Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to be annoyed with these spelling mistakes?

36 replies

MiaWallace · 02/10/2008 18:53

Ok, first I have to admit to being a bit of a hypocrite since I constantly make spelling mistakes, but even I was appalled with this.

My dd has a book which she takes back and forth nursery. The nursery staff write in it each day to inform me what she has been doing.

Today it was written by a member of the staff who I don?t know. She had written the following ?

DD has had a great morning. We made some number puzzels and some drawings.

Lunch ? tuna lasana with garlic bread
Pudding ? fruit salid on whiped cream

She ate it all in the afters we had some storys some role playing and we did circle time

Snack ? crumpits and milk

After snack we went into the garden and dd played in the cars.

I like all the girls that work at the nursery and they are great with dd. I would hate to get any of them into trouble but do you think I should mention this to the nursery manager?

OP posts:
dustystar · 02/10/2008 18:54

No don't say anything. They don't need to be able to spell to be good at their jobs.

ImnotMamaGbutsheLovesMe · 02/10/2008 18:55

Are they likely to be teaching your child to write and spell?

I think it is a sad state of affairs when such simple words have been spelt wrong, and so many of them.

EdwardCullenCanHaveMySoul · 02/10/2008 18:56

I wouldn't, Dd's diary was full of dreadful spelling but they looked after her well and cared about her, that was what I was paying them for, not their spelling.
However, if it happens in her Yr1 reading diary, then complain!

potatofactory · 02/10/2008 18:56

She could be dyslexic - they presumably aren't teaching literacy. Def doesn't mean she isn't looking after your daughter well!

donnie · 02/10/2008 18:56

not unreasonable to be annoyed - I would be too. I wouldn't raise it as a concern though - as dustystar says it has no bearing on their competance as a nursery worker.

Original poster
MiaWallace · 02/10/2008 19:02

Well she will be caring for children age 3 to 5 so would be introducing basic spelling.

I didn't consider the fact that she may have dyslexia. I will keep my mouth shut.

OP posts:
deste · 02/10/2008 19:14

Dyslexia, I dont really think so. I know it comes in different levels of severity but I think that is just a case of poor spelling.

glitterchick · 02/10/2008 19:52

Is she foreign?

julienoshoes · 02/10/2008 20:05

funny you should say this.
My dd2 is bright articultae and very very good with young children.
She is also severely dyslexic. She can now read and spell well-at home with no pressure, she is reading Oscar Wilde. She is doing an OU course at 16 (tomorrow), using a spell checker-and getting very good results. She has an IQ of 138.
But in front of others or when she feels pressured............

She has been volunteering at a local nursery to see if she would like to work there part time.

She is crying her eyes up tonight, telling me that the nursery would be stupid to hire her, as she wouldn't be able to spell properly when she is writing about the children in the way you describe.

Bettyboobird · 02/10/2008 20:11

No don't say anything. A nursery teaches children up to the age of 4/5? So it is unlikely they will be teaching them to spell such words as 'whipped' or 'crumpets'! I'm sure she is fantastic at her job, but spelling is not her forte.

They have to fill out these books quite quickly, so no time to spell check in the dictionary.

I'd rather read what dd had been up to with bad spelling than not know at all.

pointydog · 02/10/2008 20:27

Who is writing this? A nursery nurse?

CaptainUnderpants · 02/10/2008 20:37

Is this a day care nursery ? If so than the staff can be quite young having not left school long and still doing training perhaps .

The staff at day care nuseries are not usually well paid and have a high turn over and are very young in age so will def not be teaching your child to read and spell !

I doubt very much that whatever nursery it is that they will be teaching them basic spellings , they will cover that in Reception Year.

as long as they are good with the children then I wouldn't worry about it .

Mutt · 02/10/2008 20:40

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

potatofactory · 02/10/2008 21:06

I'm a spelling pedant too - stationEry, as I typed on a recent thread about pens...

Still wouldn't care if the young girl looking after my toddler couldn't spell.

Original poster
MiaWallace · 02/10/2008 21:07

oh julienoshoes I feel awful after reading your post.

It really is a stupid thing for me to be annoyed about.

OP posts:
Sidge · 02/10/2008 21:12

She's a nursery nurse not a teacher so don't let her poor spelling bother you.

I would be chuffed that they're filling in her contact book at all Honestly for little ones in nursery it's more important that a nursery nurse is kind, caring and enthusiastic rather than being good at spelling.

ScottishMummy · 02/10/2008 21:12

no i wouldnt mention it,if they are good at job kind & empathic that's what really matters

DonutMum · 02/10/2008 21:18

I would leave it too. Don't need to spell to love and care for little ones. I am a complete arse ache about spelling and didn't mind the mistakes in my DS's nursery book.

EachPeachPearMum · 02/10/2008 21:19

Mia I think our DC go to the same nursery!!!!
The staff are great at their jobs though, and the little ones can't read anything anyway.

I know for a fact that the manager (who writes the letters and newsletters) is dyslexic, so I let it wash over me.

DH did have to stop himself jumping in when DD's key worker couldn't pronounce 'croque monsieur' to tell us what she had had for a snack (DH is French).

orangehead · 02/10/2008 21:19

Why not dyslexia? I am and sometimes I spell things dreadfully and like noshoes daughter I am also doing degree with ou and getting very good marks also. It does not affect my ability to look after my kids. So no I dont think you should mention it

Elasticwoman · 02/10/2008 21:35

nursery staff are paid very low wages so it is not reasonable to expect a high standard of education. If I saw consistently high standard of English prose in a nursery daybook I would wonder why the writer didn't get a better paid job.

Interesting to read of some one getting high marks at degree level with bad spelling. My dh just marked somebody's Master's Degree work where they were expounding about the Feudal System with "surfs" all the way through. He thought that was very funny but forgets it was me who taught him to spell. When I first met him his spelling was awful.

julienoshoes · 02/10/2008 21:46

oh I didn't mean to make you feel bad. It just seemed so strange to come here and find a thread on exactly what we are talking about.

I am very mildly dyslexic myself but nowhere as bad as any of my children.
It has been a very steep learning curve to find out how limiting these problems can be in this world.
My youngest daughter is very bright, and a small child magnet, they are so happy to be with her and so attracted to her, but the spelling problem will/is holding her back.
The nursery manager recognises that she is so good with the children. She knows dd2 well and knows how well she has done in overcoming this and getting to the level where she can tackle the OU course etc.
But as I said the biggest part of it for her is that when she has to spell in front of other people 'a haze comes down' and she forgets all that she has so painfully learnt.

She has come such a long way and then something like this throws her back again.
She told me tonight that she seriously thinks she will adopt children rather than put another child through this misery.

But most people have no idea how bad it can be, so don't feel bad.
My dad had similar problems. Very clever man. Would be exactly the sort of bloke that you would want as a 'phone a friend' he knew so much but couldn't spell for toffee. Never learnt to spell my name.
Had his address written on a piece of paper in his pocket, so he could copy it out when he needed it.
I grew up knowing that but still didn't realise all of the repercussions until I watch my children struggle so.

And as a mother, when it comes down to it, what I'd care about most, at that age, is that my children were being well looked after by someone who really likes being with children and brings out the best in them.

mawbroon · 02/10/2008 21:48

I am a CM and write a daily book for the children. It is scribbled when I get a minute in between changing nappies, wiping noses, drawing, having meals and snacks, going out to do school collection etc etc, you get the idea.

I don't have time to construct a piece of text with perfect grammar and spelling and I am quite sure the parents would rather that the time was spent looking after their children rather than worrying about each and every word in the book.

I explain this to parents when I first meet them, and so far, nobody has complained.

I would guess that the girl at the nursery is in pretty much the same boat.

Blandmum · 02/10/2008 21:51

My spelling is dreadful. My ability to read is not affected and my vocabulary is extensive.

My son is dyspraxic, and I have many of his tendencies, I also tick almost all of the boxes on an Adult dyslexia check list.

I have no formal Dx (such things were not done when I was a lass!) but I wouldn't be at all surprised if I have dyslexia.

I also have a degree from Oxford, and have worked in Oxford, Edinburgh and St Andrews Universities. Now I teach science, and I'm good at my job.

Still can't spell for toffee

Mishee · 02/10/2008 22:02

Don't feel bad - I agree with everything everyone has said, but when I go to DD's nursery and see their poorly punctuated messages to parents and carers, I don't know whether to tell them, subtly correct them (by taking in a marker pen and just altering the apostrophes) or leave it; although my feeling is if no one ever tells you you're doing it wrong (and how to correct it) then how will you improve your written English?