I think Indian families focus on the importance of academics, and that’s a good thing.
As for spelling bees, the truth is that they require no intelligence, creativity, or original thinking. They’re primarily contests of memorization, discipline, and endurance. All three can be trained with minimal investment. Spelling contests are comparatively easy, provided the person has the basic tools and develops then.
I disagree. Spelling requires the intelligence to see a word and then have your brain remember it. Memorizing words for a spelling test tomorrow requires little. Remembering it a month or even a year later, that is intelligence.