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 think the have/of replacement is a regional thing. Growing up in London it was normal to hear the likes of “I would of gone shops if I’d known you’wer coming” (sic).
If you hear the mistakes above all of the time and grammar hasn’t been taught well for decades it’s not surprising that we all make mistakes.

@Mumwithbaggage of course you are , shouldn't it be I am

There are no infinitives, split or otherwise, in the opening post. Even if there were, they are acceptable to most these days. Poor spelling, grammar and punctuation by teachers is far from ideal.

Teachers do have to pass a literacy and numeracy test before being accepted to train.
Theyre pretty basic though, and you get 3 shots at them. I knew teachers applying to teach physics who only scraped a pass on the third attempt in the maths skills test... how can you teach physics without basic maths?
As far as I remember, the English was more about comprehension than grammar but I may be wrong. So many people make grammar mistakes or don't even understand the rules in the first place. Teachers aren't immune to this but it is an issue if they're supposed to be teaching it!

@Spanielsarepainless, did you mean Eat's, Shoot's and Leave's?
[ducks]

@Bigclockface this must be very recent as my cousin is a teacher and had to do tests just a few years ago
Also why are all the people criticising so much on here not all training to become teachers as they can do so much better
You can also teach your child additionally at home , yet people want it all
Teachers have to do a lot more than just teach these days

@sweetlimes

This thread is a good reason why there is a teacher retention crisis. People like to put teachers on a pedestal just so they can knock them back off again.

In countries where there are stringent requirements to become a teacher, they are respected. I believe I've heard it's harder to become a teacher than a doctor in Finland. I think that is true of Japan too. When we have Sarah who scraped a C or a 4 and isn't quite sure whether it's too/to, their/ there then we have a problem. It is affecting the literacy levels of this country. I wonder, was it labour or tories who scrapped the requirement for a retest before / after the teaching qualification.

@PaddleAlongRiver we already have a teacher crisis as is , how do you propose we go about it ,
Teachers have way more to do than just teaching these days.
Many successful people may not have the best spelling or grammar because in real life it really doesn't mattrr

In order to access teaching qualifications you do have to have a basic grasp of English. I qualified a decade ago and had to have a minimum of a Grade C at GCSE and sit 'skills tests' in literacy before I could qualify.

That said, I am dyslexic and I get things wrong sometimes. I'm secondary trained so I'm quite open with my students about my dyslexia as I think its helpful for students to see teachers as human with issues of their own, but also see that they can be overcome with hard work. I do make sure anything official/going home to parents is properly proof read by someone else in the school though as I think that's about professionalism. I will also admit that I have ruled out a pre-school for my own children due to poor literacy in their paperwork. That might be hypocritical of me, however I figure if I notice it's wrong even with my dyslexia, it's probably really quite poor!

@annabell22

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

I disagree !

Your own post isn't grammatically correct.

Some very obtuse people on this thread who apparently can't differentiate between simple errors made in a hurry and the fundamental issues in the op's examples?

Strangely the people in the busy professional environment I work in make the former mistakes but not the latter.

@Georgeskitchen

The dumbing down of education is to blame. I could read write and spell perfectly age 7. Leant times tables parrot fashion and 50 years later I can still remember them all. Standards been dropping for years, since Labour government decided to axe state Grammar schools

Standards been dropping for years, since[sic] Labour government decided to axe state Grammar schools

Here's a pop quiz for you - which Secretary of State for Education holds the record for closing grammar schools? (hint - not a Labour one)

Yes it's crazy! U.K. teachers are accepted based on GCSE English grades...it's not enough to be honest! Irish teachers need to have A levels equivalents in english, Irish, maths and at least 3 other subjects

A lot of teachers at my children's school can't spell. It drives me nuts. Some of the errors are shocking...and yes, I do judge.

[quote worriedatthistime]@PaddleAlongRiver we already have a teacher crisis as is , how do you propose we go about it ,
Teachers have way more to do than just teaching these days.
Many successful people may not have the best spelling or grammar because in real life it really doesn't mattrr[/quote]
Yes, it really does matter! Especially if you’re teaching primary children!

I wouldn’t be so bothered about SPAG in e.g. senior maths or science teachers, but if you’re teaching the basics, you bloody well ought to understand them.

@LondonQueen

Your own post isn't grammatically correct.

So what? She's not teaching other people.

[quote worriedatthistime]@PaddleAlongRiver we already have a teacher crisis as is , how do you propose we go about it ,
Teachers have way more to do than just teaching these days.
Many successful people may not have the best spelling or grammar because in real life it really doesn't mattrr[/quote]
I think it should be treated as a crisis, because it is.
I think we ought to have incentives for teacher training, with higher entry requirements and a more rigorous course. Current teachers can do an additional add on course for correct grammar and spelling, with a higher salary if passed with very high accuracy. And phase out being able to teach without the new wave teaching degree or add on course for already qualified teachers.

I doubt it will happen in this government but we cannot carry on with low standard teaching.

When I was at primary school, over 40 years ago, our teacher (a very long serving headmaster of our village school) used to write the week’s spellings on the board, and we would copy them down and learn them for our test.

One week, the words were all ‘ie’ words: field, shield, etc.

He spelled every one of them with ‘ei’ instead.

Eight year old me spoke up to say ‘Isn’t that wrong?’, at which point he looked one up, and then changed the board.

This isn’t a recent phenomenon.

Also why are all the people criticising so much on here not all training to become teachers as they can do so much better

That's a crap argument - I can tell Boris is a wank PM but that doesn't mean I assume I'd do any better or could apply for his job.

Worrying about what our children are being taught isn't a personal criticism of individual teachers - it's a job I could never do, but that doesn't mean I want my DD to learn to write "I could of gone there".

I think we'll continue to get low standard teaching as long as the profession is held in what seems to be low regard.

Obviously the hours, pay and holidays are insufficient to attract sufficient quality candidates, give the retention and recruitment crisis.

I've had no involvement with primary school education over here, but I have to say that the vast majority of secondary school teachers I've been fortunate enough to meet, have really impressed me with their enthusiasm, professionalism, and dedication - in the face of what seems sometimes to be unreasonable mistrust and hostility.

I agree OP. If you're teaching others to do something then you really should have a thorough knowledge of the subject. Primary school basics such as grammar and spelling shouldn't be beyond the grasp of someone whose job it is to teach these skills.

@CallmeHendricks

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

Not Splitting infinitives is an artificial rule, imposed by Victorians, who introduced the concept based on the fact it is not possible to split an infinitive in Latin.

It is perfectly possible to split an infinitive in English - because the infinitive form is “to go”, which is two separate words. The Victorian habit has been denounced by linguists for at least 40 years.

The errors you mention are whole word / grammar errors, not mere spelling mistakes.

I am a teacher. I have a first class degree in my subject specialism. I did my postgraduate research and my undergraduate degrees at Oxbridge and I have a PGCE / QTS. I am also dyslexic. Most of the time my spelling is excellent, but I teach more than 400 adolescent children and young adults a week in a school with a disadvantaged demographic. I get tired and when I get tired my ability to remember how to spell the odd word goes. My weakness is the vowel is words with the schwa sound. Occasionally double or single consonants are also an issue. The kids know I am dyslexic. It makes me human and it shows that they can succeed even if they face challenges.

Oh, just to add, I am not, in any way, shape or form, suggesting that current teachers are substandard quality!