To correct the teacher's spelling?

[Dany0909]

I'm a year 4 TA in a primary school. This year I have a new class and a new teacher.
She's an ok teacher in general, I've definitely worked with better.

Yesterday, she handed out the spelling list and had spelt one of the words wrong. I pointed it out to her privately as I didn't want parents to notice and she got in a huff. She didn't believe me and checked the spelling online before changing it.

Just today, she misspelt three subject-specific words that I'm sure she has been teaching for years so I was surprised she didn't know them. The kids copied them off the board incorrectly but I felt too uncomfortable to say anything.
I'm not going to specify the words so this post doesn't give me away just in case.

Anyway, I'm not really sure what to do. It's annoying because obviously the kids are learning incorrect spellings from her, but at the same time I don't really want to annoy the teacher. I'm not sure if she's dyslexic but surely if you knew you were then you would double check the information you're asking children to copy down. She's not overly nice or welcoming towards me so not sure how to approach it. Should I just leave it???

Definitely correct her, OP. I know it's awkward, but do it for the kids. As a teacher (albeit one with excellent spelling...), I would always want to know if I had inadvertently misspelt a word.

I think this is tge best way- to model continuous learning and self correction

I was a dyspraxic teacher, still dyspraxic, no longer a teacher, used to mark with a computer on and if there was any doubt I’d type the word and see if a red line came up. You can be dyslexic/dyspraxic or anything, but you need strategies to cover it, the child’s learning must not suffer. I’d have a quiet word with a senior teacher.

I think this says a lot about what the cuts to education have done, teachers are so badly treated and so many good teachers that have options are leaving, schools are forced to employ some who aren't as well educated or competent themselves

My toddlers nursery teachers have terrible terrible spellings on their observations but I try to ignore as they're there to play and nurture him not to teach him spelling

How? Give the teacher a crash course in spellings?!

The teacher has already shown the OP they're not welcome to being corrected with their spellings by them. You think the head having a word will change that?

Like I've already said, there are many excellent teachers who find spelling tricky. Most have strategies to deal with this. Most of those happily accept a quiet prompt from a TA or a noisy prompt from a year 6. This teacher does not seem to be one of those teachers.

@Dany0909 has already tried to help out with this. The teacher had a huff when they did. @Dany0909 then felt uncomfortable correcting incorrect topic words.

There appears to be an issue with the teacher accepting they may have a spelling problem. Or it may be that it was their TA that pointed it out to them (a horrid truth that some teachers don't appreciate a TAs input).

The head is unable to change either of those ingrained behaviours by having a quick word.

Teacher's feelings *

As with any area of poor performance, i would outline the standard required and the length of time the person has to reach that standard.
Obviously after ascertaing that there wasn't an issue causing the inability to spell.
As for the OP, report to head of department, or head teacher, if no HoD. Simple advice. No need for the TA (op) to try to 'build the team', that's not her responsibility. That's the team leader/manager's responsibility

You need to speak to someone. Speak to your own line manager, perhaps.

There is no teacher standard over a few misspelt words.

Mark: E-

That is appalling. I would have taken that to the Head and I'm an ex teacher.

My DD has a nose for SPAG. She corrects the teachers and now professors. It did get her into a lot of trouble but she was an English scholar and very militant about it. I can't spell for toffee but I've got a good memory and maths is my thing.
I think a quiet word with the head is best.

@JohnSt1 I don’t think the entry requirements are particularly stringent

What? Words fail me. I don’t think I could have even slept that night with that incompetency. I’d have been very angry at that level of ignorance from a teacher. Dear god.

Surely the standard must be 'spell the word correctly'

I personally would have a quiet word with your key stage lead and/or the English lead. I am not a perfect speller of words and I tell the children this. I encourage them to use 'hard words' in their writing and we use word books or dictionaries to check the spelling. If a child comes to me with a word I am not sure of in that second I use a dictionary in front of them to check it and loudly congratulate them for trying to trick me with such a hard word. I also show them a dictionary and tell them my brain can't fit all the words in so I have to check new ones.

I have had TAs with interesting spelling and if it was on a whiteboard as a prompt I would very quietly bring their attention to it. We would then have a chat about what signal to give if we saw an error in each other's writing.

Things like spelling lists/ word banks or homework should not have errors because they are usually typed up in advance and so should be checked.

Oh and as a last thing I always tell my children how I used to struggle to spell definitely because I could hear an a sound in it. It was only when a friend at school told me it had finite in the middle that my problems were gone forever. I tell the children that some words you just have to learn. Children like knowing that we don't see ourselves as perfect but that we use the skills we are teaching them, even as adults.

My sibling is a teacher, and consistently writes would of / should of / could of in emails.

Absolutely this. The children spelling words correctly is more important than her ego.

That's awful 😡

I had to write a story set in the future and invented a name I thought sounded futuristic - Loisa. The teacher changed it to Louisa throughout.

We also don't know how Dany0909 approached the teacher, This could be why the teacher was in a huff, especially if she has made it known to the teacher how she feels about her.

I think the most worrying thing is her reaction to you correcting her. Getting huffy with you suggests she is concerned about her ego, not being the best teacher she can be for the children. Everyone makes mistakes, it's how we deal with them that matters. Go to the headteacher; this needs to be dealt with.

I remember writing a piece of geography homework when I was in Year 8 (Secondary School). The subject were my horse riding lessons at Downe Hall Stables. My teacher crossed out 'Downe' and replaced it with 'down'.

Firstly, I was pissed off she'd miscorrected me and didn't bother to find out more about it (Downe Hall House over the road is famous).

Secondly, changing Downe to down made the sentence unintelligible.

I've never forgotten it!!

No, that's not a teacher standard.

Read @wonderingwhatlifemeans That's the way to do it in a classroom and how good teachers teach learners well.

Most people on this thread seem to be focussing on this incorrect spelling. No one is saying that's ok. My issue is that there are few posts supporting the OP to solve the problem. They've got to continue working with this teacher until July. It's a relational issue to manage from their perspective. The children will know if their TA and teacher have fallen out.

The head has maybe got 600+ children & 80+ staff under their care. A few misspelt topic words isn't high on their priority list. A key stage lead/subject leader may be beneficial around October half term, but coming in to offer support this early in the year is far too much and will clearly identify the TA.

I know it's hard to hear, but spelling really isn't given as much time in primary schools as Mumsnetters want it to be.

There’s a difference between making a spelling mistake, we all do it, but the level of ignorance from some teachers is unforgivable (should of is an unforgivable mistake if marking written work). If they can’t spell they certainly shouldn’t be in charge of a spelling test. They should teach art or something where spelling isn’t so important.

Even if the teacher really struggles with spelling, giving out subject specific vocabulary incorrectly like that is really poor. It’s a shame she reacted so defensively.

I think you need to tell her. Maybe in an email if you don’t feel you can have the conversation to her face due to her reaction.

It’s a shame she’s being huffy about it, although understandable given she’s probably terrified of being caught out. If a teacher is a poor speller then a TA who is a good speller should be an absolute gift to have in the classroom, not a problem. I’ve worked with some amazing TAs in my career who really complemented my teaching style.