Post by notsopicky on May 31, 2019 16:43:55 GMT -5
World's Worst Spelling Bee Story: 3rd grade. Mrs. Whitehead's class. Nicest teacher I ever had in elementary school. Washington state. I want to preface my anecdote with the fact that I am auditory. I learn/work best by hearing (I am a musician, I have perfect pitch, you get the idea).
The word was OF. OF. O-F.
I spelled it O-V. With a "V", people.
Mrs. Whitehead ruled me out. I had NO IDEA what I had done wrong.
Next guy in the line gets the same word. HE SPELLS IT THE EXACT SAME WAY! O-V. Mrs. Whitehead rules HIM out. He's sitting there just as stupified as I am.
NEXT GUY in line gets the word, looks right at both of us dummies sitting back at our desks, and very loudly says O-F. And gives us a snotty look (as only 3rd graders can do). I finally figured out what I and the dummy after me had done and I cried.
I told this story to my second grade son recently and he laughed. OK, laugh it up, Chuckles. It is kind OF funny now, but it sure as shit was not back then.
My mom went to the state spelling bee. I have absolutely none of her gifts (editor's note: I have two spell-checked corrections in this short message alone.)
In 2nd grade, I accidentally made it in to the spelling bee because there was a commercial out at the time for Florida or something that sang-spelled "V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N. Vacation's here!" Of course, that was my word.
I was out in the first round of the school bee. It turns out that "tissue" is not spelled with an "ew" at the end.
My favorite in elementary school was some old reader story about a spelling bee and the kid got caught by "a rat" in S-E-P-A-R-A-T-E (instead of seperate.)
I always get caught with HARASS and EMBARRASS. Which one has one R and which has two of them??? It took me years to sort that one out.
I came in second in my elementary school spelling bee when I was in sixth grade. I got knocked out on gymnasium. I was hoping the other girl would get a hard word.
She got pothole. Hardly comparable, to my way of thinking.
My favorite in elementary school was some old reader story about a spelling bee and the kid got caught by "a rat" in S-E-P-A-R-A-T-E (instead of seperate.)
I always get caught with HARASS and EMBARRASS. Which one has one R and which has two of them??? It took me years to sort that one out.
My favorite in elementary school was some old reader story about a spelling bee and the kid got caught by "a rat" in S-E-P-A-R-A-T-E (instead of seperate.)
I always get caught with HARASS and EMBARRASS. Which one has one R and which has two of them??? It took me years to sort that one out.
Wait, isn’t it separate?
Okay- my story’s my sister’s: *STAIRCASE* S-T-A-I-R-Case, Staircase. Doh.
My favorite in elementary school was some old reader story about a spelling bee and the kid got caught by "a rat" in S-E-P-A-R-A-T-E (instead of seperate.)
I always get caught with HARASS and EMBARRASS. Which one has one R and which has two of them??? It took me years to sort that one out.
Wait, isn’t it separate?
Yep. Sorry, it does read weird and backwards. The competitor missed it by spelling sepErate. He got caught by A-Rat. "Always remember there's A RAT in separate" or some such was the old lady's advice in the story. Ah, old school reading. Fun With Dick and Jane. I've always remembered that particular mnemonic, clear back from first or second grade (when we rode dinosaurs to school, as I tell the grands. lol.)
Yep. Sorry, it does read weird and backwards. The competitor missed it by spelling sepErate. He got caught by A-Rat. "Always remember there's A RAT in separate" or some such was the old lady's advice in the story. Ah, old school reading. Fun With Dick and Jane. I've always remembered that particular mnemonic, clear back from first or second grade (when we rode dinosaurs to school, as I tell the grands. lol.)
I came across some of these books recently ... ooof, they're awkward to read. It's just not how normal people talk. "Oh, oh, oh. Look and see. See Puff. See Puff go up." (translation, "Uh oh, the cat went up a tree.")
Yep. Sorry, it does read weird and backwards. The competitor missed it by spelling sepErate. He got caught by A-Rat. "Always remember there's A RAT in separate" or some such was the old lady's advice in the story. Ah, old school reading. Fun With Dick and Jane. I've always remembered that particular mnemonic, clear back from first or second grade (when we rode dinosaurs to school, as I tell the grands. lol.)
I came across some of these books recently ... ooof, they're awkward to read. It's just not how normal people talk. "Oh, oh, oh. Look and see. See Puff. See Puff go up." (translation, "Uh oh, the cat went up a tree.")
The point was repetition and learning to read, not to sound like normal conversation. I loved those books when I was a kid, but I don't remember why. lol
I worked with elementary school kids in a one on one reading program, and the books we had to use were not only repetitious, but some of the stories were really dumb. The kids' skills really improved, but some of those lessons were excruciating to get through... for the students and the reading coaches.