The Buzz On the Bee
Jun. 3, 2006 at 1:57 PM
Homeschooling
The winning word in the "Super Bowl" of spelling bees, the Scripps Howard Spelling Bee was URSPRACHE . I'm impressed. I'm not even sure how to say it. Congratulations to the winner, Kerry Close of New Jersey.
It's a tough road to the top for these academic Olympiads. Victory for one, the agony of defeat for everyone else. A while back an 8th grade girl lost a spelling bee competition because of a bad call by the judge. She spelled 'discernible' correctly but he said she was wrong. A protest was not filed immediately, so the young lady finished in third place.
I can relate to this young lady. The same thing happened to me in fifth grade. The spelling bee was down to just two, me and a boy named Craig. We battled back in forth in a war of words for a few rounds. Then he stumbled. I spelled his word correctly plus the next word. But instead of calling me the winner, the judge gave me another word. I was so flustered by the unexpected word that I messed up. He gave the word to my opponent who spelled it correctly and the next two words. They declared him the winner and awarded him the trophy, a dictionary, and advancement to the next district finals. Immediately, my mother and teacher protested the call saying two words were unnecessary. They checked the rules and indeed I should have been the winner. But in an effort to save the declared winner any embarrassment, we were declared co-champions. Since there was only one prize available, they let him keep it. I was allowed to move to the next round, but by then I lost all my motivation. I still remember the teacher who messed up even though it was over 30 years ago.
Unfortunately, "academic abuse" isn't a crime in most states. I bet I could have made out quite well in a lawsuit. Or at the very least, made the teacher write out the rules 100 times on the chalkboard.
In all seriousness though, I wonder if that's why I have a slight aversion to academic competitions? I do enjoy a lively debate on a topic but competition just for the sake of competition is just not very attractive to me. I understand why others enjoy it. It can be a great motivator for learning a subject in depth. But it can also be very discouraging as well. I lost all interest in the sport of spelling after that competition. So if there are any mispellings on my blog, please understand, I'm a just helpless victim of Mr. O.
Related Tags: spelling bee, Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee, homeschooling, homeschool, academic competition, education, public schools
It's a tough road to the top for these academic Olympiads. Victory for one, the agony of defeat for everyone else. A while back an 8th grade girl lost a spelling bee competition because of a bad call by the judge. She spelled 'discernible' correctly but he said she was wrong. A protest was not filed immediately, so the young lady finished in third place.
I can relate to this young lady. The same thing happened to me in fifth grade. The spelling bee was down to just two, me and a boy named Craig. We battled back in forth in a war of words for a few rounds. Then he stumbled. I spelled his word correctly plus the next word. But instead of calling me the winner, the judge gave me another word. I was so flustered by the unexpected word that I messed up. He gave the word to my opponent who spelled it correctly and the next two words. They declared him the winner and awarded him the trophy, a dictionary, and advancement to the next district finals. Immediately, my mother and teacher protested the call saying two words were unnecessary. They checked the rules and indeed I should have been the winner. But in an effort to save the declared winner any embarrassment, we were declared co-champions. Since there was only one prize available, they let him keep it. I was allowed to move to the next round, but by then I lost all my motivation. I still remember the teacher who messed up even though it was over 30 years ago.
Unfortunately, "academic abuse" isn't a crime in most states. I bet I could have made out quite well in a lawsuit. Or at the very least, made the teacher write out the rules 100 times on the chalkboard.
In all seriousness though, I wonder if that's why I have a slight aversion to academic competitions? I do enjoy a lively debate on a topic but competition just for the sake of competition is just not very attractive to me. I understand why others enjoy it. It can be a great motivator for learning a subject in depth. But it can also be very discouraging as well. I lost all interest in the sport of spelling after that competition. So if there are any mispellings on my blog, please understand, I'm a just helpless victim of Mr. O.
Related Tags: spelling bee, Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee, homeschooling, homeschool, academic competition, education, public schools
4 Comments and Trackbacks
posted by kindredspiritMom on Jun. 3, 2006 at 11:15 PM
Sorry for your trauma. I still remember my embarassment in second or third grade when I was a finalist in our class spelling bee and spelled "hospital" s-o-s-p-i-t-a-l. I wanted to crawl in a hole. I rejoice in the fact that my kids aren't going through grueling and demoralizing experiences connected with learning. From thay day on I hate to spell anything without writing it dowm. I also remember spelling "separate" wrong in a college philosophy class and my professor drew a little rat on my paper to remind me that there is " a rat" and not to spell it "seperate." I have never forgotten this lesson. Kindness and a mneumonic device (did I spell that right?) seems to go a longer way than cramming in long lists of words in the short- term memory, or intense public competition. Anyway...thank God for spell-check!!
posted by jacobsacademy on Jun. 4, 2006 at 12:17 PM
...been there - in the 10th grade..........I was so upset - my word was actually "acclimation" - but I failed to ask for a definition and spelled "acclamation" - spelled it correctly - just the wrong one.......definitely my mistake.
But worse than missing the word was how our FBLA sponsor and Business Ed. teacher, Mrs. Shirley Boyles, reacted, she blessed me out telling me, "...don't you know there is no such word as what you spelled........I'll never include you again....." All because our local county superintendent was sitting with her during the statewide competition.......I was scarred for life (sorta - well, just at the time....) and I guess that's why I refuse to put my own kids through that...I think "somehow" a dictionary was left open on her desk one day after school and the word "acclamation" was mysteriously highlighted.......
I saw the news broadcast of the winner - I could NOT believe that word - amazing.
;-)
Harriette
posted by spunkyhomeschool on Jun. 4, 2006 at 12:20 PM
Too funny Michelle, one of the words I had to spell in the final round was hospital as well.
Harriet, I feel for you too. It is truly frustrating.
posted by Lachen on Jun. 5, 2006 at 1:31 AM
I hear you. I won the 4th grade spelling bee by spelling ENCYCLOPEDIA correctly, but lost the tenth grade spelling bee with my lovely misspelling of SCURRILOUS (one "r").
I think competition has a rightful place in our lives, but not with the minds and souls of our children. Soccer, yes. Intelligence, no. There are lots better ways to evaluate the measure of a man. I celebrate each of them. As long as they are not used to belittle others. We are not valuable because we are better than someone else, we are valuable because the Lord God made it so.