To wish teachers had to take a spelling proficiency test before qualifying?

[ChwatFeechers]

DD, 11, is in her final year of primary school.

Yesterday she brought her books home from year 5. I was gobsmacked at the number of spelling mistakes which had been missed, whilst others had been marked in green pen. It wasn't an oversight either, as the same mistake was made often without being corrected, for example Febury for February.
There were also some grammar corrections to things DD had written correctly.
This isn't the first time I've noticed mistakes either.
AIBU to wish teachers had to prove they can spell adequately?
[runs]

I do think it's pretty clear though, that ise is commonly used here and ize in the US. I have literally never seen ize used here in place of ise.

I guess it depends what your usual reading fare is. Oxford University Press makes near-exclusive use of -ize spellings (except on rare occasions and by prior arrangement with the author).

Not read the full thread but I assume someone has pointed out that they do.

Yes yes and exactly so this is what I have to do, apologise to DD, explain what happened, and think again about the whole me helping with homework thing.

I mean I thought I knew something, I was so sure and it turns out I know jack shit so really I can't rely on anything I think I know! Like I say, what a dick.

The weird thing was though I had a chat with DH at the time and he thought it was recognise too, maybe it was that way when we were growing up and has changed, I mean the way they teach maths now is very different.

So plan is to sit down with DD after her bath
Explain that I was wrong and that adults aren't infallible and I'm sorry that I made her say the wrong thing to her teacher and get marked down in class
Talk to DH later about different strategies for homework, I take a step back for sure, not sure how we handle that one. I expect MN can help! - maybe a thread on education later.

The thought that I have so firmly told her something that is so wrong has really shaken me. Poor little sod. Still maybe better she loses her faith that mummy is right than school, I think. So maybe for the best in the end!

Crystal is there anything else you think I should do? Talk to the teacher and apologise? Or just keep well out of the school stuff going forward. Teacher has probably forgotten anyway I expect. Or maybe not! Teachers on the thread will know the best approach to take probably.

OUP Dictionary prefers -ize, Oxford University prefers -ise and Cambridge Dictionary prefers -ise. Take your pick. It seems to be a thorny issue.

Oxford University Press they are the ones who do the biff and chip books right?

DD1 learnt with them and DD2 has them at the moment.

Thing is usually I think of "ize" as american so I'm surprised (erm surprized?) I haven't noticed it.

Is it surprized?

I'm feeling really confused now!

I'm a proofreader. It is definitely recognise

You're a proofreader, but you've never encountered Oxford -ize style? Really?

I'm baffled.

Whirlpool - you are being sarcastic, aren't you? Because if not - overreaction, much?!

The site I linked to made it pretty clear that neither spelling is wrong in the UK - it's a matter of preference so you pick one and stick to it. If -ise is what you choose - as I do - just be consistent with the usage. The only incorrect thing to do is switch indiscriminately between the two.

Crystal is there any other advice you would give me on handling this?

Teacher didn't tell them about preference and consistency - they are 7! They just need to be taught "this is the spelling" and the spelling they have been taught is recognize and she was marked down for recognise and many posters have said teacher did the right thing.

It's a problem because I have undermined the school (gently!) and for nothing, and it turns out I don't know my arse from my elbow and so really not a great person to be helping her!

Erm, not sure really.

In situations like that I tend to just pretend it never happened. Sounds like the teacher wasn't entirely sure herself, for that matter

Some words are always 'ise' (e.g. Surprise) even in US English.

www.oxforddictionaries.com/words/ize-ise-or-yse

The haitch is on a par with teachers who labour under the misapprehension that "something" has a k on the end. I attended a talk at dd's school and the person doing the presentation did this. I nearly stood up and roared.

The 'k' pronunciation is a regional variation and you would have been very unreasonable to 'roar' about it.

It is not a regional variation. Anyone who gives a damn about the language and who cares about diction will not say somethink, no matter where they live.

The Biff and Chip books are Oxford Owl, which I believe is a division of OUP (though not entirely sure), but I don't know if Oxford Owl follow -ise or -ize

It's fine I'll apologise to DD, tell her the teacher was right and in future really if mummy starts coming out with stuff to not listen and have a chat with DH about how to handle the homework going forward.

Whirlpool, I'd tell your daughter (and her teacher) that either is correct.

(And that the style guides of about 99% of British organisations -see what I did there? - will specify 'ise' endings, and OUP are etymology obsessed to the point of ignoring common usage.)

I've never noticed -ize in the Biff & Chip series so either they use -ise or the level they are at doesn't have many of those words in (they don't always read to me so I may have just missed them if it's -ize).

Thing is DH thought it was recognize as well, he also thought it was "american" , as we had a chat at the time about undermining the teacher / vs / telling her what we thought was the usual way of spelling it in the UK. And so he's not much use either!

He thought it was recognise! That should say obviously!

They use -ise in Biff and Chip.

Whirlpool in the very, very nicest way - calm down! It's a just a word, and clearly the teacher shouldn't have marked her down if either is acceptable.

DD (4)'s school report states that she is "fluent in Welsh" followed by "dai awn" (should be "da iawn").

It is not a regional variation. Anyone who gives a damn about the language and who cares about diction will not say somethink, no matter where they live.
It is a regional variation and I invite you to tell a professor of historical and sociolinguistics otherwise. The one I know would conclude you were an annoying idiot. You can be ignorant and a snob (and that is what you are doing here, by definition) all you like but try not to claim others who are more knowledgeable are incorrect, just to make yourself feel better in your (hopefully) RP bubble.

New teachers do have to take a basic spelling and grammar test now in England.