Spelling Bees (was: Grammar)

[Doreen Rich]

Do you not remember the fateful word ... that one word ... the one 
you missed in the spelling bee ... for the rest of your entire life?!

Mine was "jar" in my first ever classroom spelling bee. I got in a 
hurry since it was such an easy word ... and said, "j""r". Well, of 
course, you can not go back and start over, so it was finished for 
me. I think I cried.

Then in the big spelling bee, I missed, "realestate", which so 
traumatized me that I *still* turn to the dictionary when I have to 
spell it. I could spell some of the hardest words on the sheet 
correctly every time, but the easy ones tripped me up. I remember 
those long lists, consisting of pages & pages of all of the words 
which would be in the contest.

I am glad to hear that they still have spelling bees. I do not watch 
tv. My fifteen year old and I decided that we do not watch enough 
television to merit having cable. We both are so busy with other 
things that we have not missed it. 

Doreen, who would miss her computer, though

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at y..., "Trina" <lj2d30 at g...> wrote:
> Doreen wondered: 
> 
>  I also wonder if they still hold spelling bees or if this too has 
> been deemed as "cruel & unusual punishment" for the poor children 
and 
> therefore "no fun", and has been dropped by the wayside along with 
> many other learning aids, such as memorizing the multiplication 
> tables. 
> 
> 
> Yes, spelling bees are still held. Haven't you ever watched the 
> National Spelling Bee, an annual event in Washington, DC?  For the 
> last few years ESPN has been airing it, a fact which amuses me to 
no 
> end.  
> 
> I take pride in the fact that I was the *only* 5th grader in my 
> district to make it past the written spelling test for our local 
part 
> of the National Bee the 1st year 5th graders were allowed in it.  
Of 
> course, I got shot down with the word "initiate" in the spell down 
> with the 6th, 7th, & 8th graders, but not bad for a 10 year old!
> 
> Trina