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Things My English Teacher Says
Funny things English teachers say, explained. Part II
Read Part I here.
Spelling Doesn’t Count
Spelling does count but not the way students sometimes think it does. When a teacher says, “Spelling doesn’t count,” students hear, “Spelling doesn’t count, ever.” Instead, try telling students this: “I won’t take points off your score at this point in your writing (perhaps it’s a draft), but spelling does matter. I remember submitting an essay about rock climbing many years ago, but I misspelled the word “rappelling” as “repelling.” The instructor courteously but firmly reminded me that you cannot be respected as an authority on any topic related to climbing (or anything else for that matter) if you don’t know how to spell the words used to describe the sport. He was right, and I never forgot that. Spelling does count, but it may not count against your score until you have had time to revise and consider the complexities of writing about any complex topic.
If You Can Say It, You Can Write It
Thinking about a topic and being able to do so accurately is incredibly important. However, the modes of expression are not interchangeable exactly. The capacity to speak and the capacity to write about a given topic are interrelated and share some cognitive skills, but…
