The English Language

[Daisy]

Glamm - my spelling is still atrocious! When I was teaching I was careful to make sure I could spell the common 'pitfall' words in my subject area, but then ordinary words would let me down! I was always upfront with students (16-18 year olds) and asked them to tell me if I got anything wrong - they loved doing that. The best invention for me was spell-check on the computer!!!

[Glammanana]

Daisy I bet they really loved that lol,even with spell check I sometimes think a word does not look correct I ask Mr G sometimes "does this look right to you" all I get back is "well if you understand what it means what's the problem" that's his answer to everything really.I really do wish I took English further and often promise myself to join a further Education class that they have at our local schools but I just can't seem to find the time.

[ZIZI]

I am like Sum1, English grammar and spelling pose few problems but maths is my downfall except quick arithmetic when I am shopping. Years back I decided I would try to fulfill my dream of becoming a teacher. I took six a' levels (while working and bringing up my son and being a beaten wife) and an o' level in maths which was required. I was in my early twenties and was in a class with sixteen year olds. I failed the maths twice and scraped by on the third.

Husband used to be abysmal at grammar and spelling and his training course to join British Airways brought him so much stress. I sat with him for hours going through it all with him in pencil (manual homework then) so we could correct anything before going over it. Now he sits here with his work hipad and occasionally asks how to spell something but by and large he has improved a lot. If he is sending an important email he will ask me to check it over and make amendments but I cannot believe how far he has come. His problem was a) having to work before and after school from the age of six and sometimes not attending due to having to help on the farm during term time if things were busy and b) in my opinion bad teaching/teachers dismissing him because he was from a farming family in a relatively well off commuter area. I am proud of the fact that he is now a new entrant trainer for British Airyways.

In the past I have been on sites where people have been quite nasty to other posters if their spelling and grammar is not perfect, I say if you are on a social site and chatting away with your friends as long as you can be understood it is fine not to be 100% perfect! It is nasty and picky to correct people's postings. Some of the newspaper comment sites are quite bullying in that respects and I have come off sites because of it.

[Plantaholic]

Well done Zizi and Mr. Zizi