To think teachers should be able to spell

[Brieandcamembert]

I have increasingly noticed recently teachers (often of primary age) who make very basic spelling and grammar errors. Surely having excellent basic skills in this area is an essential criteria for teaching it?

I'm really concerned that we are raising a generation who will have appalling literacy skills.

I have seen the classic "of / have" confusion
I have seen "been" used instead of "being"
I have also seen phonetically similar words interchanged with one another.

I agree, but nobody can afford to be picky about who's accepted onto teaching courses right now. There's a massive recruitment crisis.

Some teachers have dyslexia- it doesn't mean that they shouldn't become a teacher.

I think people who proofread books should be able to use correct spelling and grammar too, but I’ve rarely read one recently that is accurate.

There are teachers who have dyslexia or a specific difficulty. It doesn’t mean they are poor teachers, although I would expect that emails and notices should be checked.

It might be that it’s a choice between a teacher who has a spelling problem and no teacher at all. Not only is there a recruitment crisis, teachers are leaving the profession in droves.

I don’t think it’s the be all and end all of being a good teacher, but have to admit I’d raise an eyebrow at a primary teacher making the mistakes you’ve mentioned.

I also know that it’s possible to be preparing things in a rush and under a fog of exhaustion, and mistakes get made.

You’re right though, a good level of literacy is required to teach it, especially grammar and punctuation.

A good few years ago a friend's son wrote in his English essay "he walked past the church". The teacher crossed out "past" and wrote "passed"!

My friend spoke to the teacher but the teacher insisted she was right

Teachers are completely overworked. I've never had a problem with SPAG but sometimes when I write something quickly my brain rushes ahead to the next thing and my hand tries to catch up, so I end up writing the wrong there/their/theyre for example.

Teachers do have to pass a literacy and numeracy test before being accepted to train.

I’ll admit I’m crap at spelling. I teach science (mostly Physics). I tell the kids to pick me up on my spelling if/when I get something wrong.
No shame in making mistakes, we just put them right.

I used to teach primary. I agree. I was also shocked at how many teachers were against teaching pure grammar, despite it being on the curriculum and it being essential for understanding our own language patterns in order to unlock MFL for students.

Pure grammar teaching makes writing accessible for children who struggle with writing: who are dyslexic or perhaps aren't exposed to quality literature at home, because it "hacks" the formula for varied sentences. I found that teachers who were against it didn't have a strong grammatical knowledge themselves.

I once walked into a colleague's classroom to see that they had modelled, "Me and my Dad went to the park," on the board. They had no idea that it was incorrect.

@annabell22

Some teachers have dyslexia- it doesn't mean that they shouldn't become a teacher.

Are you saying I should just accept my kids being taught incorrect SPAG or not being taught it at all because their teacher might be dyslexic?

Our head teacher’s English is awful. He emails with spelling mistakes, grammatical errors and no paragraphs. While it may not be his strong point, could he just ask someone to proof read all-parent emails? I think it reflects poorly on the school and their expectations.

I think it's just the direction we're travelling in, SPAG isn't seen as being that important anymore because most real-world tasks will be done on computers so there will be the option of a spell-checker.

It's pretty common for school leavers to have very poor spelling and grammar skills when they enter the workforce so I'm not surprised teachers are showing this trait too.

It's best not to worry, it's just a sign of the general gradual decline in standards.

There can be so many reasons as to why there are spelling and grammatical errors.
Typing too quickly or word changing the document is usually the main reason.
I think it’s a good teaching point if a teacher spots their mistake and points it out to the children. Shows children that it’s only natural to make a mistake and can be easily corrected.

Your OP might have carried more weight with me had you not split an infinitive in the first sentence.

I definitely agree for primary. For secondary, I wouldn’t care i think it’s less important. My kids find some of their lessons boring I’d prefer teachers that could engage with students and promote a love of learning. (In fairness I’m sure the fault is with my kids not the teachers!)

Some teachers have dyslexia- it doesn't mean that they shouldn't become a teacher.

I was going to make the same point but dyslexia doesn't cause mistakes like the ones cited. Those are both pretty bad.

If we are talking about regular major errors then YANBU, OP. If it's minor and infrequent errors then YABU

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Are you saying I should just accept my kids being taught incorrect SPAG or not being taught it at all because their teacher might be dyslexic?

Unless you are comfortable with people being discriminated against because of a disability, then yes you must accept this.

People with disabilities have enough difficulties in gaining employment as it is. Customers - which is effectively what children are in relation to their teachers - have to accept that service may not always be up to the same standard.

For instance I was buying a box of Peroni in Tesco a few years ago, I went to the only checkout with no queue. There was a gentleman with learning disabilities being trained, he literally threw the box around and smashed one of the bottles. I just had to accept it because he was doing it to the best of his ability. (The supervisor got me a new box of course.)

My son’s primary teacher doesn’t know her six or seven times table.

He’s always coming home with the results of his multiplication tests and she ticks answers that are wrong.

It’s madness.

@annabell22

Some teachers have dyslexia- it doesn't mean that they shouldn't become a teacher.

No but they should be aware they have dyslexia, pre-prepare their written work and use spell check. Unacceptable and lazy to teach students the wrong spellings.

*Are you saying I should just accept my kids being taught incorrect SPAG or not being taught it at all because their teacher might be dyslexic^

Poor spelling would be a massive problem for a primary school teacher or an English teacher.
Loads of Physics and maths teachers are dyslexic. Recruitment and retention is awful at the moment. Banning all poor spellers from the classroom is a terrible idea.

I count myself as a poor speller. I’m also completely failing to help my 8 year old with his grammar homework.

If the teachers are really of primary age it’s not surprising they can’t spell very well. But it is surprising they are teachers.
They may well not know about the singular “criterion” either, but then many adults don’t either.

Some teachers have dyslexia- it doesn't mean that they shouldn't become a teacher.

I wouldn't want to exclude anybody on the basis of something that can be worked around, but are there not sometimes circumstances that might mean that a certain job just isn't for you? Should being tone deaf stop you from being a music teacher or orchestra conductor? Should anxiety and poor spatial awareness stop you from driving buses or lorries for a living? Should being colour blind stop you from getting a job in the Dulux development labs? Should being 6'6" stop you from being a jockey? Should being 4'6" tall stop you from being a professional basketball player?

I do personally think that being able to spell, punctuate and use grammar properly is essential for somebody whose job it is to teach it to others - especially at primary level, where they may never have heard/learned words that you introduce to them before; secondary children and upwards will have experience and better critical skills and thus more likelihood of recognising that a small part of what you're teaching them might not be correct.

I never judge tradespeople who produce invoices with spelling mistakes in the least, as that isn't the skill for which I hired them; but then I wouldn't in any way hold it against a teacher if they couldn't rewire a house or tile a bathroom, whereas I would seriously have an issue with a plumber who connected up the hot and cold taps the wrong way around.

Oops double “either”, poor proofreading…

@CallmeHendricks

Your OP might have carried more weight with me had you not split an infinitive in the first sentence.

There is no infinitive in the first sentence...

It has been meantioned but to teach all teachers need at least a C in gcse english and maths and also have to pass a skills test in both