Remember the early English classes where we learned about homonyms, synonyms and antonyms? No? Well, do you remember spelling class?

Perhaps I’ve missed another of those new educational breakthroughs (like the discovery of all-day kindergarten and that boys and girls if separated can still learn, sometimes even better). Again, I raise the issue of spelling. Isn’t it important anymore or have we found that it really doesn’t matter?

Last week I saw a newspaper headline which spoke of “sewing” seeds. Kind of a tricky accomplishment for even the best seamstress or farmer.

Just yesterday while waiting through a commercial on the weather channel, I muted the spiel about how to stop when your vehicle goes into a skid. In big size 100 font letters, viewers were advised about applying the “breaks.” The calculator part of my brain was adding up the thousands of dollars paid to an ad agency, the creative department, the television producer and all the other people who must have seen the dummies and final copy for this commercial. Did they take too many “brakes?”

Has spell check replaced spelling class?

This lackadaisical attitude toward spelling began long ago. I remember seeing little smiley faces on school papers my son brought home, encouraging symbols written right beside misspelled words. I recall the subsequent conference and my concern about giving the impression that spelling incorrectly was acceptable. (Not to mom, it wasn’t!) I was told that it was the content which mattered most. I apparently was not “on the same page” as the education mores of the time. I still thought spelling, grammar AND content were equally important. And I still believe that today.

If I hadn’t spent a quarter of my life writing letters to the editors wherever I’ve lived, I’d be firing off another missive to the weather channel advertiser with the advice about applying breaks. But I need to take one.

According to Microsoft Word spelling and grammar check, this whole column is “okay” (not even a real word).

Spell check to the rescue, America?

Give me a brake! Sew, there!

Sea yew next week.