Okay. I admit it. I am a bit of a freak about spelling. I cringe when I see e-mail messages that contain mistakes. I work with someone who sends e-mails on a daily basis with missing words, misspellings, and incomplete thoughts. I have actually hidden people from my FaceBook feed because I can't stand to read their posts full of misspellings. I just got into another heated debate with my son who insists that the mistakes in his spelling homework do not matter.
One of my biggest beefs with Montgomery County Schools is the way that they teach spelling. From kindergarten through second grade a concept called "creative spelling" is in place. It rewards attempts at spelling. The problem is that spelling is not creative. There is one way to spell a word. It is either correct or it isn't. They do not drill on spelling words anymore. Call me old-fashioned, but I think drilling - either verbally or written - is a key to building strong spelling skills.
I was dismayed to hear an educator at my son's school tell me that the most important thing was for my son to get his ideas on paper because things like grammar and spell check would help fill in the holes. Those were not his exact words but the meaning was clear. I don't disagree that good writing is a multi-step process but correct spelling has to be part of that prosess - oops! I mean process.
Peace.
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