From: New York
Date sent: Fri, 7 Feb 1997 23:40:35 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Inventive Spelling

Re: inventive spelling. If spelling is not emphasized as a separate subject, and if misspellings are not to be corrected, lest students' self-esteem be marred, might it not be said that inventive spelling wins by default -- whether or not a teacher has a special class in how to spell inventively? Today we got a packet of advertising from a well-known printing and label company. The back of the heavy catalog envelope included this line in fancy, large, script-font type: "Gifts for All Occasions to Fit Every Budjet!" I hope the newspaper is going to walk around its city and read signs and likely its own newspaper. Inventive spelling may not be especially taught, but it sure is learned!