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School district cancels spelling bee (Check out the reason why they canceled it)
Woonsocket (RI) Call ^
| January 27, 2005
| Ronald R. Blais
Posted on 01/28/2005 1:36:32 PM PST by Constitutionalist Conservative
LINCOLN -- Karen Adams always enjoyed receiving her invitation. The WPRI-TV news anchorwoman and Lincoln resident looked forward to penciling in the school districts spelling bee in her appointment calendar.
But theres no note in her calendar this year. The Lincoln district has decided to eliminate this years 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.
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 districts 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. "Its our responsibility to find as many ways as possible to accomplish this."
The administrators agreed, Newman said, that a spelling bee doesnt meet the criteria of all children reaching high standards -- because there can only be one winner, leaving all other students behind.
"Its about one kid winning, several making it to the top and leaving all others behind. Thats 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 isnt 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. Thats 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 theyre 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 shes not familiar with the specifics of No Child Left Behind, Adams, nevertheless, is befuddled by the school departments decision.
"I dont 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.
"Its 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.
"Its a big deal for the kids. Its 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 shell 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 wasnt the only one caught off guard by the spelling bees 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 dont know whats going on," the chairman said.
Canceling the spelling bee is an administrative decision that doesnt require School Committee approval, Newman said.
Karen Martin, whose daughter, Brianna, won last years 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 shell miss the bee.
"Im disappointed. I thought it was a fun activity," she said.
The administrators decision to eliminate the bee wasnt 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.
TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Government; US: Rhode Island
KEYWORDS: education; nclb
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To: A Ruckus of Dogs
What's next? All kids will be given 'A's in school because they can't leave anyone behind? And then when they get in the job market the feds can raise the minimum wage to $100 an hour so they can all live like royalty.
101
posted on
01/28/2005 3:40:46 PM PST
by
Moonman62
(Republican - The political party for the living.)
To: Constitutionalist Conservative
To: Constitutionalist Conservative
passive rebellion - I'd expect that from a 4th grader.
103
posted on
01/28/2005 4:20:13 PM PST
by
Frapster
(the ice age cometh!)
To: Constitutionalist Conservative
The last time I was in a spelling bee I was given the word "separate" and couldn't remember if the second vowel was "a" or "e"...and guessed wrong. I have never had any trouble remembering the correct spelling of "separate" since then.
To: Indy Pendance
ethnic slurs are not allowed on here...
To: SuzanneC
I think you've hit the nail on the head.......home schoolers consistently outperform their peers from gobbermint skools.
106
posted on
01/28/2005 10:13:48 PM PST
by
Conservative Goddess
(Veritas vos Liberabit, in Vino, Veritas....QED, Vino vos Liberabit)
To: OldFriend
To: A Ruckus of Dogs
"What's next? All kids will be given 'A's in school because they can't leave anyone behind?" That is already happening, and on the college level, too.
108
posted on
01/29/2005 1:41:23 AM PST
by
ViLaLuz
To: ViLaLuz
High grades make more sense at the college level: college students pay tuition, so you don't want them to leave. Anyway they must be brilliant, or the admissions department wouldn't have admitted them.
To: Constitutionalist Conservative
When I was growing up in the 80's in Texas we had competition called UIL. I don''t remember if it was nation wide but it was a lot of fun. There were many different categories to compete in at every grade level. I remember one of my catagories was called "picture memory". We were given 8x10 prints of some 20+ famous paintings from painters such as Rembrandt, Homer, Van Gogh and so on. We had to memorize the name of the painting, the Artist and I believe his nationality. It was intense and very competitive. Anything less than 100% right and you would probably lose. It was amazing how these type of things caused us to actually think and maybe be interested in something besides our basic everyday teachings. Too bad for these kids.
Competition can help those who don't win too. I competed in many of these competitions as a child. I rarely was the best, but I always seem to finish in the top. If it were not for these things I would have only played sports. It is encouraging for a kid who finishes 4th or fifth one year to finish 3rd the next. Heck, improvement from last to middle of the pack builds confidence.
110
posted on
01/29/2005 6:57:48 AM PST
by
normy
(Don't hit at all if it is honorably possible to avoid hitting; but never hit soft.)
To: Verginius Rufus
Anyway they must be brilliant, or the admissions department wouldn't have admitted them.Ummmmm..... yeah. :-)
You forgot the </sarcasm>
tag.
To: Constitutionalist Conservative
I figured that freepers are smart enough to realize it was sarcasm without the </sarcasm> tag.
To: Constitutionalist Conservative
I was a loser in the sixth grade. I thought the word was "mere" when it was really "mirror." It ruined my life.
113
posted on
01/29/2005 1:21:13 PM PST
by
cookcounty
(I'm an intelligent design ---you can speak for yourself.)
To: Constitutionalist Conservative
114
posted on
01/29/2005 1:36:00 PM PST
by
DocRock
To: Verginius Rufus
I figured that freepers are smart enough to realize it was sarcasm without the tag.The vast majority are, but sometimes you'll save yourself a lot of trouble if you make it painfully obvious that you're joking. :-)
To: Constitutionalist Conservative
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 districts elementary school principals...The administrators agreed, Newman said, that a spelling bee doesnt meet the criteria of all children reaching high standards -- because there can only be one winner, leaving all other students behind.
Eff off, Linda Newman, you effing looooser.
To: FrPR
but with accomplished folks who want to get back in the saddle and serve humanity.
The best teachers of math and science may well be retired scientists and engineers. But NOOOOO! Despite having working knowledge of the subject matter, they don't have the required 60+ credit hours of political indoctrination. Thank you teachers' unions!
Comment #118 Removed by Moderator
To: aShepard; BREWS-AND-BLUES; BRYAN-USMC; chemist; Franklin Raff; got_moab?; heylady; hot4teacher; ...
ping!
Please FReepmail me if you want on or off my infrequent Rhode Island ping list.
119
posted on
01/30/2005 8:42:50 PM PST
by
nutmeg
("We're going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good." - Hillary Clinton 6/28/04)
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