School district cancels spelling bee (Check out the reason why they canceled it)

Woonsocket (RI) Call ^ | January 27, 2005 | Ronald R. Blais

[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 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.

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.

 

[B4Ranch]

>>It is not about free meals.<<

Explain that to the school board! Our residents did and it didn't work.

[The Great RJ]

Citing the No Child Left Behind Act is becoming a common scapgoat for school officials.

In our local district some elementary grades had been reading the classic "Polar Express" book and were set to go on a PTA funded outing to see the movie version of the book they had read. School administrators nixed the trip citing the No Child Left Behind Act as a reason because the trip didn't have sufficient educational content. This same district however has no problem with the high school football teams missing half days of school to travel over 500 miles to compete in a cross state conference.

[GovernmentShrinker]

So may we assume they'll also be cancelling all the school district's competitive sports programs on the same theory?

[GingisK]

Why do I doubt that this was what the president had in mind...?

This is why the Founding Fathers envisioned "small government". They knew that governments tend to creep toward tyranny seasoned with abject stupididy. It is best to legislate only those things that absolutely must be regulated.

[Pagey]

"...there was no question among the administrators" that a spelling bee was "contrary to the expectations" of No Child Left Behind..."

Let's not praise the kids whose parents(Plural) encourage their children to excel, let's just dumb them all down and keep every child equal,right. When it comes to learning, not all children are equal, and these administrators are waaaay out of line.

[canadianally]

http://www.educationnext.org/20044/21.html

The RI school system is using a blueprint for educational reform from an organization called the Annenberg Institute for School Reform.

http://www.annenberginstitute.org/

[tet68]

"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.


Isn't this just like a liberal.
They all can't be winners, so we'll make them all the same,
and if they ARE all the same, and most of them are losers,
then ALL of them ARE LOSERS.

Putting aside the fact that in their warped world, there are no winners or losers. In fact no reason to strive at all.

Baaah! And I thought I got a crummy education in the 60s!
Why this makes me feel like a genius!

[AmericanChef]

-"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."-

What an unmitigated flake. u-n-m-i-t-i-g-a-t-e-d

[my_pointy_head_is_sharp]

Assistant Superintendent of Schools Linda Newman

Another brain-damaged liberal. I swear, there must be a genetic component to this - a defective gene, a damaged chromosome - something to make these people think the way they do.

[vpintheak]

No offense to any of you teachers out there, but where I go to school it is all freaks, geeks, and any other kind of alternate lifestyle looking person that are education majors. I hope its different in other places, but this is here in Red Fairbanks Alaska, which makes me worry.

[Sergio]

Got to show this to my wife, she will absolutely flip.

As other posters have noted, these guys are now being held accountable for student performance, and having the spelling bee won by home schoolers is rather embarrassing. Especially when it happens year, after year, after year, after...

Best Regards

Sergio

[Let's Roll]

They warp and pervert everything they touch.

Reminds me of the LLs complaining that saying "God Bless America" meant you didn't want God to bless any other countries.

Excuse me - since that interpretation had never crossed my mind - no doubt due to my lack of sensitivity and nuance - I know that's not what I meant when I said, "God Bless America".

Idiots - and they're teaching our future.

[Clara Lou]

Ironic. Our regional spelling bee is held at the George H. W. Bush Presidential Library.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Why do I doubt that this was what the president had in mind...?

Because you have a working brain?

[mewzilla]

Well, I like to think so :)

[fightu4it]

In the same vain, she said that henceforth, all administration personnel openings and other department openings will be filled on a first come first serve basis. After all, we can't have people thinking that they are better than other people. We will also be be flat-lining all salaries so that teachers just hired will make the same as teachers with 30 years of service.

[SaveTheChief]

Oh for crying out loud!

Translation - "We believe that rewarding an individual for personal achievement harms the self esteem and potential future for all who do not achieve."

Let's completely eliminate every example of success so children can aspire to nothing. It's nice to hear the latest example of the dumbing down of society by the 2+2=5 crowd.

[Richard Kimball]

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.

And morons like this are the reason that people who care about their children don't let them into public school systems.

[ryan71]

This would be unFREEKINGbelievable if I had not seen it already a million times.

Where do theses school board, school principals come from?

Oh yeah, college! They are liberal elites who go straight from brain washing in college to our kids schools. They never experience Capitalism.

Communists! Socialists! Mentally ill!

[ryan71]

"It is high time we fired the NEA and filled our schools, not with career educators with masters degrees in education, but with accomplished folks who want to get back in the saddle and serve humanity."

Genius, pure genius.

People who know how to succeed in a Capitalist society.