[Sundae]

One thing I would like to point out is that in this country, the gutter press bleat on and on about the poor quality of English "these days" and make out that it's the rare few who leave school with any idea of spelling or grammar, even though they have 5 A* GCSEs or more.

I've spent my adult life being a pedant. I can assure you that public use of random apostrophes (aka greengrocers' apostrophes), words spelled as they sound, homonyms, and inappropriate capital letters have been around for at least 20 years. I think part of the problem is not so much "liberal" education strategies, as "liberal" education ideals. The idea that every person is capable of understanding grammar and spelling in all its complexity, or even that it is necessary for communication and a happy existence.

If I'm driving along and see a sign for "Tea's, Coffee's, Sosidge and Bacon" I will roll my eyes, but it doesn't affect my choice of whether to pull over or not. That's affected by how many lorries are parked there (tends to mean it's cheap and clean) or simply by how hungry I am.

Same with "Sale on DVD's in Isle 6" - part of me winces, but if I'm interested in the sale I'll proceed anyway. I remember being challenged about a sign I'd written apologising for the inconvenience of a till being closed. I was 15, the shop manager was in his 40s (and a very savvy man). It took my obvious disbelief and confidence in the spelling to convince him I was correct (and yes, I was). Would I have been capable of running that store, amanging the staff and the cashflow and the ordering? No. Horses for courses.

My spelling is pretty good, given occasional word-blindness and more frequent typos. My grammer is better than the typical man on the street, but appalling by scholarly standards.

Perhaps the right way to address children "failing" is to get them to try something else.
Everyone will succeed at something.
I can't help thinking that if Dad had been encouraged in his artistic ability, he'd never have ended up as first a van driver and then a forklift truck driver all his life. He ticked along quite happily because it's in his nature, and expressed himself artistically in small ways in his time off. But then he did meet and marry my Mum and be subjected to her tyranny for life - something a man with more belief in his talents would surely have avoided...