![[Chrysalian Speak] The Teacher who Chose Free Expression Over Spelling Correction](https://empowerment.chrysalis.world/hubfs/Screenshot%202021-07-20%20at%202.29.55%20PM.png)
“I was battling between two thoughts. Should I correct the spellings or should I focus on how well the child has understood the question and how creatively she has woven her understanding in the form of an answer. I chose the latter. Spellings...made a note in my handbook to include it in my lesson plan.” - Teacher, Chrysalis Partner School
"This was the response I got when I asked a teacher from a Chrysalis partner school about her thoughts on this very interesting response from the child on the Studio wrapper. Never a dull day when my work involves interacting and engaging with Professional Development of teachers in Chrysalis partner schools. The teacher chose to encourage the free expression of the child while still making a mental note (and on her teacher’s handbook of course) to help the child with spellings on a later day."
says Aditya who leads the Continuing Professional Development for teachers at Chrysalis.
As adults, our immediate attention goes to the flaws in an answer from the child. Our intentions are noble, and we act on an instinct to say “hey...you got the spelling wrong”. But what we are inadvertently doing here is curbing the child’s creative instincts. The next time, the child might hesitate a bit before showing us their work. This slowly builds up into a culture where the child hesitates to even start writing an answer on their own.
Something, that we at Chrysalis, are consciously working hard to break. So much so, that creating an emotionally safe space for the child in schools is one of our guiding principles.
