Ban spelling lists!

Unpopular Opinion: I Hate Spelling Lists! Get rid of them!

You know what’s been bothering me for a while now, Spelling lists. The weekly spelling list that the school sends home. How just 10 words bring tears and wails! An absolute nightmare for some students. I wreck my brain trying to figure out its purpose and the benefits. All I know is the frustration of kids and the unnecessary senselessness of it. Pure torture! 

Spelling list KILLS (yes, I am being dramatic but I need to get my point across) the wonder and brilliance of the English Language. All that rich history of how words came to be are just striped away leaving kids in anguish. “Why is spelling so hard!” “Why is spelling so weird!” “This does not make any sense!”

But really, if we dig beneath the surface, spelling is very very cool. The English Language Makes Total and Utter Sense.

Let me first explain myself as to why I hate those dreaded lists.

1.     Memory vs Understanding

One of my biggest gripes is the reliance of memory and repetition to learn. The spelling list just promotes the idea of memorising a bunch of words for a test and then promptly forgetting them. If the student has a learning difficulty their memory is already taxed. Learning to spell becomes this mindless repetition rather than fostering a genuine appreciation for language. Basically it focuses on regurgitating information. 

2. Needless Testing

There is rarely a structure, pattern or reason for the words. Sometimes there is a theme or the purpose is to boost vocabulary but then sending home a bunch of words every week and having students write them after each word is called is not the way to assess vocabulary. Secondly spelling might not be a board exam or a weight assessment (as we call it here, in Singapore) but it is still something that is scored. And we all know how we feel when we get a low score. Imagine, continually failing week after week.

3. Zero Appreciation or Meaning

Spelling lists do little to help students navigate the language’s seemingly peculiarities. When you force students to memorize words in isolation, they miss out on the chance to appreciate the beauty and complexity of English. Trust me, English Spelling makes sense once you understand 3 fundamental components (Follow me, I will lift the haze in another post).

My top 3 reasons for hating spelling list. I can give more but let’s stop this rant and get to the good stuff. (see next post)