Ann's Blog on spelling bee
Ann’s Blog #8:
“Californian wins spelling bee with ‘serrefine’” (cnn.com, June 3, 2007)
A thirteen year-old won the national spelling be finals. His name is Evan O’Dorney and his spelling skills brought him a title, trophy and multiple prizes. He is an eighth grade home-schooled student in his hometown of Danville, California. Spelling the word ‘serrefine’ is what brought him the 80th national title in the history of the annual spelling bees. Supposedly, the final round was between Evan and a boy named Nate Gartke from Spruce Grove, Alberta. Nate was attempting to be the first Canadian to win. Even though Evan is obviously talented in spelling, it is not his favorite thing to do. He is very interested in math and music. He feels passionate about those things whereas he calls spelling ‘just a bunch of memorization.’ Last year he tied for 14th which won him $35000 cash in addition to a $5000 scholarship, a $2500 savings bond and a set of reference works. It is his ritual to eat fish before his spelling bee competitions, but this year he didn’t. (Just in case you were curious?)
“Afterward, Evan spoke more enthusiastically about attending a math camp in Nebraska this summer than about becoming the English language's top speller.” I’m sorry, but I am so amused by top-notch nerds. Don’t get me wrong, I admire them completely and they are the reason that I am able to go to school and learn thing- because they turn into little Pythagoreans running around figuring things out. But a ‘math camp in Nebraska’? haha I am just thoroughly amused. That is where I would choose to spend my summer break. Good for him. After reading that article, I have been thinking about what it would be like to be him -which led to thoughts about what he would think about being me. Does he secretly wish he could be involved in athletics or have friends that don’t wear pocket protectors (I’m just kidding, I’m aware that that is a very common misconception –they are not actually pocket protectors, but rather zip-lock bags to hold their pens J…). But anyway, as I’m, very lovingly, mocking his lifestyle, I wonder if he would do the same about mine. I’m sure he would. Most people would. It is a difficult task to be able to love the lifestyle someone else lives. I suppose that is why we all lead different ones, because we all love different things and find success in different things. Another little tidbit that was in the article was this: When asked whether he liked the bee more now that he's won it, Evan said: "Are you saying I'm supposed to like it more? Yeah, I do a little bit." That little quote struck me, somehow. It just got me thinking about how success=happiness. It just doesn’t quite make sense to me. Why, for the most part, do we only like things, or at least enjoy them more, if we are successful? That is the way it works most of the time. Somehow, we need the little skip in our step of being good at something to be happy doing it. There are many things about human nature that puzzle me; this makes another one to add to the list.
Article from:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/EDUCATION/05/31/spelling.bee.ap/index.html
Picture from:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/EDUCATION/05/31/spelling.bee.ap/index.html
“Californian wins spelling bee with ‘serrefine’” (cnn.com, June 3, 2007)
A thirteen year-old won the national spelling be finals. His name is Evan O’Dorney and his spelling skills brought him a title, trophy and multiple prizes. He is an eighth grade home-schooled student in his hometown of Danville, California. Spelling the word ‘serrefine’ is what brought him the 80th national title in the history of the annual spelling bees. Supposedly, the final round was between Evan and a boy named Nate Gartke from Spruce Grove, Alberta. Nate was attempting to be the first Canadian to win. Even though Evan is obviously talented in spelling, it is not his favorite thing to do. He is very interested in math and music. He feels passionate about those things whereas he calls spelling ‘just a bunch of memorization.’ Last year he tied for 14th which won him $35000 cash in addition to a $5000 scholarship, a $2500 savings bond and a set of reference works. It is his ritual to eat fish before his spelling bee competitions, but this year he didn’t. (Just in case you were curious?)
“Afterward, Evan spoke more enthusiastically about attending a math camp in Nebraska this summer than about becoming the English language's top speller.” I’m sorry, but I am so amused by top-notch nerds. Don’t get me wrong, I admire them completely and they are the reason that I am able to go to school and learn thing- because they turn into little Pythagoreans running around figuring things out. But a ‘math camp in Nebraska’? haha I am just thoroughly amused. That is where I would choose to spend my summer break. Good for him. After reading that article, I have been thinking about what it would be like to be him -which led to thoughts about what he would think about being me. Does he secretly wish he could be involved in athletics or have friends that don’t wear pocket protectors (I’m just kidding, I’m aware that that is a very common misconception –they are not actually pocket protectors, but rather zip-lock bags to hold their pens J…). But anyway, as I’m, very lovingly, mocking his lifestyle, I wonder if he would do the same about mine. I’m sure he would. Most people would. It is a difficult task to be able to love the lifestyle someone else lives. I suppose that is why we all lead different ones, because we all love different things and find success in different things. Another little tidbit that was in the article was this: When asked whether he liked the bee more now that he's won it, Evan said: "Are you saying I'm supposed to like it more? Yeah, I do a little bit." That little quote struck me, somehow. It just got me thinking about how success=happiness. It just doesn’t quite make sense to me. Why, for the most part, do we only like things, or at least enjoy them more, if we are successful? That is the way it works most of the time. Somehow, we need the little skip in our step of being good at something to be happy doing it. There are many things about human nature that puzzle me; this makes another one to add to the list.
Article from:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/EDUCATION/05/31/spelling.bee.ap/index.html
Picture from:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/EDUCATION/05/31/spelling.bee.ap/index.html
posted by ann @ 9:56 PM
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