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AIBU?

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Original poster

to expect correct spellings from adults teaching my 4 yr old in reception?

135 replies

ellasmum1 · 17/09/2007 22:00

I am by no means the best speller in the world, but my dd age 4.6 came home from reception class on friday with a picture she had drawn and an adult had written "I like fairys" underneath it.
I doubted myself and checked the dictionary but it should definately be "fairies".
I do not know if the adult concerned was the teacher or teaching assistant but I feel quite worried about this. What, if anything would you do?

OP posts:
MaryBS · 19/09/2007 15:24

When DD was 4 and in nursery, she came home saying "artent" instead of aren't. I told her the correct word, but it was still happening, so I told her "the word artent isn't in the dictionary". So that's what she told the girl who looked after her - knowing DD she probably told her every time she said it too!

THEN one day she came and said "Mummy is it alright if I use the word aren't at home and artent at nursery?"

happykatie · 19/09/2007 19:12

This thread has really panicked me! I'm a secondary school teacher (history) and my spelling is awful. I'm a good historian and I hope a good teacher but am really ashamed about my spelling. I hope parents aren't scrutinising everything I write too critically!

happykatie · 19/09/2007 19:16

Oops, I think my subordinate clause should have had commas around it!

BarbieGirl · 19/09/2007 19:18

happiekatie - as long as you are good at what you teach then don't worry. Being a high school teacher its not so much of a problem.

I suppose it's a bit different for early years kids as they do need to learn how to spell correctly.

Just glad I am not a teacher - you can't do right for being wrong (or whatever the saying is).

jetgirl · 19/09/2007 19:59

I'm a teacher and I think it's really important to spell correctly. After all, we're setting the example and we expect our students to follow it.

fizzbuzz · 19/09/2007 20:38

My colleague got "excellent" in a recent classroom observation, and she's dyslexic, and quite often spells words incorrrectly. She is a very good teacher.......

Teachers make mistakes too, just like everyone else

Elasticwoman · 19/09/2007 21:22

Happykate - I didn't detect any spelling mistakes in your post. What makes you think you're such a bad speller? Have nitpicking parents been criticising you?

So long as you are a mature speller, you don't have to be a 100% speller. For more information or even propaganda on that one see www.realspelling.com. Whoever wrote "fairys" was an immature speller and I guess was not the teacher.

Icod - see your point about respecting parents who take the trouble to go in and help but they should stick to what they're good at. If they can't spell, they shouldn't write in the children's books, but put up the wall displays or something. And I speak as one who does go in and help.

MrsHarry · 19/09/2007 23:11

I'm a primary teacher and had a TA who was dyslexic; her spelling was pretty awful and she was the first to admit it. However it would be a crime to prevent her being a TA because of this, as she has such wonderful skills in many other areas, the kids adored her and she and I worked really well together.
I was so disappointed when she was moved to a different year group. By the way, she often asked me to check her spellings, and I sometimes did it myself if she'd written on kids' work...she didn't mind me correcting her!
However, I wouldn't always get to see things she'd written so possibly mistakes slipped through that parents might have seen.
It may be worth finding out who is the incorrect speller in your child's class.

marymoocow · 21/09/2007 10:36

my ds in his second week in reception brought home a picture that he had coloured in. Someone had written his name at the top of the page and had spelt it incorrectly. Wouldn't mind if it was an unusual name, or one that could be spelt differently (well i would because that is what they are supposed to be teaching him), but it is a straight forward biblical name that has only one way to spell it

EricL · 21/09/2007 10:39

Every single newsletter and communication from my school has grammatical and spelling errors in it. THIS REALLY ANNOYS ME.

If there is one place from which i would expect a letter to be correct - it is from a school.

Only ONE issue from them has had no mistakes on it.

EricL · 21/09/2007 10:40

Thats in FIVE YEARS by the way.............

terricotter · 21/09/2007 10:49

Iam a teacher of Art for 11 to 16 year oid children and I'm dyslexic, would some of you want to sack me for less than perfect spelling?

marymoocow · 21/09/2007 10:50

No but I do expect my sons name to be spelt properly.

Lorayn · 21/09/2007 11:43

terricotter, I would expect 11-16 year olds to be able to write 'fairies' themselves, so I doubt the issue would arise.

Beth73 · 21/09/2007 19:12

Has noone spotted Ellasmum1's own spelling/typing error?
It is 'definitely' not 'definately'!

stobes · 21/09/2007 20:41

Ha! I have just spent ages scrolling down in the hope that someone would have picked that up. Ironic.

As a teacher (of English) who prides herself on correctness, I must admit that I have made the odd shocking late night error when marking books. Teachers are human but if it happens frequently I would probably raise it with the teacher in question.

DeedeePickles · 21/09/2007 20:46

Someone did pick it up a while ago. Am too lazy to scroll down and see who it was though.

Wallace · 21/09/2007 20:57

but ellasmum1 said she isn't the best speller in the world

DeedeePickles · 21/09/2007 21:09

It was Neverenough.

Got off my a*se and checked.

cazzybabs · 21/09/2007 21:14

I am a teacher and a crap speller! I am a good teacher however! I tend to make spelling mistakes when marking in the 2 minutes I don't have or when very tired. However, I tell the children I don't like spelling because I think it is good to show them we are only human after all! I also make typing errors - I find it hard to proof read my own work.

Actually teachers do have to pass a spelling test now (as part of a literacy test)to get QTS.

nightowl · 21/09/2007 21:29

i think a primary school teacher should be able to spell. because my child is going to copy the words he sees. "teacher wrote it, so its right".

secondary school wouldn't bother me so much unless it was the english teacher!

my spelling isn't great sometimes, nor my punctuation or grammar, and i cant be arsed with capital letters on here as you will see...but then im not teaching anyone.

a typo is a completely different thing.

"fairys" is a pretty basic mistake though. even in a rush i would know that isn't right and im hardly the brain of britain.

woozlekin · 22/09/2007 08:22

I recently spent a year lecturing 50 2nd year undergraduates who were reading Primary Education with English as their special subject. At least 25 of those students had a poor grasp of grammar, punctuation and spelling ('knoble' for 'noble'!): their work was bad enough when submitted in the form of word-processed essays but it was their hand-written exam papers which really revealed the appalling depths of their ignorance. Some of them resented my attempts to correct them; others were all too aware of their poor grasp of these fundamentals and very anxious as a result.

Ju72 · 22/09/2007 12:29

Do you really think a teacher would take it out your child if you complained about the spelling mistake? Give them some respect! Ok, they made a mistake but at the end of the day, they have the best interests of your child at heart!

InMyHumbleOpinion · 22/09/2007 12:47

I would correct a primary school teacher's spellings. I did as a child and it made me unpopular, and I would still do it now. Spelling badly - forgivable. Showing children you are supposed to be teaching how NOT to spell - needs to be corrected!

I wouldn't be angry, or snide, but I would still do it!

edam · 22/09/2007 12:47

Ds's school have spelt his name wrong on his coat peg. It's not a particularly unusual surname. It can be spelt in three different ways (it's Scottish) but this is clearly a howler, on a letter that never changes whichever spelling you are using. Very irritating.