There is a popular belief among parents 16 schools are no longer interested in spelling. No school in 17 I have ever taught has ever ignored spelling or considered it unimportant as a basic skill. There are, however, different ideas about how to teach it, or how much priority(优先) it must be given over general language development and writing ability. The generally ___18____ (acknowledge) problem is how to encourage a child to express himself freely and confidently in writing 19 holding him back.
Once I 20 (alarm) to read on the bottom of a sensitive piece of writing about a personal experience "This work is horrible! There are far too many spelling errors and your writing is terrible.". 21 may have been a sharp criticism of the pupil's technical abilities in writing, but it was also a sad 22 (reflect) on the teacher who had omitted(忽视) to read the essay, 23 there might be some beautiful expressions of the child's deep feelings. The teacher was not wrong to draw attention to the errors, 24 if his priorities had centered on the child's ideas, an expression of his disappointment with the presentation would have given the pupil more motivation ___25___ (seek) improvement.