Teacher at school sent a message saying "should of". WWYD?

[QueenThora]

It's hard for me to be subjective because this teacher (not my own DC teacher) is initiating a new activity for the whole school that seems to be badly organised and is causing a hassle.

So I was already kind of annoyed with them already, but getting a parentmail with a correction to their previous mailing, saying "In my last letter x should of been y" has pushed me over the edge.

I get on well with the school, have a good relationship with them, and am not known for kicking up a fuss. Do I say anything? Although I am a pedant, I'm not a total stickler. I realise mistakes with punctuation etc. can happen and I generally let them go – but "should of" suggests ongoing ignorance, not a slip-up.

[badtime]

amicissimma, I am a proud pedant. I am happy to confront and explain why people are wrong in pretty much any situation.

Given this background, I take great pleasure in pointing out that the 'singular they' has been in use since at least the 14th century (i.e. even before Modern English). It was used by Shakespeare. The idea that it is wrong is one of those dreadful 18th/19th century stylistic-preference-turned-rule abominations, like not splitting infinitives or not ending sentences on prepositions.

The singular they is traditional, well understood and useful in a language which does not do gender-neutral very well.

In conclusion, you will pry my singular they from my cold, dead hands.

[Pheonixisrising]

I would have to correct them , that would really annoy me

[chicaguapa]

It would annoy me too! I do think that all teachers should have higher than grade C in GCSE English tbh. In DH's secondary school they're trying to improve literacy skills in all departments but even the literacy coordinator in the science department is prone to mistakes!

I would mention it in person at the school office if it was me. But I'm quite friendly with them so it wouldn't be a big deal if I did. But the school should be aware that it doesn't give a good impression of the teacher.

[DoctorDonnaNoble]

Now I know why my secondary students do this!

[Teatimetinny]

Yes I would definitely raise it somehow. Probably a letter sent directly to the teacher who wrote it, explaining why it's wrong, and explaining that your concern is that children will be taught the wrong thing in school. Absolutely terrible!

[Thisvehicleisreversing]

I took great pleasure in correcting the teacher's comments in my son's school book at parents' evening.

She had written 'Well done, your a great poet'


Out came my red pen.

[QueenThora]

There there salon, it is mandatory for us pedants to make errors on a pedants' corner thread. :o

Brighthouse, you're in the wrong topic dear. Pedantry is my life!

[BabyMummy29]

You're right, "should of" isn't a typo. Anyone can make a typo, especially when in a hurry, but for a teacher to write that is inexcusable.

Sadly it's all too common, along with other SPAG howlers among teachers nowadays.

[salonmeblowy]

correction: just make me weep

[brighthouse]

Get a life.

[salonmeblowy]

I feel your pain. I only found your thread because I spotted that error on one of the threads in Chat and had come here to relieve the urge to bleach my eyeballs. I am a bit stressed at the moment, does it show?

Replacing 'have' with 'of' is by far the most annoying error anyone could make. English can be such a beautiful language, but it requires a basic understanding of grammar, since grammar carries meaning in English much more than it does in Romance or Slavic languages, where temporality is expressed not just through correct syntax, but also through a host of adverbial phrases that are not widely used in English.

Anyone who does not know the correct form of the third conditional clearly has no idea how language relates to their own subjective experience of time. However, all that pedantry and pent-up anger would most likely just make weep in the corner instead of confronting the school.

[prism]

I'm feeling really guilty now. Years ago I had a girlfriend who wrote "could of", etc, and had quite bad spelling and grammar. And... she was a primary school teacher; a very good one in other respects. I wonder if I should have said something? Since the relationship was doomed anyway I might as well have incurred her wrath for the sake of education. Mind you, how she got through all that teacher training saying "should of" does make the mind boggle a bit.

[QueenThora]

That's the thing, I don't think it's just a mistake. I can deal with a typo, anyone can mistype something – it should really be checked but I understand that they're busy.

But "should of" isn't something you accidentally type - you type it because you think that's what the right usage really is - you think the phrase that is generally pronounced "should uv" is written "should of" when it is in fact "should have" - completely different (or as someone said you can write "should've"). That worries me because it suggests that teacher will be teaching their class that.

Also it very much seemed to come directly from the teacher, saying "in my previous email" - though it's possible they gave a handwritten note to office staff who typed it up wrong.

Therefore I will not be storming into the school to complain, but maybe the calm private letter is a possibility.

[rockybalboa]

Our recent school newsletter had a lovely bold heading at the top of the covering letter from the head about the sister school's excellent academic performance in some league table or other. Except it said "preformance". I had to virtually sit on my hands to resist firing off a corrective email. But as I was mid email exchange with the school ranting about something else I just let it go. Preformance can't even be put down to a spell check mishap. I appreciate the head probably didn't type it herself but I would have thought things like that would be checking before sending via Parentmail.

[joanofarchitrave]

I don't think I would be able to bring myself to raise it with the school. However, I might find a specious excuse to write to that particular teacher with a lot of 'could have' phraseology.

[Sthlonmum]

Tell the school. Any letters going out reflect the whole school and all schools should be teaching children that punctuation, spelling and grammar are important. It infuriates me when we get newsletters home from my DC's school with errors. How difficult is it to proof read them?

[TheReluctantCountess]

Could it have been a member of admin staff that sent it?

[ToffeeOwnsTheSausage]

How is it a mistake jamtoast12? It is wrong.

[LibraryBook]

Change schools.

[jamtoast12]

Really you would all talk the the school about this?! Clearly just a mistake - reactions a bit ott I think!

[Theimpossiblegirl]

Be thankful it wasn't shoulda.
:)

[QueenThora]

Thanks everyone! "Should of" is taking over in some contexts, and as my DP helpfully points out it will probably become standard and therefore correct usage eventually. However, I don't see it a lot on MN, where writing standards are really good, and I don't think it's acceptable for a primary school teacher to use it in school communications.

It's not a PE teacher, it's a class teacher (of a different class) who seems to have come up with this pet project that everyone is required to take part in. My DC's year is P4 but it affects the whole school and the mailing went to all parents.

I'm pretty sure even if I don't say something, 200 other parents will (it's that kind of school! - not private but a lot of academic/lawyer/teacher parents). I'm so irritated though!

[MotherIsTheBestBet]

I've given up with this sort of thing. Dd's headmistress used the word "terrible" as an adverb the other day. And it was in the context of a discussion about pupils' spelling and grammar.

[ToffeeOwnsTheSausage]

Should of seems to be replacing should have. Dumbing down and it needs stopping.