It got to the point where the teacher had me thumb through the dictionary to find words I didn't know how to spell. I remember some kid tried to write "Niger" (the country, obviously) on mine, it was an OMG LOL NO moment. Sigh, those were the days.
It's a good point regardless. I'll never forget being a kid and trying to decipher the word "unknown." I sounded out almost every possibility and still had no idea what it could mean. It wasn't until months later that it finally clicked in my head.