From this MSN update,
School teachers in England have
reportedly been told to lighten up on correcting spelling errors by their
students because it might hurt the children's feelings and lower their
self-esteem. They're also being advised, say several alarmed members of
Parliament, not to correct more than three mistakes because too much red ink
will discourage the poor darlings. MP Andrew Selous said he fears the pampering
policy, which he calls an "act of false kindness" and which is reportedly
supported by parents' online forums, is being practiced in "thousands of school
across the country" and must stop of if students are to be given the
"fundamental skills needed in the job market." And no, spell-check doesn't cut
it.
2 comments:
We're getting this in the lower grades here in Spearfish, where my daughter is being allowed to write phonetically... to simply write words however they sound to her. Some first-graders prepared handouts on the big K-1 transition for the kindergartners, and those handouts were filled with the same phonetic spelling. After we've spent hundreds of years developing the spelling of contemporary English, I rather hate for my daughter to have to reinvent spelling for herself. Let the kids do some free-writing in their journals, but let's teach them now that final products need to be spelled right so that other people can read them. Writing is about communication; spelling builds a common link.
...and I haven't noticed my daughter feeling bad when I tell her how to spell things. She rather enjoys getting things right.
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