Spelling these days...

[crazyhorse]

Not entirely true. It is not the schools responsibility to force education. It is their responsibility to present it.
Parents and Children have to find out the reason why it is there and how to use it.
A good book wont read itself - and parents are just as lazy as the kids if the expect it to be read without them pursuing it.
Learning is 90% self driven. Sitting in a class listening to a teacher is not learning.

I am referring to young children - and yes you are right, we as parents need to read to our children, encourage them to do their maths, etc. I sure did when mine were young. I made the old cards up with the times tables on them and we had games learning them. However, I am referring to what I see out there, and what my sister tells me too. And children hardly read their homework books, because their parents can't be bothered, however, I find it hard to read the text messages I get from some people too - and that is a sign of things in life changing

[Edbear]

Errr business talk is actually bad English as well.
Its good that way as there can be major perspective disadvantages using proper English when dealing internationally.
Topside, Top-side, Top side, top side, top Side all have different meanings, all are correct English.
Being accurate and being English mean two (not 2) different things. Spelling is almost irrelevant if you know what the person is saying.

Ummm... Run that by me again...

I am referring to young children - and yes you are right, we as parents need to read to our children, encourage them to do their maths, etc. I sure did when mine were young. I made the old cards up with the times tables on them and we had games learning them. However, I am referring to what I see out there, and what my sister tells me too. And children hardly read their homework books, because their parents can't be bothered, however, I find it hard to read the text messages I get from some people too - and that is a sign of things in life changing

Some of the best times we had with our kids was reading to them in bed, and as they learned to read, having them read to us.

[Swoop]

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/ar...ectid=10627197

Alas, Te Harold strikes again.
The very last word in reporting...

Two cars collided in front of a Hamilton police station early this morning after a woman did a u-turn in front of a police vehicle with its emergency lights flashing.

The accident happened about 4.15am after a police dog unit left the West Hamilton community policing centre, on Whatawhata Rd, to attend a string of reported car break-ins in Western Heights.

When the police car flashed its lights, a car travelling ahead of it initially pulled over outside the Dinsdale shops, acting area commander Inspector Karen Henrikson of Hamilton police said.

However, the car then pulled a u-turn in front of the oncoming police car.

Both vehicles were seriously damaged, coming to rest in front of the police station.

The female driver suffered a cut to the head, while the officer and police dog escaped injury.

Both drivers were treated by ambulance staff.

Motorists were often left wondering what to do when encountering emergency service vehicles with flashing lights, Ms Henrikson said.

"The best advice we can give is to move as far left as safety allows, and if possible come to a halt until the emergency vehicle has past."

[Edbear]

It is becoming very rare to hear anyone say, "Different from" these days, too. It is rare to see someone correctly use "rare", as well. Many, esp. on TradeMe say a vehicle is "rear"!

[MSTRS:Me]

...with good breaks and nice fearings.

[Swoop]

...with good breaks and nice fearings.

Nothing to loose when buying that car, eh?

[MSTRS:Me]

Nothing too loose when buying that car, eh?

Fixed that typo for you...

[Swoop]

Fixed that typo for you...

Chur!

[MSTRS:Me]

Welcum

[yungatart]

There are still many literate New Zealanders out there though, even among those who have left school very recently, so it can't be all the fault of the teachers/education system.
Some of them even post on here, occasionally.....

[smoky]

spelling is almost irrelevant if you know what the person is saying.

aoccdring to rseearch, it deosnt mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers aer in its olny iprmoatnt taht the frist and lsat ltteers be in the rghit pclae
bcuseae the huamn mnid raeds the wrod as a wlohe

[Naki Rat]

aoccdring to rseearch, it deosnt mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers aer in its olny iprmoatnt taht the frist and lsat ltteers be in the rghit pclae
bcuseae the huamn mnid raeds the wrod as a wlohe

But that probably only applies if one knows how the words are spelt to start with

[avgas]

Naturally Brewed BLACK MAC 330ml DARK BEER.....
Even beer hassa bad smelling

[MikeL]

aoccdring to rseearch, it deosnt mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers aer in its olny iprmoatnt taht the frist and lsat ltteers be in the rghit pclae
bcuseae the huamn mnid raeds the wrod as a wlohe

This research finding pops up every so often and at first sight it does appear to have profound implications for the importance we place on both spelling and reading techniques. But caution is advisable. Experienced and fluent readers of English may have no difficulty deciphering the message, but would anyone claim that they do so as quickly and confidently as for a normally-spelt passage?
The conclusion that the human mind reads the word as a whole is misleading. Perhaps what happens is that the eye scans the word sequentially from left to right as normally and the brain recognises the first and last letters, then rapidly rearranges the scrambled middle using contextual clues and familiarity. All of which implies that stored in the brain is the correct spelling of the word to start with.
It would be interesting for someone with children at various stages of reading skill to try the passage on them.

[Edbear]

This research finding pops up every so often and at first sight it does appear to have profound implications for the importance we place on both spelling and reading techniques. But caution is advisable. Experienced and fluent readers of English may have no difficulty deciphering the message, but would anyone claim that they do so as quickly and confidently as for a normally-spelt passage?
The conclusion that the human mind reads the word as a whole is misleading. Perhaps what happens is that the eye scans the word sequentially from left to right as normally and the brain recognises the first and last letters, then rapidly rearranges the scrambled middle using contextual clues and familiarity. All of which implies that stored in the brain is the correct spelling of the word to start with.
It would be interesting for someone with children at various stages of reading skill to try the passage on them.

A good point. I also agree with your sig...