Spelling
You either have that kind of mind or you don't.
I do. I can do spelling. Once I've seen a word once, I can generally spell it for ever. Often when people say "What does this word mean?" I say, "I don't know, but I can spell it."
Because of years of teaching, I know the words that people find tricky and I was determined that this wouldn't be the case with Emily.
So, once she learned to speak, there she'd be in her pushchair and as we went along we'd play a Lovely Spelling Game which went "Let's spell Necessary. N - E - C - E - S - S- A - R - Y". Or Business, or Mississippi, or any of those tricky ones. The poor mite learned to spell them before she had any real need to use them at all. I hoped it would save time later.
I needn't have bothered. Emily has inherited my spelling ability, and because she spent most waking moments reading a book, she swiftly learned to spell every word she came across.
It can be tricky, though. When I spot a spelling mistake, I never know whether or not to point it out to its creator. People can get very upset about such things. Some very clever people have a real mental block about spelling, and can get very offended if you point mistakes out to them.
So I've invented a kind of rule book for myself:
If someone asks, I will tell them.
If it's somewhere that isn't important, it doesn't matter and I'd never mention it - it's the meaning that matters.
If it's on something that is important - a leaflet, a document - then I will mention it whether they've asked me to or not, because I think they should know, and if they hate me, that's a shame.
It's a dodgy area, though, ripe with opportunities to give offence.
Now then, what I'm really bad at is anything in three dimensions. Rubik's Cubes. Puzzles. Parallel parking. That kind of thing.
Do people take account of any sensitivity that I might have about my lack of ability in this area?
No, they do not. Sometimes kind people will park my car for me. Mostly they fall about laughing.
I do. I can do spelling. Once I've seen a word once, I can generally spell it for ever. Often when people say "What does this word mean?" I say, "I don't know, but I can spell it."
Because of years of teaching, I know the words that people find tricky and I was determined that this wouldn't be the case with Emily.
So, once she learned to speak, there she'd be in her pushchair and as we went along we'd play a Lovely Spelling Game which went "Let's spell Necessary. N - E - C - E - S - S- A - R - Y". Or Business, or Mississippi, or any of those tricky ones. The poor mite learned to spell them before she had any real need to use them at all. I hoped it would save time later.
I needn't have bothered. Emily has inherited my spelling ability, and because she spent most waking moments reading a book, she swiftly learned to spell every word she came across.
It can be tricky, though. When I spot a spelling mistake, I never know whether or not to point it out to its creator. People can get very upset about such things. Some very clever people have a real mental block about spelling, and can get very offended if you point mistakes out to them.
So I've invented a kind of rule book for myself:
If someone asks, I will tell them.
If it's somewhere that isn't important, it doesn't matter and I'd never mention it - it's the meaning that matters.
If it's on something that is important - a leaflet, a document - then I will mention it whether they've asked me to or not, because I think they should know, and if they hate me, that's a shame.
It's a dodgy area, though, ripe with opportunities to give offence.
Now then, what I'm really bad at is anything in three dimensions. Rubik's Cubes. Puzzles. Parallel parking. That kind of thing.
Do people take account of any sensitivity that I might have about my lack of ability in this area?
No, they do not. Sometimes kind people will park my car for me. Mostly they fall about laughing.
posted by Daphne at 5:39 pm
3 Comments:
Wummin drivors, wot can you sey ?
Shud bee at hume lukking aftar the kids - leve drivin to the men.
I am mostly OK but there is the odd word that always eludes me, regardless of how many times I re-learn the spelling. I forget which ones off-hand, mind.
I used to be a proofreader and copy-editor, but now most of what I read is online and I find I've learned all sorts of errors exactly as I learned the correct spellings in my yoof - immersion.
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