In the past teachers “corrected” spelling papers solely for the purpose
of determining which words were spelled incorrectly. The better thought
is to examine spelling papers for the purpose of finding which words are
wrong in order to determine why _they are misspelled_. This helps the
teacher because it enables her to place the emphasis on the part of the
word which is difficult and tends to prevent further misspelling.
_Prevent the misspelling of a word at the beginning. Form right habits
of spelling rather than attempt to correct bad habits of spelling_,
should be the slogan of every teacher.
In correcting spelling it should be borne in mind that some words have
more than one correct spelling. The child’s spelling should not be
called incorrect if it is an approved form. Call his attention to the
preferred form, telling him why it is preferred.