Posted on 05/31/2007 7:46:53 PM PDT by gobucks
Evan O'Dorney always eats fish before his spelling bees. The brain food apparently has served him well: He's the 2007 Scripps National Spelling Bee champion.
The 13-year-old from Danville, Calif., aced "serrefine" Thursday night to become the last youngster standing at the 80th annual bee. He won a tense duel with Nate Gartke of Spruce Grove, Alberta, who was trying to become the first Canadian to win the bee.
Evan won a trophy and a $35,000 prize, plus a $5,000 scholarship, a $2,500 savings bond and a set of reference works. He said he knew how to spell the winning word - a noun describing small forceps - as soon as the pronouncer said it.
Evan said he wasn't surprised to win, but he confessed that spelling isn't his top interest.
"My favorite things to do were math and music, and with the math I really like the way the numbers fit together," he said. "And with the music I like to let out ideas by composing notes - and the spelling is just a bunch of memorization."
Excellent - and thanks.
“Could it be the will?”
That’s probably most of it, but why hobble kids with a third rate education? Sure, they might overcome it. But why not give them the best tools available to start with?
And also ask yourself: where are kids most likely to pick up the character values and the drive necessary to succeed? From the government schools, or from mom and dad?
I heard about the spelling bee on the leftmedia radio a couple of times. There was nothing said about whether he was home educated or not. So I immediately suspected that he was.
They are asked to spell ridiculous and far out words that have absolutely no application in normal life. Spelling “bees” are a wasteful exercise in obscure talents.
“By the way, I am leaving for Costa Rica for six months. My husband and I will be attending language school and living with a Costa Rican family. So...I won’t be around to get on the nerves of the government school defenders.”
I’m sure you’ll get on the nerves of the government school defenders in Costa Rica. :-)
Have a great time and we’ll see you in 6 months!
(And why do I get the sneaking suspicion that you’ll put your refined Spanish language skills to creative use once you get back? )
“I don’t think the study time given is really the pivot point of why the stats get skewed towards homeschoolers - I think it has to do with how they learn to win to begin with.”
Homeschooled kids don’t “learn to win” as a factor of being homeschooled.
The underlying factor is that homeschooled kids tend to be more academically successful as a factor of parental involvement, so there is an element of self-selecting statistics. again, not a bad thing, but often the implication is that the simple act of homeschooling will automatically make a child achieve top-honors. The biggest factor in children’s academic success is direct parental involvement. Homeschooling obviously implies that.
Success in the spelling bee has more to do with time devoted in preparation for it, than anything else. For bright kids, taking a year or six months to immerse oneself in vocabulary is a great thing. Chances are they are already advanced in most other subjects that dedicated single-minded focus is not a problem. However, this focus is generally not possible except for homeschool situations. Hence, a higher proportion of homeschoolers and homeschool winners in the spelling bee.
It doesn’t mean that in general bright homeschoolers are any smarter than bright kids in other educational situations, (unless, of course, the parents of said children are on this thread, and then I will agree with them that THEIR children are the absolute smartest out there!)
I’m just proud that in no accent of the English language, does one sound light in the loafers, like the Spaniards do with their lisping “th” for “s.” As for illiterates, that’s THEIR problem.
“It doesn’t mean that in general bright homeschoolers are any smarter than bright kids in other educational situations, (unless, of course, the parents of said children are on this thread, and then I will agree with them that THEIR children are the absolute smartest out there!)”
Very good post. I agree with you wholeheartedly!
That is wonderful. Congratulations to your grandson!
Venture School is a school that is part of the San Ramon public school district. I did a search on it when I first read an article about this Spelling Bee winner. According to the articles, he is enrolled there under a "home study" program. The Geo Bee winner was also enrolled in a public school program "for homeschoolers." As I homeschool in a state where there is no such program, I questioned whether these kids can really be called "homeschoolers". But it was pointed out to me that "homeschool" means something different in every state, as laws vary.
I suspect public school "home study" programs will be the wave of the future, with the public school building merely serving as a backup - a place with tutoring services and elective classes.
He could not speak legibly until he was probably five years old. He could write and he mumbled but unless you knew what he was trying to say, you couldn't understand him.
My daughter was told he would probably be mentally retarded. Boy were they wrong. Adam has had letters from the best colleges and universities in the country, as well as military academies. He's been accepted into a special three week program at one of the most pretigious engineering schools this summer. It's costing Grandpa and Grandma $2000 but we consider it money well spent.
We are grateful to God for this gift.
And your post just brought tears to my eyes, too. I love success stories. :-)
You are to be commended.
Thank you! I find it to be a challenge every year. Hopefully, one day I’ll be able to look back and say our homeschool experience was a success, too.
Btw, I thought you might appreciate this story about a homeschool family I knew personally: The couple was told their newborn son would die. Then, when he lived, they were told he would never walk or talk. Then, when he walked and talked, they were told he would be profoundly mentally handicapped for the rest of his life. When that didn’t happen, I don’t know what the experts said. All I know is that, by age 4, he already knew his multiplication tables! :-0 I don’t know what he’s doing now. But, apparently, not even the “experts” can predict what gifts a child’s future holds. :-)
Of course, that brings us to another point. What's wrong with babies that some think are less than worthy to be born?
I have a very loving niece with Down's. She is loved by the whole family. Then there's my grandson and my sister's two sons are at risk for HD. They are all deserving of life. As a matter of fact, I'd rather live with all of them than a liberal.
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