School district cancels spelling( NCLB the cause)

Zwire ^ | 01/27/05 | RONALD R. BLAIS

[Pikamax]

School district cancels spelling bee RONALD R. BLAIS, Staff Reporter01/27/2005

LINCOLN -- Karen Adams always enjoyed receiving her invitation. The WPRI-TV news anchorwoman and Lincoln resident looked forward to penciling in the school district’s spelling bee in her appointment calendar.

But there’s no note in her calendar this year. The Lincoln district has decided to eliminate this year’s spelling bee -- a competition involving pupils in grades 4 through 8, with each school district winner advancing to the state competition and a chance to proceed to the national spelling bee in Washington, D.C.

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Through the years, it had become a tradition for Adams to pronounce and define spelling words used in the bee.

"It was just fun," she said last Monday from her office at the television studio.

Assistant Superintendent of Schools Linda Newman said the decision to scuttle the event was reached shortly after the January 2004 bee in a unanimous decision by herself and the district’s elementary school principals.

The administrators decided to eliminate the spelling bee, because they feel it runs afoul of the mandates of the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

"No Child Left Behind says all kids must reach high standards," Newman said. "It’s our responsibility to find as many ways as possible to accomplish this."

The administrators agreed, Newman said, that a spelling bee doesn’t meet the criteria of all children reaching high standards -- because there can only be one winner, leaving all other students behind.

"It’s about one kid winning, several making it to the top and leaving all others behind. That’s contrary to No Child Left Behind," Newman said.

A spelling bee, she continued, is about "some kids being winners, some kids being losers."

As a result, the spelling bee "sends a message that this isn’t an all-kids movement," Newman said.

Furthermore, professional organizations now frown on competition at the elementary school level and are urging participation in activities that avoid winners, Newman said. That’s why there are no sports teams at the elementary level, she said as an example.

The emphasis today, she said, is on building self-esteem in all students.

"You have to build positive self-esteem for all kids, so they believe they’re all winners," she said. "You want to build positive self-esteem so that all kids can get to where they want to go."

A spelling bee only benefits a few, not all, students, the elementary principals and Newman agreed, so it was canceled.

While she concedes she’s not familiar with the specifics of No Child Left Behind, Adams, nevertheless, is befuddled by the school department’s decision.

"I don’t see where that (No Child Left Behind) has anything to do with a spelling bee. It was just a fun time," Adams said.

Winning a spelling bee, she added, "just meant you were a good speller."

One aspect she enjoyed about participating in her hometown spelling bee was the openness of the competition.

"It’s not always the straight "A" student who wins the spelling bee," she said.

A spelling bee also is a chance for children to shine before their peers, family and friends, Adams points out.

"It’s a big deal for the kids. It’s a nice recognition for them," she said.

Competing in a spelling bee is also a learning experience, the anchorwoman believes. "It was fun for the kids because it gave them poise and confidence to stand in front of a crowd."

Adams admits she’ll miss the bee.

"I just loved the kids. They were so cute. My heart broke every time a kid missed," she said. "I really enjoyed it."

Adams wasn’t the only one caught off guard by the spelling bee’s cancellation.

"I had no idea this (spelling bee) was called off," School Committee Chairman Jeff Weiss said last Friday.

The chairman reserved further comment until he could get more information. "I have no comment because I don’t know what’s going on," the chairman said.

Canceling the spelling bee is an administrative decision that doesn’t require School Committee approval, Newman said.

Karen Martin, whose daughter, Brianna, won last year’s bee, said she was surprised the bee had been eliminated, describing its cancellation as "strange."

Although her daughter was nervous, Martin believes it was a good experience for Brianna. "It was exciting to go to the state competition," the mother said.

Like Adams, Martin said she’ll miss the bee.

"I’m disappointed. I thought it was a fun activity," she said.

The administrators’ decision to eliminate the bee wasn’t a difficult one, Newman said.

"There was no debate at all. It was one of the easiest decisions," the assistant superintendent said because "there was no question among the administrators" that a spelling bee was "contrary to the expectations" of No Child Left Behind.

[moog]

I was not really thinking of teachers as "school officials." I was commenting on administrators. And perhaps I should have identified myself as a retired teacher who never saw anyone removed for "incompetence."

I gathered that you are a retired schoolteacher. I have seen teachers removed for incompetence (though in one case I would say that I don't think he was incompetent). You do have to be very careful as a schoolteacher nowadays, especially when some of the ed-libs are out there ready to "get" any schoolteacher or use any perceived negative thing one does as ammunition for their political agendas.