School teaching incorrect spelling.....or is it..

[mum23girls]

DD1 - grade 3 is doing the unit on digestive system. She brings her homework sheet home and it has "esophagus" all over it :hair: It is correctly spelt Oesophagus...it is in all my nursing books, dictionary and for as long as I have known...

Should I say something? I suppose this is just the straw that broke the camels back, her homework is full of spelling mistakes (that I can see) and with the teacher "marking" it, she rarely corrects it. I have let it slide but there comes a time.....

[javalava]

Yeah id say something. You cant have them learning the wrong thing... they will only fall behind later. Find out why she is spelling it like this. Im sure there is no valid reason but it is worth asking why she insists on teaching the children the incorrect spelling :confused:

[Myztik]

Yep pull them up on it!! I did an assignment in year 4 on Chameleons and the teacher decided I had spelt Chameleon wrong and went through with her red pen crossing out all the H's.. Obviously she realized or was corrected and she went back through it and tried to scribble out her crosses. She made a right mess of an assignment I had worked hard on and was very proud of.

[majano]

This definitely needs to be pointed out to the teacher.

Lately I have been utterly disgusted at my schools weekly newsletters; the spelling mistakes throughout them are atrocious. These standards might be acceptable for a local fishing/darts club's newsletters....NOT for a school. :no:

ETA: No offence intended towards any members of fishing or darts clubs. Merely an example! :)

[babylover111]

Definitely say something, my teacher in yr 4 marked my correct words as incorrect and crossed them out. I remember my Mum going through my work and changing it back but I used to say "Mum, she knows because she's a teacher!" Until this day I still have trouble with some year 4 type of words, well that's my excuse anyway :laughing:

[Scout]

I would certainly be saying something - perhaps putting it constructively would be the best idea though.

I would be furious!

[Noah_and_Elijah]

Definately say something! I wouldn't like my children being taught the wrong thing, regardless of how small it may seem.

[SalTheGal]

DD1 - grade 3 is doing the unit on digestive system. She brings her homework sheet home and it has "esophagus" all over it :hair: It is correctly spelt Oesophagus...it is in all my nursing books, dictionary and for as long as I have known...

Should I say something? I suppose this is just the straw that broke the camels back, her homework is full of spelling mistakes (that I can see) and with the teacher "marking" it, she rarely corrects it. I have let it slide but there comes a time.....

Whilst I don't condone incorrect spelling- In this instance it can be spelt either way. I think (don't quote me though!) that one is Australian and one is American.

I work for a pharmaceutical company that has a drug for the area and we would often see it either way. For instance reflux can be known as GERD (e for esophageal) which tends t be more Australian or GORD (o for oesophageal) which tends to come more from American based journals.

[Lila]

DD1 - grade 3 is doing the unit on digestive system. She brings her homework sheet home and it has "esophagus" all over it :hair: It is correctly spelt Oesophagus...it is in all my nursing books, dictionary and for as long as I have known...

Should I say something? I suppose this is just the straw that broke the camels back, her homework is full of spelling mistakes (that I can see) and with the teacher "marking" it, she rarely corrects it. I have let it slide but there comes a time.....
i´d say something about this word

with the homework though, theydo encourage the kids to write themselves, even with mistakes..(it certainly isn´t my philosophy, but as i do have a grade 3 and a grade 4 child at home, thats how they do it- if i like it or not...)
so...
all you can do is make her correct her mistakes in the homework

my kids have junior dictionaries and i let them look up the words in there.....(if they can´t find it i help/ tell them)

good luck

[Seekrit]

esophagus is a varied spelling.. like gaol/jail etc.

However if you do want to ask her to be more attentive in correcting spelling, then approach her and let her know.

[mum2peanut]

I would have spelt it with an 'o' but it seems I could be wrong.
As a teacher I have to say, a new philosophy with spelling is that unless you correct the word with the child watching, it's pretty much pointless, they learn through experiencing the word. In all honesty what child goes back thru their work and think 'oh I spelt this wrong I'll remember that for next time'. Well I know my Yr 4 class wouldn't be doing that. I guess you have to remember that even teachers can be bad spellers. I am a spelling natzi myself and a good speller (now that I've said that I've probably made some stupid mistake in here). I find it extremely frustrating when another teacher writes me a note with spelling errors, but what can you do.
Here's a funny story though, one of our teachers sent a note home to parents meaning to say sorry for the 'inconveniece' but wrote 'incontinence'. :laughing: Sadly only one of the football mums picked it up.

[TwoBoysOnly]

esophagus is a varied spelling.. like gaol/jail etc.

However if you do want to ask her to be more attentive in correcting spelling, then approach her and let her know.

No it's not a varied spelling. With an e is AMERICAN and with an o is ENGLISH which last time I checked is what they should be teaching at schools here in Australia. Definantly say something I would..... :thumbsup:

[nut]

I guess you have to remember that even teachers can be bad spellers. I am a spelling natzi myself and a good speller (now that I've said that I've probably made some stupid mistake in here). I find it extremely frustrating when another teacher writes me a note with spelling errors, but what can you do.
.

:laughing: I'm an English teacher and ITA!!! But, in the most loving of spirits I'll just point out that Nazi has no T.:hugs: :laughing: It can happen to the best of us!:)

[Seekrit]

No it's not a varied spelling. With an e is AMERICAN and with an o is ENGLISH which last time I checked is what they should be teaching at schools here in Australia. Definantly say something I would..... :thumbsup:
Again, like jail/gaol.

[mum2peanut]

[QUOTE=nut;1832613But, in the most loving of spirits I'll just point out that Nazi has no T.[/QUOTE]

Oops :o Can't say that it's a word I ever use. I blame that. It's not a word I've been exposed to or immersed in. :laughing:

[Mrs Potts]

I agree that where there is an American variation and and English variation of a word, without exception the English version should be taught in our schools. The American version may not technically be incorrect, but it is certainly incorrect for our Australian children.

I get annoyed at our school newsletter too. It's always full of words spelt the American way - obviously no one has bothered to change the dictionary in Word :banghead:

[our little treasures]

I agree that where there is an American variation and and English variation of a word, without exception the English version should be taught in our schools. The American version may not technically be incorrect, but it is certainly incorrect for our Australian children.

I get annoyed at our school newsletter too. It's always full of words spelt the American way - obviously no one has bothered to change the dictionary in Word :banghead:

Oh tel me how? I am forever being corrected for my spelling and have actually been caught out on esophagus as I actually clicked it one day as I couldn't remember how to spell it the other way:o

[westerner]

I agree that where there is an American variation and and English variation of a word, without exception the English version should be taught in our schools. The American version may not technically be incorrect, but it is certainly incorrect for our Australian children.


:yes:

[mythreelittlemonkeys]

I think if Australian schools and Australia as a whole uses English then the correct spelling should be as in the English or Australian English dictionary. But if as it seems so often the case now people are shifting to the Americanisation of the English language (on paper, verbally and in lifestlye) then it is hard to correct. Perhaps you should politely ask the school principal whether the school uses English or American spellings as you had noticed some discrepancies in your childs work. That then is subtly pointing out her teacher is using American spellings.
But personally I totally agree the spelling should be oesophagus - but that's because I am English :)

check out this page out of interest http://www.peterjerrim.com/OzUSvocabspell.html

[2boysmama]

I think (don't quote me though!) that one is Australian and one is American.

I work for a pharmaceutical company that has a drug for the area and we would often see it either way. For instance reflux can be known as GERD (e for esophageal) which tends t be more Australian or GORD (o for oesophageal) which tends to come more from American based journals.

Actually it IS around the other way. GERD is american, as they change the "oe" to "e" in most medical words. We use predominantly GORD in Australia (Gastro-oesophageal Reflux Disease).
eg: oesophagus to esophagus, oestrogen to estrogen.

The UK and Australia use "oe"

I suspect your teacher has used some American educational material and not realised.

[charlen49]

DD1 - grade 3 is doing the unit on digestive system. She brings her homework sheet home and it has "esophagus" all over it :hair: It is correctly spelt Oesophagus...it is in all my nursing books, dictionary and for as long as I have known...

Should I say something? I suppose this is just the straw that broke the camels back, her homework is full of spelling mistakes (that I can see) and with the teacher "marking" it, she rarely corrects it. I have let it slide but there comes a time.....With a teachers perspective i would say something...it could be a simple typo..and she would appreciate knowing and probably be very:o


Here's a funny story though, one of our teachers sent a note home to parents meaning to say sorry for the 'inconveniece' but wrote 'incontinence'. :laughing: Sadly only one of the football mums picked it up.do you mean 'inconvenience'??:p