Posted on 05/31/2006 11:09:43 AM PDT by politicket
The National Spelling Bee began its first rounds today. All of the action can be followed at: www.spellingbee.com.
Also, the championship rounds will be broadcast live on ABC (for the first time) beginning at 8PM EST Thursday evening.
I'm placing my guess on Speller #238, Samir Patel, from Fort Worth, Texas. He will be worth the price of admission for you to watch tomorrow evening. He was HILARIOUS last year when we participated in the Bee!
Good luck finding Latin classes. They were already on their way *out* numerous decades ago when I was in HS.
I had already taken 4 years of it when I transferred to a different state and there were no classes I could take to get the 6 years total that I wanted. Finally, they talked an older lady (you know, it is a requirement that Latin teachers may not teach school *until* they have seen their 70th birthday, preferably 80th) into teaching two classes on Virgil and Ovid, so my best friend and I could get our two extra years. We ultimately had 6-7 students in each class, I believe.
When I got to college and wanted to minor in it, I had to take Classical Studies (gag) and we didn't even have textbooks. It's so funny because the small state I started it all in was *hugh* on Latin - we had slave auctions, toga parties, skits, plays, conventions (wild) - all kinds of stuff. When I moved to TX, they looked at me like I was nutzo.
Now I'm just biding my time for another 20-30 years until I can teach it. (Just kidding.)
Mr. Howard (as in "calling Dr. Fine, Dr. Howard, Dr. Fine")* - died at his desk in 1964 at age 81. His son succeeded him, but I don't know when the son left the organization.
"Howard" actually is still in the name of the news service and the official name of the Spelling Bee - but you know how it is nowadays - some things just take too long to say or to write - u no?
*Note: That was some 3 Stooges humor.
How did your son get involved? Was it through his school?
I would love to get my kids involved.
I don't think that language & math are in the same areas of the brain.
My daughter has brain damage. She has lots of trouble with language, spelling, and music, but is a whiz at math.
I do have one question. Why are there kids from Canada in a National Spelling Bee?
Whoa, you're a rock star. I never made it to the National Bee; came in 2nd in state. The guy I was runner-up to won the National, so I didn't feel too bad about my placement.
At that time, when I lived in Etruria, a person could only compete once, usually the year of 8th grade which was the top end cut-off, if they ever won before. I placed 2nd in the county in 6th grade, 2nd in county in 7th grade, then 1st in county and went to state in 8th grade - allowed to wear my first "heels" just for that, even tho 'rents had no desire to see me compete.
In college, years later, I ran into the guy who beat me at the state level and won the National Bee - he was in pre-med and extremely arrogant. He did become a doctor, but that's all I ever heard about him.
And like most, I still remember my losing word.
" ... They qualified by winning contests in all 50 states, plus Canada, the Bahamas, Europe, Guam, Jamaica, New Zealand, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. ..."
No Aussies allowed, eh? Or maybe a NZ'er beat his mate in a regional.
"In college, years later, I ran into the guy who beat me at the state level and won the National Bee - he was in pre-med and extremely arrogant."
Of all the things to be arrogant about, it galls me the most when someone thinks they are superior because of innate intelligence. That is clearly a gift, due in no part to the person him/herself. If they use their gift to repair infant heart defects or something, then fine, I'll give them a little leeway on the ego, but it still makes me laugh.
"And like most, I still remember my losing word."
Oh yes, I'll never forget (or tell). The worst part is when I got back from D.C., my class had just covered the chapter in biology where that word was defined, so they were know-it-alls all of a sudden.
Your second place might have been a blessing in disguise; I had to endure years of peer ridicule after a picture of me was in the paper....studying a dictionary (which I never did, it was just a stupid prop for the cameraman).
One of my kids is gifted, and one of my kids is special needs.
I get really upset at "gifted" son when he starts getting cocky. His special needs sister works harder than any of my kids, and I have told all of my kids that I am the most proud of hard work.
If my kids do their best and still get a "B" or a "C", then I am still proud of them. If they get a "B" because they were slacking, then I get upset.
Oh, mine was in our small-town paper each time, but the worst was my next to last year when I had to shake hands with the winner - who happened to be the ickiest, "cootiest" guy in the other junior high school in town. I *did* get teased about that.
And I always won a dictionary as a prize, every time - so it was always in the photo - except the state one, where I got a savings bond and my 3rd Scripps ballpoint pen, lol.
BTW, I could NOT compete in this bee now. I've missed more of these words tonight than I've gotten right.
If no one else is going to help you out here, I will:
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
Hi all,
I'll post again after the Bee is over. Our ABC telecast in Colorado is an hour delayed from the East Coast so I'm not going to follow the Bee web site or the FR thread, so as not to spoil things for my family.
BOBISM: BOB BOB BA RAM
Don't know why I did that....it just sounded good.
WOW!!!!
U-S-A!!! U-S-A!!!
I know, I was so glad the American won!
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