'I' Before 'E' Except After 'C'?

Tragedy: it has recently been announced, then more significantly announced in an episode of QI, that the schoolroom staple 'I' before 'E' except after 'C' has been retired. It is no longer taught in schools; it is incorrect, apparently, and no longer relevant.

Fry wheeled out some statistics. 'There are more exceptions to the rule than the rule itself, by quite a long way'. 923 English words have a c-i-e in them. For the vast majority of words with an 'I' follow by an 'E', or vice versa, the rule does not work. There are loads, and you've probably never realised they break the rule before:

Glacier
Species
Concierge
Caffeine
Weird
Being
etc.

Fair enough. However, I would argue the rule still applies. It is really obvious how to spell the above words. They are phoenetic, or end in a common suffix. The 'i' sound clearly comes before the 'e' sound; there is no difficulty (the possible exception is 'caffeine').What 'I' before 'E' except after 'C' does is let you know when it is not deducible through phoenetics. Take the following:

Ceiling
Receipt
Deceit
Brief
Pieces

In these four, and many others, the 'e' and 'i' sounds are merged; it is not clear phoenetically which should come first, but 'I' before 'E' except after 'C' will come to your aid should you have difficulty. Supposedly a literate English student, I still use the rule all the time, and it never fails, because it is only the tricky ones to which the rule applies. Like Obi Wan Kenobi, it will whisper advice only when most needed.