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Primary education

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Original poster

Y5 teacher can't spell!

33 replies

BigPantsRule · 12/02/2008 01:53

I've suspected there was a problem for some time. Every now and then DD will ask "How DO you spell ..... , Mum?" and it turns out the teacher has written her own version of it on the board. The crunch came yesterday when DD returned with her target book with one of her objectives being to work on her "long devision." Definitely an "E" - not a round "I" ! Then today she actually wrote it on the board and DD's friend took great pleasure in asking if she could correct it for her (boy am I glad it was the friend and not DD) and proceeded to rub out and rewrite the entire word, not just the letter! DD also mentioned that the teacher is always making mistakes in basic calculations as well. She relies on the brighter members of the class to point out her mistakes - but where does this leave the rest?

I'm really not sure where to take this. I have actually logged quite a few occurrences, but simply can't believe that someone who has gone through a university training course to enter the teaching profession is apparently in need of remedial spelling and arithmetic. Not only that, but I don't think she even realizes that she has a problem! If she is dyslexic I would sympathize, but I think parents (and indeed children) have a right to know if this is the case.

OP posts:
nappyaddict · 12/02/2008 02:34

it is possible she is dyslexic. we had a dyslexic teacher at school who was actually a great teachers except for the fact he occasionally rote down the answers to sums back to front.

OverRated · 12/02/2008 03:30

As an ex Y5 teacher, I would like to say that I would occasionally deliberately make errors (and sometimes accidentally too) in the hope that the children would correct me. And they did. But I worked hard to make sure the children knew that this was acceptable and indeed expected. I think it is good for children to know that adults make mistakes, that we learn from them and that there is a nice way of telling someone they are wrong and explaining what is right. When I was observed, this was highlighted as a very good part of my teaching and it was pointed out how comfortable the children were giving and receiving constructive criticism.

The consistently poor spelling would worry me though. I wonder how approachable she is. Or if you could have a quiet word with the head?

Original poster
BigPantsRule · 12/02/2008 15:19

Good point OverRated - I did think she might be doing it deliberately, and DD thought so too, but surely she wouldn't be doing it in written communications with parents? It isn't even difficult words we are talking about here - devision is just one example, another is steal (meaning to unlawfully take) spelt steel, heck I wish I'd kept that list. I'll start logging them again. Otherwise she is a really good teacher, great at motivating the children and does some really interesting lessons with them. IMO good basic literacy and numeracy should be a given for any teacher though, and I don't really want to be the one to draw attention to the issue here!

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smartiejake · 12/02/2008 15:43

I had a student teacher working with me once who used to correct my pupils work with incorrect spellings (on some occosions the child had actually got the spelling right!)

It was such a pain as I had to read through all the work she had marked to check for these errors in case one of the parents saw the book.

cazzybabs · 12/02/2008 15:52

steel and steal could have been a typo on the computer...

don't forget all teachers from whenever I qualified had to take basic numeracy and literacy tests!

nappyaddict · 12/02/2008 17:47

also a lot of written communication to parents will be typed out by the school secretary not the actual teacher.

OverRated · 12/02/2008 18:21

I agree, written communication should be correctly spelled. No matter who types the letters, it should be checked. I would be tempted to have a word with someone about it but I wouldn't be the one to want to do it. I would hope that, if you have noticed this, the head/ Key Stage 2 manager would have noticed it too and would be addressing the issue. We all make mistakes from time to time but a teacher really shouldn't be be doing so consistently in her teaching material/ communication with parents.

Good luck!

Original poster
BigPantsRule · 12/02/2008 23:53

The mistake wasn't typed - it was handwritten ...

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Bubble99 · 13/02/2008 00:03

BPR. I have found several handwritten spelling mistakes in DS1's marking this year.

I have raised it (quietly) with his teacher and although she apologised I got the impression that she thought I was being 'picky.'

With universities now saying that levels of student literacy are at an all time low - it sadly doesn't surprise me.

The NC, IMO, seems to have got to the point where 'basics' such as grammar and spelling are considered old-fashioned.

Original poster
BigPantsRule · 13/02/2008 00:18

Sadly, I think you are right, Bubble. I, too, am worried about being considered "picky". Yet she tests the children on their spellings every week so must consider it important enough to do that! Fortunately she has not (yet) mispelled any of the words she gives them to learn...

Just to clarify for earlier posters - I'm well aware of the potential for typos and can say that none of these mistakes have been typed, they were all handwritten!

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Original poster
BigPantsRule · 13/02/2008 00:20

for mispelled read misspelt

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Bubble99 · 13/02/2008 00:38

Don't worry, BPR.

We are not teachers.

Unless you are, of course.

Original poster
BigPantsRule · 13/02/2008 00:58

Secondary PGCE but never practised - apart from a bit of voluntary work at infant school (I prefer it when the kids aren't bigger than me. )

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avenanap · 13/02/2008 01:15

Their is nuwfing wong with that. Not all of us r good spwellwerz. Its' qwit hard yu no.

phraedd · 14/02/2008 23:29

i worked with a teacher who always wrote you're instead of your (as in belonging to you).

She also marked a spelling test wrong as she spelt 40 as fourty and not forty (as the children in y3 had!)

Her grammer wasn't great either "we was going up the path"

shocking ........ for want of a better word!

Quattrocento · 14/02/2008 23:34

ironic

moogbean · 15/02/2008 00:38

Glad its national then. My ds in Y5 told me that banjo is spelt bango. It was part of a spelling test set by his teacher. The teacher is head of music!!

Original poster
BigPantsRule · 17/02/2008 02:14

OMG it just gets worse

OK - radical idea coming up. Schools should be able to require new applicants for teaching posts to submit to a basic spelling/numeracy test since these skills are clearly no longer a requirement for training courses...or would that be asking too much?

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OverRated · 17/02/2008 02:21

They do have to do a basic numeracy test. And literacy too, I think. Well, I did. But I passed. Wasn't very hard though...

Feenie · 17/02/2008 08:39

My school has a head who regularly sends out letters with spelling/punctuation mistakes. As Literacy co-ordinator it drives me bonkers! The previous head asked me to check anything which was sent out, which I never minded doing, but this one declined my offer to do the same.

Regular mistakes to parents include it's for a possessive its, various spelling errors and, once, a greengrocer's "tomatoe's"! He even made two spelling errors in interview in the part where he had to present to teachers - governors still hired him!

I think the op should make sure she consistently points out the errors politely. I wish our parents would. Most of the errors made by him would make it impossible for an average 11 year old to be assessed at Level 4!

alfiesbabe · 17/02/2008 11:00

This is shocking! You need to have a word with manangement.

Original poster
BigPantsRule · 17/02/2008 11:22

Feenie - I intend to point out the error when I see her after half term, but it's just so embarrassing. It's not as if the poor woman can do anything about it, other than to ask someone else (e.g. one of the kids ) to check everything that is going to be seen by someone outside the school. I've always been a good speller but can sympathize with those who aren't - whereas I can see a word and remember how to spell it, I can't keep figures in my head at all and envy those who can do mental arithmetic. But if you know you have a problem, then why would you choose a career which is constantly going to show it up? Someone who knows they have poor manual coordination wouldn't choose to be a surgeon (or so we would hope!)

I think the simple answer is that, these days, it simply doesn't matter.

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redadmiral · 17/02/2008 11:39

My friend is a teacher and is just naturally an appalling speller. She is a great communicator and artist. I suppose the problem is that the NC requires spelling to be taught all the time. When I was at primary the teachers could teach to their strengths. I would find the bad spellings coming home very irritating, but probably one year of it won't damage your child for life (I hope )

Original poster
BigPantsRule · 17/02/2008 11:53

Good point - DD1's secondary school art teacher is superb but also a bad speller, which is annoying, but it's not as though she is expected to pass on spelling expertise to her pupils.

I don't think having this teacher will adversely affect DD2 - if anything, it keeps her on her toes as she is always on the lookout for the next blunder - but I think it is wrong for someone in her position to be passing on her mistakes to children who do not know any better and should not, in all fairness, be expected to. After all, if that's how the teacher spells it then it must be right, mustn't it?

It's more a general rant about literacy standards in general - if the teachers can't get it right, then you can hardly expect the kids to!

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Original poster
BigPantsRule · 17/02/2008 12:00

"I think the simple answer is that, these days, it simply doesn't matter. "
"It's more a general rant about literacy standards in general - if the teachers can't get it right, then you can hardly expect the kids to!"

...and maybe I should check my posts more thoroughly - not for spelling, but for repetition of a word in the same sentence

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