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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Correcting teachers' mistakes

97 replies

skorpion · 26/09/2016 21:01

Posting here for traffic, as I would appreciate quick advice...

How would you deal with teachers' spelling mistakes plastered over the classroom walls? There are posters in my DD's class (early primary) about 'not climbing on tree's' and such.
Would you talk to the teacher? I do not know whose it is obviously, and there are two teachers and two TAs. Would you talk to the head? I feel a bit mortified to bring the subject up but every time I see it it makes my head want to explode.
And before you say anything, I would not be that bothered with anybody else, but if you are a teacher it surely is a basic requirement, to be able to spell, no?

OP posts:

callycat1 · 26/09/2016 21:31

Parisienne I'm not sure why you're defending this. It's clearly a pretty fundamental mistake. A certificate means nothing.

cosmicglittergirl · 26/09/2016 21:32

So it's a quote from a child? Not written by an adult?

Ego147 · 26/09/2016 21:33

DS's school had a time line as a display. One of the dates was wrong by a year It was a key local battle (not 1065 but 1066). I had to say something to the teacher when I saw it. In a nice way.

The thing is - teachers do make mistakes. I've seen plenty of them when teaching,
I was teaching on supply and the Y6 class had been taught incorrectly about BIDMAS - and the display they had was wrong as well. It cropped up when I was covering his class.

I did mention it to the deputy headteacher - he was the class teacher as well.

ParisienneRose · 26/09/2016 21:37

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

bangingmyheadoffabrickwall · 26/09/2016 21:38

I am a teacher and correct other teachers' spelling and punctuation mistakes all of the time.

A TA in Y2 made an error on a spring display and it was there for all to see for months. Even SLT didn't spot it. I told the Literacy Coordinator whose TA was the 'culprit' and she agreed for me to remove the extra letter.

Days later it was back up!

I gave up!

StarryIllusion · 26/09/2016 21:39

Most teachers are fine about being corrected as long as you aren't condescending or rude. They are people and do make mistakes. Our English teacher used to keep a box of Roses/Quality Street on her desk and we would get to pick one if we spotted and corrected a spelling/grammar mistake of hers.

bangingmyheadoffabrickwall · 26/09/2016 21:40

Also I think that if you are going to display wording, you should ensure that you are correct with spelling and grammar before showing it for all to see.

On the otherhand, it is good to teach children that nobody is perfect and immune from mistakes. What is good is that children see this and see that teachers can be corrected without feeling bad.

Original poster

skorpion · 26/09/2016 21:40

All written by an adult, from what the children said during the discussion. DD is only 4, still on the 'maisie, maisie, mountain' stage, not a chance of a full sentence yet
The posters are typed and printed.
I'll talk to the teacher tomorrow, out of earshot of everybody else. It may very well have been one of the TAs, but obviously the teacher should know.

OP posts:

mathsmum314 · 26/09/2016 21:41

be careful, teachers get very sniffy when you point out things like that

Gwenci · 26/09/2016 21:43

^^
Good ones don't.

russetbella1000 · 26/09/2016 21:48

I'm a teacher.
I'd be offended if someone felt they couldn't correct my mistakes. I'm pretty confident that I'd be well aware of any grammatical errors but we're all just human and mistakes are made...

I silently wince whenever there, their, they're, practice (noun), practise (verb) etc are confused so would welcome somebody pointing out any genuine mistake.

What would be worrying is if the teacher was unaware of her errors and they continued...

Yes, do tell! 😉

cosmicglittergirl · 26/09/2016 21:49

Oh ok, mention it then. I thought you meant the kids had written it. I'm a teacher and I wouldn't mind it being pointed out.

spanieleyes · 26/09/2016 21:49

I'm doing an environment walk tomorrow, I will be checking grammar and punctuation on displays ( as well as content etc) As a teacher, I think I would be grateful if a parent pointed out any errors politely BEFORE the Head pointed it out in a less friendly manner! ( I'm a very nice Head, honest!!)

squiggleirl · 26/09/2016 21:49

Well... what you mentioned there is a punctuation mistake rather than a spelling mistake....

...I would not be too bothered if you pointed out SPaG mistakes in my classroom to be honest.....(Unless it was done in a snidey way, that would annoy me...

Oh the irony.....

EvilTwins · 26/09/2016 21:50

I noticed a spelling error on the wall in my DTD's classroom. I pointed it out to my daughter and she til told the teacher, who corrected it. Sorted.

EvilTwins · 26/09/2016 21:50

Not sure where the random "til" came from

russetbella1000 · 26/09/2016 21:51

...And I echo another poster who rewards children for spotting mistakes.
We're all learners and we never stop learning.
It's a good lesson for children and adults alike...

shirleyknotanotherbot · 26/09/2016 21:52

YANBU. I would mention it to the head and have done so in the past. I would not want my relationship with the teacher to be affected in any way so would request that our conversation remain confidential. I'm sure teachers on here will all say that they would be professional and unaffected by having errors pointed out but I would not wish to take the risk. Also, I'm amazed that the head hasn't spotted it and imo he/she should be made aware. Is it a very large school?

pollyglot · 26/09/2016 21:53

Why on earth would you have a poster on the wall listing common errors of spelling or punctuation? Very poor practice, and reinforcing mistakes, even if they are emphatically "incorrect". The young brain easily "photographs" what they see on the walls of the classroom. As a language teacher of 42 years' experience, I was taught by my brilliant College tutor about the importance of all modelled language's being correct.

Original poster

skorpion · 26/09/2016 21:54

Russett, my thoughts exactly: all the staff have years of experience at the school and there are several examples of the same error on the display. So perhaps it hasn't been addressed before.
I was advised to go to the head but feel reluctant, feels a bit like children telling and I wouldn't want to cause trouble.
Thank you all for very good advice.

OP posts:

StillMedusa · 26/09/2016 21:56

I'm a TA in special school (and a literate graduate myself). My lovely class teacher is dyslexic. She runs reports past me, and will always ask if she isn't sure of how to spell or punctuate something... it's no big deal... we have different strengths.

I did however have a week long run in with another TA who put up a display with the heading that had an extra letter in. I removed it.. she put it back. I removed it again!

lizzieoak · 26/09/2016 21:56

I am barred by DS from pointing out mistakes to teachers. Honestly, I think I'm very self-effacing but both kids have had their share of very touchy teachers. DS now tells me about mistakes and we sigh and move on. But he's 16 so can see the mistakes. Yesterday his history teacher's site said "be weary of using the Internet as your only source". She's made a number of history corkers too (he's ahead of his year and taking a final year course in history), including, but hardly limited to; musing over whether Finland was part of the Commonwealth in the year 1900 (so 2 problems with that), mixing up the definitions of Menshevik & Bolshevik, and telling the kids that the Nazis were a prime example of far left government in action. Just a small slice of 20th century mistakes she's made. DS & I are both huge history buffs so find this sort of thing

ParisienneRose · 26/09/2016 21:57

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster

skorpion · 26/09/2016 21:57

Aargh, Shirley, you are messing with my mind now! Not very large, two classes in each year.

OP posts:

DanyellasDonkey · 26/09/2016 21:58

I am a bit of a SPaG pedant and job-share a class with someone who has very poor skills in the basics. There are countless signs around the class with spelling and grammatical mistakes, but she seems oblivious to them and will usually just say, "Oh it doesn't matter that much - they're only little ) - they won't notice" and I'm quite by it all.

I've given up mentioning it.

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