Thought I'd share this with you...

One of our children brought spelling homework home, to do with adding "ing" and "le" on the ends of words.
About 30 in all.
See if you thought what I thought, from the point of view of a looked after child.

Run
Sit
Hit
Fit

Hitting
Fitting
Slapping
Needle
Wobble
Trouble
Sensible
Terrible
Horrible

See, with this particular child and words; I was on the phone at the weekend spelling out a postcode to someone at the other end. I went "P for Peter, M for Mother..." and the child shouted across the kitchen at me: "No! Not M for Mother! M for Michael (child's imaginary friend)."

This child has heard all those words used in angry confrontational situations. "Fitting" for this child, does not mean "appropriate". No one has ever said to this child "It was fitting of you to be so well behaved over dinner". Or "We have to go to Saville Row this afternoon for another fitting of your Lord Fauntleroy suit". 

As for "Slapping"! What image do you get when you hear that word?

Ok there were about 60% neutral  words; even a good one "cuddle". But it got me thinking about whether whoever put the list together was having a bad day or deliberately giving teachers a chance to spot if any child in the class may be subjected to unpleasantness at home.

Probably neither, just my overactive awareness of everything; a common mind-set for foster carers.

Mind, I once had a late-night game of scrabble, and we ended in stitches when we looked at the words we'd put down, because they told us exactly what was on our subconscious.