Spelling Bee Part II: Response to Derek

The idea stemmed from a meeting I had with Juliet, as you may remember me telling you. We talked a lot about how sports were considered valid as a competitive extra-curricular activity, but arts/literature/reading were not. There are issues in the city with kids not encouraging each other to be academic (outside of the rigorous programs like honors, AP, IB etc). There are some really great clubs and programs out there, like First Robotics for example, in which kids work with Xerox engineers building a robot and competing nationwide. There are math teams as well.

So, from there we had discussed some time of enrichment activity that would promote a sense of pride around learning. I discussed my love for all things literature, and in particular poetry. She suggested that we contact the 19th Ward Community Assoc. because its leader had the idea of a Spelling Bee in mind. That got the wheels turning in my mind about what kind of value this event could provide to students who are interested in reading/spelling/grammar but currently feel out of place because these are not always valued.

I'm not attached to the idea of a spelling bee in particular, but I do really like the idea of starting some kind of annual event geared toward learning that focuses on kids, brings out community members and provides the opportunity for collaboration among educationally oriented groups at UR.

To address some of Derek's points/Amanda's concern:
-I agree that a spelling bee inherently is about rote learning rather than critical thinking skills. It has the potential to reward those who are the best at memorizing. Given also that I'm pretty much against telling kids that Standard written English is the only form of English, a spelling bee could be problematic. Although spelling bees are sort of antiquated, they are seeing a revival.

-There will be a winner, but perhaps we could do something for all participants? A UR tour, and lunch on campus? Maybe we could have each participant matched up with a volunteer "mentor" who would quiz them all year on their spelling. The possibilities are endless.

-Despite its emphasis on traditional knowledge and learning...there are definitely benefits for the students participating, because spelling does have an effect on reading comp. Spelling isn't necessarily just about spelling as the research I've linked to here shows. Even in a situation where everyone isn't speaking (or listening to) Standard English at home, learning to spell is the starting point for good reading skills. Reading=power (unless you are reading government sponsored propaganda, which is sort of the case for all students going through state-run education systems...but that, my friends is for another day). lol.

-If all or some of us like the idea of doing a spelling bee...we can use this as a basis for something innovative and non-traditional. It could be a geography bee instead. It could be a poetry celebration (I like that one, hehe) And it has the potential to grow each year under different leadership.

Whatever we decide, we should get going soon. If any of you like this idea, we have to research funding opportunities, which may mean linking up with other UR sponsored groups (kind of like how ArtAwake operates under the Urban Exploring Club) Thoughts? I am in no way attached to any idea I bring up, but at this point, I like the idea of creating an annual event and I think it's time to find ideas to stick to and implement.