That's worse than the NFL - where, despite the evidence, they still get the call wrong.
Posted on 01/18/2012 4:28:36 PM PST by nickcarraway
The Lauderhill Spelling Bee has come under controversy after an incident that brought back memories of Dan Quayle’s problem spelling the word potato.
Robert McKenzie said that his daughter was dismissed from the Lauderhill MLK championship spelling bee earlier this week. The controversy centered on the word vacation.
Video posted to YouTube showed McKenzie’s eight-year-old daughter, McKhalia being asked to spell the word vacation.
McKenzie posted the video to YouTube that showed his nine-year-old daughter being asked to spell the word.
McKhaila responded by correctly spelling the word, but she was immediately told it was incorrect in the video.
“I actually thought I got it wrong cause I couldn’t really remember what I said,” recalled McKhaila. “But then, when I went in the room and my dad came in and said I got the word right I started crying, bursting out tears”
McKenzie, who is a teacher at Castle Hill Elementary, immediately brought his video to the judges to protest.
“I’m stunned because I’m thinking to myself, if I can spell it, she can spell it,” he said. “She’s a better speller than me. So I immediately grabbed the camera from my wife. I go outside, look at the tape, I immediately go to the officials. I tell them look my daughter spelled it right. I played the tape for them and they agreed it is correct. But the judges don’t want to listen to it, don’t want to listen to me. They’re shooing me away.”
He wants the mayor to apologize. The mayor declined to comment; but city officials did respond saying they don’t want to make a hasty decision.
They say it will take several days and several people to review the tape.
“I know how hard she worked for this opportunity and I would have rather her lose fairly than lose like this,” said Robert McKenzie.
Poor little girl learning what it’s like to deal with a government that doesn’t give a sh*t about right or wrong.
I want to know who was the einstein judge who mistakenly ruled it misspelled. Must have been another "city official" who will take several days to be identified.
I want to know who ended up “winning”.
Back in the day, I made it to the finals of the National Spelling Bee. In the school, district, state, and national bee, there was an appeals process where the parents and child could protest and potentially get re-instated for the next round. It happened maybe once per bee, but usually because there was an alternate spelling of a word. These judges just sound like dopes.
And yes, I’m aware it’s a completely useless skill that did nothing for me with the middle-school ladies...
Sounds like she said v-a-c-e-a-t-i-o-n.
Apparently in this case, the correct spelling is an alternate spelling. Maybe the judge is a lolcat.
Why do you think it’s a useless skill? Correct spelling is always a plus, and when you add the poise and competition, I say it’s very useful. (I was never in a spelling bee in my life)
Maybe the official (teacher?) who ruled the girl spelled vacation incorrectly is an NFL referee weekends.
Not to me.
The girl just got lesson 1 in learning that the government is right, every time.
Little girl:Could you please use the word in a sentence?
Moderator: Mr and Mrs Obama are constantly taking vacations during one of the worst ecomonic disaster in America’s history.
I was in a spelling bee in the 60’s (5th grade). It came down to me and my cousin. Word after word. Finally the teacher running the bee flipped a coin and I lost. Scarred me for life...
Wow the liberal media still have to use a 26 year old falsehood to start a story??? That's the real wonder of the story.
What a heartless man. What about all the sad dolts that can’t spell their own names? Does he expect them to go through life with low self-esteem because they had no chance at winning the spelling bee? I always say: from those able to spell, to those who can’t. Why can’t we all just get along?
Okay, I just watched the sideways youtube.
She spelled the word incorrectly. There is no ‘e’ in “vacation”.
Ha! That little girl is a sharp cookie and quite a character. She’s having the time of her life. Even if she doesn’t win the spelling bee, she’ll never forget this.
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