The thing about correct spelling and grammar is that *effective*
communication is the most efficient and rewarding way of sharing ideas.
If your communication skills are flawed, then you'll spend more time
explaining and apologising for ambiguity in the end. I always used to
teach kids that we write things down so that someone else can understand
what we want to tell them. That means, 'write well, spell well and gram
well'. (I made that up ;- )

There's no shame in being a faulty speller (at least, I don't think
there is). Just like being poor at sport or a less-than-perfect cook, we
can't all be great at everything. Nevertheless, it's well worth *trying*
to spell correctly so others can read what we write and get our drift
correctly the first time. It's the same with grammar. People who don't
have auto-pilot for spelling need to buy a dictionary of some sort.

I know there have been arguments since forever about whether phonetic
spelling is good or bad. I have to come down on the side of traditional
spelling because it reflects the history of the word and I'm fascinated
by history. See, to leave the diphthong (æ) out of 'encyclopædia'
removes the word from its Greek origin. (Gr. Paedos: education. Like in
'Paedagogy', which is a subject I took in my post-grad year). Now, this
is an entirely personal opinion and I'm not foisting it on anyone - just
sharing what I reckon. Even the Oxford Dictionary has 'encyclopedia' as
its main entry. I think that's a shame. The change has been made for the
convenience of those who don't want the bother of getting it right.

Getting it right is, I think, the crux of the matter. When my parents
were growing up, you got it right or you got a whack! When I was growing
up, you got it right or you did it again. When my DS was growing up, you
got it right or you got it wrong and no one cared. Now, as my DD is
growing up, you get it wrong most of the time and you're praised for it!
(NB. My DD and DS are both impeccable spellers and I'm happy about that.
DD could spell 'encyclopaedia' correctly when she was six.)

I think what we're really bemoaning is the general trend away from
excellence in many areas. It's my belief that lowering standards of
excellence has (especially in primary education) permitted children to
advance without ever learning the skills of concentration and focus
required to observe closely and get things right. Again, this is my
personal barrow, but I'll push it till I die! I believe it does our kids
a huge disservice as it denies them the chance to reach their full
potential.

One last comment before ending the diatribe. I don't believe that
spelling skills are learned as effectively by rote as they are simply by
continual exposure to correctly-spelled reading material. My kids
*never* did their spelling homework and hated the repetition of spelling
lessons. Both read widely, though, and 'acquired' spelling as if by
osmosis. I reckon that's why some brains pick up spelling while others
don't. If you're not wired that way, then you don't have a dictionary in
your brain and you'll have to consult the Oxford. Oh well. While my kids
can both spell like the dickens, neither is much good at sport. Let me
tell you, it's *far* worse to be a poor athlete in school today than it
is to be a poor speller! Things that make y'go 'Hmmmm...'

--
Trish Brown {|:-}

Newcastle, NSW, Australia