National Spelling Bee Has Started

National Spelling Bee ^ | 5/31/2006 | politicket

[politicket]

Sure, you can spell them, but what do they mean? No fair using Google or a dictionary, either.

I know all of these words, but then again I helped my son study for last year's Bee....does that count? LOL!!

[blu]

Sorry, you are not eligible to compete! Can't be showing off now, can we? Good for you helping your son study...

[politicket]

Folks need to realize that studying spelling words, especially the hard ones, is not just about memorization.

These kids know a LOT about the origins of words and could bedazzle you with knowledge of Greek and Latin roots, as well as foreign word derivations.

This process makes the children very effective communicators and able to tackle many different disciplines.

So, it has much more purpose and results than many would admit.

[blu]

You're agreeing with me, right? Oh, and when it comes to the SAT and ACT, this helps them so much! I hate trying to teach this stuff to seniors! (I'll spare you my public school rant).

[SoftballMominVA]

I know the meaning of each word -- can also identify the root and meaning of the root and how the prefix/suffix changes it. The only real word of any difficulty is the last. The rest are in my vocabulary.

In all fairness I do teach English, albeit to special education students. In fact, my sped kids would know the meanings of vigilance, transfigure and ardently. They'd struggle on the rest.

[SkyDancer]

Out of the six, possibly, one I would use, maybe ...that was vigilance ... maybe ardently but words like infinitude??? transfigure??? and especially "indissoluble" ...
impossibleness????????

[blu]

If I met you at a party and you used at least 4 of the words in a reasonable amount of time, I'd know you'd had a good education, whether at the hands of others or on your own. I'd compliment you on your vocabulary. I'd tell you that you would have just earned 25% of the final grade in any class I taught you. I tell my students that it's important to know all this stuff (ok,they call it junk, but they're just kids!) so that one magic day, they'll say just the right word, express just the unique thought, that will get them where they're going. Then, I'd get you a fresh drink.

However, if you told me that Nimrod was a name for a doofus, (I know, it's not spelling, but it all goes together) I'd first tell you all about Nimrod, then I'd walk away. So, there's your choice...a sparkling conversation and a fresh drink, or a *gotcha* that would leave both of us feeling a little less.

Gosh, ain't edukashun fun??? LOL!

[blu]

Good for you! And good for your kids, also. You must be fun to talk to (I like it when people make me think)!

[Conservativegreatgrandma]

My son represented Colorado last year and was sponsored by the Rocky Mountain News. We took full advantage of all of the sightseeing trips that were offered and had a GREAT time!

Congratulations. What an accomplishment.

[ruthles]

In Akeela and the Bee, the coach teaches which languages roots, suffixes, and prefixes come from such as greek, latin, germanic, so it teaches them vocabulary, history, etymology, etc. It's not just about spelling.

[octobersky]

I didn't see the bios posted this year. I wonder why. I too am rooting for Samir Patel since the speller from my region was eliminated today. I think Samir is first up tomorrow.

[politicket]

I didn't see the bios posted this year. I wonder why. I too am rooting for Samir Patel since the speller from my region was eliminated today. I think Samir is first up tomorrow.

They didn't post the bios this year because they were concerned about "privacy" issues. What a shame that our country is getting so politically correct and morally corrupt.

You can still see the 2005 speller bios at 2005 Spellers.

Many of the remaining spellers were also at the Bee last year, so the 2005 bios will give you a good glimpse of them. My son was Speller #37 last year.

[politicket]

Here's a great photo of Kayla Hudson who is representing Colorado this year (#40):

[politicket]

Here's a picture from today of Samir Patel. He has a great chance to win this year:

[Rte66]

I was just about to post a thread on this - then I found yours. Great! Going back to read all the way through, then perhaps make some comments, if the thunderstorms hold off here today.

My money would probably be on Patel, too, but I haven't handicapped it today.

[Rte66]

Oops, I got a homie I should support: Anjay Ajodha

[Rte66]

Nyuht nyuht ... nasty buzzer sound. Wrong! Somebody has probably already corrected you further down the thread, but this is *my* first time to do so, lol.

[Rte66]

I'm thinking that the children of Indian-from-India extraction have to learn to spell in self-defense. Think about the first time they have to sign their own names to their papers in kindergarten or before. Yikes!

[Rte66]

Mine always just dropped me off and went to do something else.

[Rte66]

I wondered about that stupid A-A-r dvark commercial, too. I was making a *nasty buzzer* sound every time.