Spell check

The email came last week from Farmin-Stidwell assistant principal Jan Rudeen.

"Marianne, can you please help us be the pronouncer for the Farmin-Stidwell spelling bee the afternoon of Jan. 18?" she wrote. "We paid $99 to get lists from the National Spelling Bee."

That was good news. This past January when I was pronouncing words and had to provide a sentence for "thong," I did a pretty quick two-step in my brain to come up with something appropriate for fourth graders. I made sure the kids knew in context that thongs used to be worn on the feet.

The spelling list had to have been copied at least a couple of dozen times since the original from the looks of the smudgy words. And, for sure the original was compiled at least a generation ago. So, I'm glad they've opted for a new list rather than another trip to the copy machine, cuz when the pronouncer pulls out "thong," it can be a bit unsettling.

I told Joan yes. What happened to that "I'll think about it" that I was talking about in yesterday's post? Yup, I may be working hard to live life slower but that seems to be successful only in the upper story. Actually, those spelling bees are kinda fun, except for when the kids cry after missing a word and having to go sit down and wait clear 'til next year to move on to the next level.

I see from this morning's paper that spelling bees are moneymakers, especially when adults show up. I also see from this morning's paper that city officials don't always make the best spellers. Sorry, Helen, but those Spokane municipal brass lost out on "ribald." Hmm. Even I could have spelled that. Maybe the pronouncer screwed up. When all was said and done, the folks at the Inlander and that guy with three top-brass college degrees won the bee.

The paper also had an article stating that Spokane schools have done away with spelling pre-tests and tests. Now, all the kids are gonna learn the words in context with what they read and write. Seems to me that not all kids would necessarily find "ribald" in everything they read or write.

Why does this sound similar to what might happen if kids were not all exposed to their multiplication tables? Or, how about the brilliance of having them learn the parts of the skeleton in context? Or, let's learn the musical scale when we feel like it. As writers, we've all gone through the phases of "feel good" writing practices, only to call on basic grammar to understand why that sentence sounds so damn strange. If we don't know basic grammar, we may not ever understand.

I'm admittedly old fashioned, but it seems like every learning discipline should still include the bare bones basics for every kid. Then, let 'em take it on in context as they move their separate ways through life's learning.

What has happened to the basics? Is this occurring cuz kids are whining too much and teachers don't want to deal with the emotional brick walls that come along with unwilling kids learning anything? Sometimes learning is hard. Sometimes it requires repetition, and sometimes those basics prove helpful throughout life if taught well.

Most often, those who've endured the rigorous and the repetitious foundations of all facets of learning are mighty glad later in life. Those who lucked out while going through the educational system often regret what they missed later in life. It's up to the education professionals to maintain a consistency in all disciplines and then build on those foundations with the fun stuff----even speling.