[originaltext] There is a popular belief among parents that schools are no

There is a popular belief among parents that schools are no longer interested in spelling. No school I have taught in has ever ignored spelling or considered it unimportant as a basic skill. (26)There are, however, vastly different ideas about how to teach it, or how much priority it must be given over general language development and writing ability. The problem is how to encourage a child to express himself freely and confidently in writing without holding him back with the complexities of spelling.
     If spelling becomes the only focal point of his teacher’s interest, clearly a bright child will be likely to "play it safe". He will tend to write only words within his spelling range, choosing to avoid adventurous language. (27) That’s why teachers time and again encourage the early use of dictionaries and pay attention to content rather than technical ability.
     I was once shocked to read on the bottom of a sensitive piece of writing about a personal experience: "This work is terrible! There are far too many spelling errors and your writing is illegible". It may have been a (28)sharp criticism of the pupil’s technical abilities in writing, but it was also a sad reflection on the teacher who had omitted mention of the child’s deep feelings. The teacher was not wrong to draw attention to the errors, (29)but if his priorities had centered on the child’s ideas, an expression of his encouragement in the pupil’s free presentation would have given him more motivation to seek improvement.