For the past 3 years, the daughter aka Mint Girl participated in the annual Scripps Spelling Bee. The annual spectacular has gained popularity over the years and it is an event I have mixed views about. I am not sure if I am for the event or against it. But this year, we decided NOT to prepare for the spelling bee.

It was not an easy decision. It never is. Mint Girl loves words and a good challenge. Given a chance, I am ready to morph into a tiger mom pushing my daughter to excellence. We did exactly that for 3 seasons and then one fine day we decided to call it quits. Here are some reasons why we decided to give up

The Purpose

The Mint Girl and I struggle to find the purpose of the spelling bee. What are we trying to encourage? A habit of remembering and spelling words? I get it but most kids including my daughter did not care about origin of the word or its roots before trying to spell it. This is especially true in the initial rounds of the spelling bee.

Often, kids are given a list of words to work on and they memorize it. It ended up being great memory exercise.

Commitment

Preparing for the spelling bee was a time commitment. I found myself spending winter break with a list of words, quizzing my daughter as the family gathered in living room. It was hard for her and me. Spelling bee students and their coaches put a lot of time and effort into this preparing for this event and personally I hated it.

The Learning

This was where my main problem was. I did not see any change in my daughter’s writings or vocabulary. The harder words were easily forgotten. They never became a part of her like I would have wanted it to. It was disappointing.  The spelling bee started losing its charm.

The Stress

Let us be honest, getting on stage is scary. Add in a competition and an audience watching you and a random word thrown at you. I couldn’t handle it. I believe that my daughter handled it well but I was a nervous wreck.

Spell Check

Beyond being a mother and a reluctant owner of this blog, I lead digital transformation is an organization. I believe in all things digital. Good grammar and spelling will always remain skills everyone needs but digital tools make that easier.

So what are your thoughts on the spelling bee?