I before E, except after......

Oh, how I hate spelling. I hate all the exceptions, I hate all the rules. Why couldn't we just have simple spelling rules and be done with it. Oh yeah, history teaches us that the English language isn't one language; it is quite a number of languages thrown into a blender, mixed up and then poured out for us to read, speak, write and remember.

Not being a proficient speller myself (I rely heavily on spell checkers), I have tried in earnest to find the ONE spelling program that will do the trick. We are still searching and trying to find that ONE!

The best thing that has helped me with learning to spell some 20 plus years after my grade school education is learning phonics and the rules for spelling. (But I still hate the exceptions!) But that isn't going to cut it for some of my children. I have one child who spelling is like breathing (he inherited dad's genes) and for another child he can't spell words even if you told him letter by letter how to do it (he got my genes).

We have tried many spelling curriculums and have done the "jump ship" many times. Right now we are using Spelling Power and are seeing success. But with any program (math, spelling or whatever) if you want success you need to be consistent in using it. The final report will come later....so stay tuned.

A Short Story...

Let me share a terrible experience with you that has shaped my philosophy on spelling. In the fourth grade I had a teacher who I thought walk on water, until one day. The assignment was to write a story and draw a picture to illustrate the story. I wanted my story to begin "Once upon a time..." just like all the "good" stories I read. My problem was I didn't know how to spell "once." I went up to my teacher and asked her. She said, "Look it up." Well, I went to the dictionary and read every word there was under the "W's" and never found "once." Time was up and I had to turn in my paper with just the picture, no story.

I related this story to my mom when I had homework that night (back then public grade schools never sent homework home). She was outraged. It was a good thing my mom wanted to get into heaven otherwise she may have broken the "thou shalt not kill" commandment. After calming down, my mom gently explained to me how "once" didn't begin with a "w" even though it sounded like it did. She helped me write my story and I'm sure she had a wonderful little note to a teacher who forgot about "teaching."

From that experience I will never not spell a word for my children even if we have to go look it up together, especially the hard "exception" words. Now I will gently help them sound it out if it is one they should know, but I will never let them flounder and come up a looser. This philosophy just isn't in teaching spelling either....it makes it way into every subject.

Stores that sell spelling programs.

Last updated: November, 2006

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