Learning how to spell doesn't equal knowledge (Score 1)

Learning the arbitrary rules of spelling should be the least of our concerns in education since it's an exercise in rote memorization, not logical analysis. Plus, even if children are adept at picking up new words, adults aren't, so if we want English to remain as a dominant language in other parts of the world, we should make it easy to learn. Finally, arguments in favor of keeping our idiosyncratic spelling system in place are becoming less relevant since people are relying on spell checkers. But then I guess Slashdotters would be deprived of one of their least useful comments: criticizing someone's spelling.