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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to think teachers should be able to spell?

54 replies

BeeRayKay · 30/09/2015 17:06

So twice in 7 days I've noticed pretty major spelling mistakes on some things sent home from school

My friends little boy got a certificate for something with the main word being spelt so incorrectly neither me, her or the TA could work out what it was (turns out it was reciprocal)

And today my DD got sent home with an accident slip with her name spelt wrong on it.

Getting the first letter wrong I can understand (substitute the J for a G fine) but this wasn't even her flaming name. My DD is not called Jon(restofname).

This is after her coming home from school with the outdated surname on her school books. Which really annoyed me and uspet me, she's been at this school for 2 years and changed her surname at the start of LAST year, and they got all the official paperwork.

I know it seems trivial, but these people are teaching infant school, surely these are stupid errors? AIBU to be pissed off? And even more U if I contact the school about it?

OP posts:
JohnCusacksWife · 30/09/2015 23:48

But this is infant school, Grizzle. Primary teachers should be able to spell. i remember having a real argument with my daughter because she just wouldn't believe that her teachers spelling of astronaut, "astranaut", could possibly be wrong. Teachers have a lot of influence!

PantryofWhoGivesAFuck · 30/09/2015 23:57

Planning my exit from teaching even now - I check my CV for spelling don't you worry.

Full stops help, btw.

JohnCusacksWife · 01/10/2015 00:16

Apostrophe fail.... teacher's spelling !

BlackeyedSusan · 01/10/2015 00:22

Teachers do not need to be able to spell well. They do need to be able to use a dictionary or thesaurus though. I had a class that was very good at their dictionary skills, as I modeled them often. Grin

(but not tonight.)

BlackeyedSusan · 01/10/2015 00:23

mistakes still happen though. the odd mistake... well we are all human.

MyFriendsCallMeOh · 01/10/2015 00:38

I'd much rather a teacher was an inspiring, motivational passionate educator than good at spelling.....

MidniteScribbler · 01/10/2015 00:44

I had to mark 30 spelling assessments yesterday (my holidays are so thrilling). There were 300 words on each one. By the end of it, even I was questioning my own spelling. Thank goodness for erasable pens.

Fratelli · 01/10/2015 06:35

My bil is dyslexic and he's a teacher so I am sure there have been many times when he has made spelling errors. Complain if you like but get your fork out ready to eat some humble pie!

BoboChic · 01/10/2015 06:41

Primary teachers ought to be able to spell with 100% accuracy all the time. They use a quite restricted lexicon with their pupils and it is highly repetitive. If they cannot manage to spell correctly they cannot teach correct spelling.

Lovelydiscusfish · 01/10/2015 06:50

These things you mention will bit impact negatively on your daughter's learning in any way that I can think of. Let it go.

Am constantly wondering how it is possible to get through to the general public that there is a massive, worsening crisis of recruitment and retention in teaching, and that, unless they don't want there to be any teachers in the future, they have to stop doing and saying stuff like this.

The government apparently don't understand it, I suppose, so why should I expect the public to?

BoboChic · 01/10/2015 06:56

The fact that their is a recruitment/retention crisis in teaching does not mean that the expectations of educational standards of teachers should be lowered still further. Quite the opposite.

BoboChic · 01/10/2015 06:57

there is

5BlueHydrangea · 01/10/2015 08:09

I do think they should get the surname right. That is basic..

Mistigri · 01/10/2015 08:20

It may not be her teacher that wrote these things (especially the accident slip). While teachers need to be able to spell, it's not a hard-and-fast requirement for being a school secretary or a first-aided.

On the other hand it sounds like admin processes are sloppy. I probably wouldn't say anything the first time, tbh, it's early in the year still so if be inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt. I'd be a lot more concerned if teaching materials were coming home with spelling errors.

Keeptrudging · 01/10/2015 08:23

Yes, teachers should be able to spell. However, like a previous poster, I have never written a first aid slip in my life, TAs do them. The certificate was probably written on the hoof whilst teaching/multitasking/being talked at by a small child/listening to a reading group. Not an excuse, but possibly a reason. I've made spelling errors in home-link books as I've been writing them at the end of the day whilst carrying a coat and bag, walking/running after a small, noisy child who didn't want to get ready for home. Teachers don't write everything sitting at a desk in a quiet room, where they can take their time and write perfectly. This doesn't mean they can't spell, it means they are harrassed/busy.

OOAOML · 01/10/2015 10:11

I do realise teachers are under a lot of pressure, but when the people responsible for educating my children seem to lack basic grammar, it does worry me. I only just managed to stop myself marking up a letter from school this week, it was shockingly badly written - a typed up letter that was sent to all parents, not a hastily written note.

Keeptrudging · 01/10/2015 10:18

I agree re the typed letter. That's a worry, as presumably was done in peace and quiet!

AuldAlliance · 01/10/2015 15:32

the main word being spelt so incorrectly neither me, her or the TA

You mean the main word being spelt so incorrectly neither I, she or the TA.

Motes and beams.

You mean the main word being spelt so incorrectly neither I, she nor the TA...

More motes and beams. Some pots and kettles, too.
English grammar is tricky....or else we are all victims of poor teaching.
Who knows?

AuldAlliance · 01/10/2015 15:33

A kettle just blackened my pot.
You can't do bold and italic in the same sentence.
Live and learn.

Original poster
BeeRayKay · 01/10/2015 17:12

Thanks for pulling me up, the person who's not a teacher?

Of course I'm not going to complain, generally the school is fab. And Jen is very happy there. I'm not going to rock boats.

The surname thing though, bugged me the most. It's her name. Her legal name. One we fought for. The school know this, so why is it okay to confuse a 6 year old just because "teachers are leaving in droves"?

I concede that the other two things, fair enough. It was a giggle the certificate, the little boy didn't know what the word meant so it was a good learning curve.

And her name, hey why should I expect her name to be correct?

OP posts:
LaLyra · 01/10/2015 17:21

It's not ok for them to confuse her about the name, but the teacher probably has nothing to do with that error. Teachers, and TAs, work from class lists or registers they are given. Speak to the school office and ask them why the details you sent in haven't been passed on to her teacher.

Fruityb · 01/10/2015 17:29

Actually many letters sent home are not written by teachers either. Admin staff often get asked to do those as teachers are usually trying to stay afloat and get everything they need to done.

Reminds me. Get off mumsnet you've got 25 assessments to check for the morning and you've only taught 6 lessons today followed by a staff meeting that went on till 5. Shocking how this happens.

I don't complain about my job as I knew everything that came with it, long hours and lots of work and such. I love my job and the challenges. But we're not perfect 100% of the time. And you don't always know what the teacher did or when they did it. Or how long they stressed about getting criticised after they did it...

Lovelydiscusfish · 01/10/2015 18:09

Bibochic, I never implied that "expectations for the educational standards of teachers should be lowered still further" (nor do I think they are currently low). It is simply my belief that people need to stop criticising teachers, either directly to them or in general on the internet, for mistakes which will have no impact on the students' learning or safety.

I am, however, intrigued by your implication that a raising of these "educational standards" would help recruitment. How would making it harder to be a teacher make more people become teachers? I suppose some may start to see it as a more exclusive, and therefore desirable career. But what evidence do we have that the numbers of people feeling this would even compensate for the numbers now debarred from the profession? Let alone also fill the massive current and projected shortfall?

Hulababy · 01/10/2015 18:54

Accident Slip

Who wrote it? Our accident slips are written on by whoever is on FA duty. It may be a child you have never worked with before and there is not a full register next to the FA book. You ask a child and record it as heard, along with a class number. TBH we generally only put first names on the slips, with class number, as it means less potential for errors. With first names we often ask the child to spell it out if it is a more difficult name. We hand accident slips to class teachers so hopefully they do check them, but in a busy day it can be trickier.

Certificate

Spelling on these should of course be accurate and legible.

Outdated surname

The class teacher or TA will have made the labels using the register given to them from the office or from SIMs generally. I suspect the error will be from higher up - so maybe check that the official records are correct. And ask that all new books have the correct name - they may be able to reprint labels for her current books also too.

Redlocks28 · 01/10/2015 19:00

I am, however, intrigued by your implication that a raising of these "educational standards" would help recruitment. How would making it harder to be a teacher make more people become teachers?

Yes, if like to know your thinking behind that one as well.

I'm a teacher. I don't have anything to do with creating lists with surnames on (that's the office), letters home (again, that's the office) and first aid slips which are done by the teaching assistants.

Would people moan at doctors if a patient's surname was printed out incorrectly on a form?