Spelling Bee Cancelled

[jerryzflies 0]

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I can still remember how to spell "syzygy" but I'm damned if I can recall what it means.

I think it's the plural of "xyzzy", a very important term in the history of computer gaming.

You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike.

If you can't fix it with a hammer, the problem's electrical.

[JohnMitchell 16]

Well, I'll agree with you, to a point. To be a good speller, though, takes some memorization work. To make it a contest raises the bar and maybe makes it a little more fun. Most children will not reach the upper levels of competion and memorize long lists of esoteric words. Many children will also learn the meaning of the words they memorize, increasing their vocabulary along the way. When I compare this scenario to some of the dumbed down drivel that takes place in some of the classrooms today, it is an improvement. But I do agree that there are even more important subjects than spelling. Too much emphasis in schools now is placed on process, not learning (memorizing) facts. You have all these children that understand all about the scientific process, but have no idea what a chemical reaction is, or how an atom is built.

One of my daughters memorized pi out to about 100 and something places for a contest. A complete waste of time maybe, but she's now 16 and taking calculus in college. (no, she didn't get that smart from dad) Most kids are under challenged. I say give them a bunch of contests, and let the winners strut their academic stuff. A spelling bee is a good place to start.

[penniless 0]

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Well, I'll agree with you, to a point. To be a good speller, though, takes some memorization work. To make it a contest raises the bar and maybe makes it a little more fun. Most children will not reach the upper levels of competion and memorize long lists of esoteric words. Many children will also learn the meaning of the words they memorize, increasing their vocabulary along the way. When I compare this scenario to some of the dumbed down drivel that takes place in some of the classrooms today, it is an improvement. But I do agree that there are even more important subjects than spelling. Too much emphasis in schools now is placed on process, not learning (memorizing) facts. You have all these children that understand all about the scientific process, but have no idea what a chemical reaction is, or how an atom is built.

One of my daughters memorized pi out to about 100 and something places for a contest. A complete waste of time maybe, but she's now 16 and taking calculus in college. (no, she didn't get that smart from dad) Most kids are under challenged. I say give them a bunch of contests, and let the winners strut their academic stuff. A spelling bee is a good place to start.

I memorized the periodic table of the elements when I was 14, just to outdo my brother who was a chemistry major in college at that time. I can still recite it xx years later (xx>>25), up to element 103 anyway. Absolutely useless clutter in my brain!

[Ron 10]

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I cannot think of one teacher that I know (and I know quite a few) that has anything positive to say about it

I know a lot of teachers and they think it is a good idea. There are of course problems in the way it is being done..But it is better than the old systems.

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I work in the education field and have the same opinion of it.

You work selling education to ADULTS.

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NOW that is funny. A publicity stunt shows that Bush knows what is happening in a classroom? He wasn't even holding the book the right way!

Check snopes. Its called PHOTOSHOP.

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Laura was a teacher when? In what part of town? What was the drop out rate, what was the failure rate, etc? How relevant is her experience to what happens in classrooms right now?

Seems you made the same mistake Ms. Kerry made.

She at least was big enought o admit it.

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Kids in the inner city are often passed to the next grade by default. Why? If they fail a level they tend to drop out of school or get pulled out - then they become a statistic.

So whos fault is that? I think its the teachers fault for just passing them "Social Promotion" Which is just like this article about the spelling bee is about. We don't need to make them all feel good.... We need to teach them, and if they don't pass, they didn't work hard enough and we should not just let them go.

"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

[JohnMitchell 16]

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I memorized the periodic table of the elements when I was 14, just to outdo my brother who was a chemistry major in college at that time. I can still recite it xx years later (xx>>25), up to element 103 anyway. Absolutely useless clutter in my brain!

I most respectfully disagree. I still say the brain is a muscle, not a bucket. Would you decry years of athletic endeavour, including weight and flexibility training, to be worthless, simply because skydiving is more a mental challenge than physical? One of my daughter's friends can sing the periodic table to the tune of "A Modern Major General." Useful day to day? No. Is this kid doing great in school.? Yes! Let's not put down any academic excercise as useless just because its use is not readily apparent. Learning for learning's sake is often the first step to geat success.

I don't remember very much Latin, but when studying Italian for a recent trip, I was able to pick it up much faster, simply because of my previous studies.

[SkyDekker 1,465]

Massive debt and a faltering education system.....

Aren't some of you concerned with the future you are creating?

[Lindsey 0]

Just wanted to second what you said (except the brain being a muscle thing....) Also, it seems I'm always on some rant about people taking responsibility for themselves....when our kids learn in their schools that the onus falls completely on the public schools for them to succeed (and not on themselves as students) then we mold them into less responsible adults. We have way too many people, imho, who believe that it is society's responsibility to pave their way. I hate for that kind of attitude to be put in my child's psyche as he comes up through the school system.

I have to add, that I don't mean to say that our schools are doing a bad job. I'm pleased with what the public schools in our area are doing for my child.

linz

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Spelling Bees should be canceled, but not for the reason stated.

Asking kids to memorize a long list of words that no-one ever uses in conversation or normal writing is an absurd waste of time. I'd rather they spent the time learning to use common words properly (like there/their/they're and infer/imply), and learning the meanings of words.

I see no value in having grade school kids that know how to spell "epideictic", "kymograph" and "paraheliotropism" when they have no clue what the words mean.

I disagree. The brain is a muscle, not a bucket. Our schools are suffering from low expectations, not too high of expectations. I've heard some parents lament to the teachers that they don't want their children to have to do any "hard work or memorization." I'd prefer not to have my childred dumbed down to that level. I was lucky enough to go to a school with a classical curriculum including Latin. Yes, a lot of memorization, but it made English and other languages much simpler to study in the future. I don't feel a moment of it was wasted (until they invented the internet chat room).

As far as whether the tongue was in cheek or not with the administrator, all I can say is, it seems the higher you go in any organization, the more likely the people are out of touch with what's happening at the level where the job gets done, whether it's a classroom, factory, or coal mine.

Last, but not least, there is a lot of "self-esteem" boosting done in the schools today. Some believe that self-esteem can be handed out with one cheap award or another. My wife and I have seen much of that in our four childrens' schools. Self-esteem can't been given to someone. It comes from trying to do the difficult, and accomplishing those goals, not from being handed a warm, fuzzy teddy bear.

--
A conservative is just a liberal who's been mugged. A liberal is just a conservative who's been to jail

[Ron 10]

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Massive debt and a faltering education system.....

Aren't some of you concerned with the future you are creating?

Yep, I am worried all this "PC don't let a student fail, we must bolster their egos" is setting them up to fail big.

The education system is a joke. The problem is people who are afraid to fail a student who does not learn.

Why should we pay big bucks (And bigger bucks some lefties say) for a system that is more concerned about making a kid feel good than making them learn and holding people accountable who don't?

I know a HS grad that can't read.....How the fuck did that happen?

"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

[mnealtx 0]

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I know a HS grad that can't read.....How the fuck did that happen?

Because self-esteem, sharing and caring seem to take precedence over reading, writing and arithmetic.

Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706

[SkyDekker 1,465]

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Yep, I am worried all this "PC don't let a student fail, we must bolster their egos" is setting them up to fail big.

I agree completely.

[Kennedy 0]

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Massive debt and a faltering education system.....

Aren't some of you concerned with the future you are creating?

You act like this wasn't the case during the last president's term, and the three before him.

witty subliminal message
Guard your honor, let your reputation fall where it will, and outlast the bastards.
1*

[lurch 0]

Increasing one's vocabulary is a fabulous thing to do.

-Absolutely.

Sitting at a Playstation for hours on end is a useless waste of time.

-Incorrect. Sitting at a playstation for hours on end is excellent reality training. It does wonders for your hand-eye coordination, problem solving skills and your response time. It teaches you rapid evaluation judgement and response skills for quickly changing fields of visual information, a skillset vital for activities like driving, under conditions of no risk. Ideal training simulation for the young.

Live and learn... or die, and teach by example.

[SkyDekker 1,465]

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You act like this wasn't the case during the last president's term, and the three before him.

Wasn't meant as a political statement, or was i laying blame with Bush. I see the same thing happening here in Canada. naturally this is not something that happened overnight. Unfortunately, neither government seems to be in a real hurry to change it....funny enough in the US it is a Conservative government and in Canada it is a liberal government.

[steve1 5]

I've worked in a school system for the past 21 years. Ten years prior to that I was a logger, falling timber for a living. I know what hard work is all about and I'll tell you teaching school is no picnic. Particularly if you work in a tough school these days. Before working in the education field I used to sling mud at educators too, but I've since done a big 180 on that.

The problem with todays schools isn't the damn teachers or principals. Most of the problem in my mind is the damn parents who are neglecting the needs of their kids. Many many kids are coming to school truly mixed up and angry inside. Many have extremely low self esteem. There is a real need to build up the self esteem in these kids, but how do you do that, when Mom and Dad are telling them they are worthless on a regular basis at home.

I've seen several canned programs come through the school which claim to build self esteem in kids. They all claim to have statistics to prove their program works, but the bottom line is that there is almost no imperical evidence to prove that any of them even help. I've seen some awards assemblies where nearly every kid gets an award so noone feels bad. The kids soon figure out what a joke this is. You can't gift a feeling of accomplishment, it must be earned or it is meaningless.

I'll tell you many kids coming to school today are lacking all kinds of skills that most kids learn at home. That is why the schools are trying to teach so many different things that weren't needed much in the past.

So where are parents dropping the ball?? Some are doing a great job and their kids are usually doing well in school. Many of the kids I work with, as a counselor, don't have anyone in their life who even gives a rip about them. Of course many are having trouble concentrating on school work, and many more are discipline problems. Many of these kids have parents that are stoned out of their mind most days. Some are physically, mentally, and even sexually abusive. Lot's of these kids have extremely poor social skills, because they haven't been taught at home the correct way to act.

Educators are taking all these trouble kids and doing their best to help them. Of course their test scores may not measure up. And who gets the blame? It's all those rotten, no good teachers and principals! Boy I get tired of hearing that kind of talk......Steve1

[justinb138 0]

I think I have to agree with you on alot of that.

[JohnRich 4]

News update:

Canceled spelling bee reinstated

"A school superintendent in Rhode Island reversed a decision by administrators who canceled the district's annual spelling bee because they thought the event's awarding of just one winner violated the federal No Child Left Behind Act's aim that all children should succeed.

"John Tindall-Gibson, superintendent of schools in Lincoln, R.I., told the newspaper his job is to make sure schools aren't dull and dreary places.

"'These sorts of competitions can be motivational and exciting for students, so that's something we will have to consider,' said Tindall-Gibson."

* * *

Wow! A school administrator with balls!

[SkyDekker 1,465]

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Wow! A school administrator with balls!

he must be a gun owner as well

[steve1 5]

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Wow! A school administrator with balls!

he must be a gun owner as well

There's a lot of truth here. Most administrators I've known are pretty slippery.....Steve1