January 19, 2010

We had 'meet the teacher day' when I was student teaching a third grade classroom. The parents of one of our students expressed a concern with their child's writing. Their child was making quite a few spelling mistakes, and Mom and Dad were interested in fixing the 'problem.'

I told them that their child was writing like a storm, much more than most other kids her age. I told them that, inasmuch as she continues writing, the spelling will come. 'What we need right now,' I said, 'is for her to continue to love to write, and continue to practice her writing skills. Her voice is amazing, and she is incredibly creative, intelligent, and passionate about writing.'

I was happy about this. The parents no longer expressed concern with spelling. The student's spelling improved greatly.