. She also loves apostrophes. She's wonderfully generous with them every day.

can a teacher actually teach if they're dyslexic?
I have no specialist knowledge of this, but it does seem a bit 'disablist' to forbid someone suffering from dyslexia from ever teaching. Particularly if their experience of dealing with it could help children with a similar condition.

I would expect my class to correct me. Ask your child to point it out. It's good for children to see everyone makes mistakes.