I’m not sure about the requirements of other teacher education programs, but mine involved 50 hours of community service at a local Boys and Girls Club after-school program. Not being much of a sports enthusiast, I was quickly reassigned to tutoring. While I thrived with middle schoolers, kindergartners and first graders often sought my help too. Confronted with their creatively spelled worksheets, I found myself baffled, thinking, “Really? How am I supposed to decode that?” This experience definitely made me appreciate the TikTok video by @iam.mrluke, which humorously reflects the daily challenges some educators face with creative spelling.
What’s that? You haven’t heard of Mr. Luke? Here’s a great introductory video he made, but in short, he’s a massively popular TikTok teacher (we’re talking 1.7M followers) who teaches primary school in Australia. He’s known for his enthusiasm, joy, and just overall contagious positivity—and we’re big fans!
In this TikTok, Luke challenges the internet to play a round of Tiny Human Writing. Can you figure out what these creative spellers were trying to say?
Each scribble and misspelled word by our little learners reveals a unique insight into their developing minds. This delightful teacher invites us to this delightful challenge that he calls “007 code reading.” This is a test of patience and our ability to see English through a child’s eyes.
Challenge 1: “It woz 5uclock in the nit.”
He does start us out with a softball of a question, but every first question should be a warmup, right? The proper translation of this is: “It was 5 o’clock in the night.” How did you do? Did you get it right away?
Challenge 2: “Iy sidtd hohm.”
OK, to spoil the fun, I only got one of three of these correct. This one stumped me! The proper translation of this is: “I stayed home.” Are you two for two so far? The challenge heats up!
Challenge 3: “Igt mi fays paynd.”
This last one might stump you, or maybe you’re already fluent in kindergartner. The proper translation of this creative spelling is: “I got my face painted.” Were you three for three?
English is hard!
Mr. Luke wraps up the session of Tiny Human Writing with a lighthearted nod to the complexities of the English language. “English is hard!” he chuckles, reminding us of the playful and sometimes confusing journey of early education. Here is what some fellow teachers are feeling about his game:
AGREED! Watching Joe Dombrowski decode creative spelling is a favorite pastime of mine.
Some of my classmates volunteering at the Boys and Girls Club said the same thing!
Another friend has verified this same thing. English is hard!
So how did you fare in this linguistic game? Did you find yourself chuckling or furrowing your brow in concentration? This is a good reminder of the creative ways children interpret the sounds around them. If you enjoyed this glimpse into the minds of our youngest learners, be sure to try it yourself or with friends. After all, who knew reading kindergarten creative spelling could feel like unraveling a spy code?
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