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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

Would you point out a spelling mistake in a handout from the teacher?

188 replies

emkana · 25/11/2006 00:07

We had a note in the book bag today -

"We will be making Christingle's next week."

Aaaargh!!!!!
It really bugs me - but should I let it go?

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Ellaroo · 26/11/2006 22:47

Yes, I would expect someone to point out mistakes on a writer's copy...that's editing and is done as a matter of course for most things that are printed for consumption by the general public. I expect your own editor picks up a number of mistakes before publication that are there as an oversight, rather than because you are not 'qualified' in some way - but your text is edited before it goes out to the public so as long as your editor is eagle-eyed you are spared having pedants questioning your ability on the basis of spelling. A teacher's note about Christmas decorations doesn't really feel like the same thing at all - to me it seems like an informal communication between teacher and parent issued in that medium because there are too many parents to tell each one the information verbally - by comparing it to being a writer are you suggesting everything ought to be passed by the school secretary just in case it goes out with any gramatical errors in it?

LadyMuck · 26/11/2006 22:48

I can spell - I can't type. Shoot me.

Original poster

emkana · 26/11/2006 22:50

Goodness me calm down everyone!
And don't excuse me of being self-righteous, I was actually asking advice with this thread, whether I should say anything - note I didn't write "Today I corrected my child's teacher's mistake"

And I won't do it anyway, am far too shy.

Btw, when looking through one of dd's books at parents' evening I also noticed that the teacher had written "sense" as "sence".

I do think that correct spelling and grammar is essential for a teacher.

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Moomin · 26/11/2006 22:50

I do think that a course in literacy should be compulsary during the PGCE year or somewhere in the BEd. Like I said before, if a teacher makes a repeated error then I think it should be pointed out, if not to them then to a senior teacher/line manager who can have a word. Misspelt documents that go out of the school reflect badly on the school ultimately and they shake the confidence parents have in the teacher and the school.

I'm a secondary English teacher and it bugs the hell out of me to see posters written by teachers in other depts that are spelt or punctuated badly. My HoD would pick up on any errors I made straight away; and I point out errors made by the NQTs I mentor; it's no big deal.

Moomin · 26/11/2006 22:52

(but again if it was an informal note or what I thought could be a 'one-off' then I'd leave be)

Original poster

emkana · 26/11/2006 22:52

When I was teaching German at secondary school my colleague made the most appalling mistakes in German, really really bad mistakes which made her "German" nearly incomprehensible in places.

I never dared to say anything then either.

OP posts:

Ellaroo · 26/11/2006 22:53

I think if your child's teacher consistently spells things incorrectly then that's something I'd raise with someone higher up, rather than trying to educate them on it myself. The impression that I'd got from the other posts was that people were saying teachers shouldn't make any spelling or grammar errors...which seems a bit harsh.

lockets · 26/11/2006 22:54

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

kiskidee · 26/11/2006 23:03

i didn't say you were self righteous emkana. though op's like yours usually are of the self righteous vein. many posters who followed you were.

now, will i excuse you for saying the teacher made a spelling mistake when it was actually a grammatical one? [ponders]

TheHighwayCod · 26/11/2006 23:07

has anyoen suggested it may be a typo and if tis a one off oyu all need to get a life

kiskidee · 26/11/2006 23:07

agree with ellaroo. also agree that spelling and grammar are very important things for teachers. its the suggestions for infallability that annoys me. but like someone else said, would your child be better off with you correcting a teacher's occasional error or better off just understanding her workload and think how nice that they still have the energy to do things like christingle.

i don't have the patience with that sort of thing or the age group which is why i am glad i teach secondary.

Original poster

emkana · 26/11/2006 23:08

Far more embarrassing that I wrote "excuse" when I meant "accuse"!

Anyway, I'm foreign, me, so that excuses a lot me thinks...

OP posts:

lockets · 26/11/2006 23:09

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Moomin · 26/11/2006 23:10

ignore her emkana

I know exactly what you were saying in your op. and I know you do have a life!

Original poster

emkana · 26/11/2006 23:10

I would very happily have assumed that it's a spelling mistake if I hadn't seen that "sence" spelling in my dd's book.

But at the end of the day I'm not a confrontational person at all, so really would never say anything!

OP posts:

Original poster

emkana · 26/11/2006 23:11

Maybe it is because I have far more important things to worry about in my life that I find it a welcome distraction sometimes to ponder over trivial things like this?

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Original poster

emkana · 26/11/2006 23:11

Thanks Moomin btw!

OP posts:

Moomin · 26/11/2006 23:12

yep

Moomin · 26/11/2006 23:12

that's not 'yep' to you saying thanks! It's for the last post (agreeing with you)

SoMuchToBits · 26/11/2006 23:26

Well, it would annoy me quite a lot, but I am a self-confessed pedant.

I cringed when I read a newsletter from ds's school, which said that something was "sort after" (instead of sought after).

I think if you write that sort of thing in an official school communication, it is not a good advert for the school. I think if it is an obvious typo (e.g. "choldren" instead of "children"), then that may be excusable, but apostrophes where they are not required are another matter.

I expect everyone will hate me now!

ghosty · 27/11/2006 00:25

If the spelling mistake was in DS' book or on the classroom wall I would say something. If it was in a letter home I would 'tut' under my breath.
DS' year 1 teacher was a self confessed crap speller and she welcomed people telling her if she made a mistake. She is the best teacher I have come across in 10 years of teaching and 2 years of having a child at school so I can forgive her for her crap spelling.

ROFL at private school teachers being better educated ....
I taught in private schools and didn't have any particular 'special training' lol
There were a couple of 'unqualified' teachers where I worked but they all had to have a degree ... it was the PGCE they didn't have. And they weren't paid on the same pay scale as 'qualified' teachers ...

tigermoth · 27/11/2006 08:33

In answer to the op - let it go. Someone else might have written or typed out the note on the teacher's behalf, anyway.

Mind you, if my son was given a spelling list with incorrectly spelled words to learn, I'd say something to the teacher or head at that would be directly affecting his education.

hulababy · 27/11/2006 08:42

Xenia - IME the teachers in private schools have the same qualifications and the ssame training and access to INSET type training as in state schools. It is, however, very unusual for priavte schools to take on unqualified teachers nowadays IME. So, no better, no worse. Pease don't make silly assumptions all the time - you are giving private school users a really bad reputation here on MN!

Would I point it out? No. I might to be child if old enough as a "what's wrong here" type of thing.

Don't forget it is also very possible that the teacher did not write this note - could be a secretary or typist if a typed letter, or a TA/classroom assistant if hand written. Might equally be teacher as well though.

Mistakes happen and unless it is in something the children will be affected by then I wouldn't worry.

If a parents had corrected my letters when I was teaching? It wouldn't have bothered me as such but I would probably have thought they were being a bit sad and picky TBH - a type moment. To them I would have said sorry and left it though.

I made far less errors when working with pupils though. I would double check materials as I spent more time on them and if I was unsure I would check - and was perfectly happy to tell pupils I was unsure and was going to check - a good lesson for them to see I feel.

lori21 · 27/11/2006 09:08

I'm a teacher, a parent, and a normal human being. This means that I'm not perfect, am often very busy / distracted, and am not a walking encyclopedia.

BTW all teachers now have to take a literacy test as part of their qualification and can not become a qualified teacher without it.

If anyone thinks that they can do their job without any mistakes then they are living in cloud cuckoo land.

[I do really hate apostrophes in the wrong place and will correct them in my collegues work - it did make me very sad when I saw an advert on the back of the teachers newspaper saying NQT's may apply]

Original poster

emkana · 27/11/2006 09:27

As I said, I wouldn't really say anything, having thought about it.

I do find this kind of mistake (apostrophe wrong) even worse than a spelling mistake though really.

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