AJC.com > Blogs > Get Schooled > Archives > 2005 > June
June 2005
Teachers Thrown to the Wolves
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A blog writer posted this under the Neace topic:
“I too have had a principal ‘throw me to the wolves’. I’ll spare you the details, but I learned very quickly that my prinicipal was more worried about the parent going to the board than he was about supporting his teachers. The child in question smirked and said where I could hear, ‘I got that teacher. All I gotta do is get my daddy to call and I’ll get what I want’.”
Can teachers do their jobs if the principal doesn’t back them up when a parent complains? Who is in charge of the school, the principal or the parents?
It’s Unanimous
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A response to yesterday’s post about Doc Neace’s firing raises the issue of school board votes, and how they tend to be unanimous in support of the superintendent or staff recommendation. (In Neace’s case, the board member representing Dacula voted against his firing.)
Why are so many board votes unanimous, especially when the elected board members represent a diverse constituency?
Board members often talk of the importance of presenting a “unified front.” They want to appear to be in full agreement on important issues. A divided board could give the impression of a chaotic or disorganized school system, one that is too involved with petty disagreements to work on the big picture. Also, school board members want to give the impression they support their superintendent. After all, hiring the superintendent is one of their primary responsibilities. Their other task is to set policies. Those policies are often recommended by the superintendent or his or her staff.
The problem with so many unanimous votes, often with little or no public discussion beforehand, is it’s hard to know where school board members really stand.
How do you want your elected school board representative to handle voting?
Neace to Get a State Hearing
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I predict national media coverage for this one. Fired Gwinnett County physics teacher Larry “Doc” Neace will get a hearing with the state school board. Here’s the story.
In case you managed to miss the story, the Gwinnett school board fired Larry Neace for insubordination after Neace refused to restore a student’s grade on a lab report. Neace said he dropped the grade, because the student fell asleep in class. Gwinnett has a policy against lowering grades as a form of discipline. Neace said he’s been dropping grades for years as a way of reminding students they have to participate in class. He said he spells out his policy to students at the beginning of the year.
It’s amazing that such a much-ado-about-nothing incident - the student’s overall course grade was not affected by Neace’s actions - can get this far. But Neace has stirred up a lot of support from former students who say he’s the best teacher they ever had, current students and parents who say the student should take his lumps, former and current parents who say the Dacula High School principal is the one who needs reigning in.
The story has also appealed to those who say the lengths the student’s parents went to so their son’s grade would be restored is an example of what’s wrong with today’s parenting. Well-intentioned Moms and Dads blindly defend their children without regard to the bigger life lessons kids need to learn.
What is it about Larry Neace that has captured such an audience?
NCLB Pro and Con
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Two takes on the Harvard Civil Rights Project study and surrounding debate:
Gerald Bracey, an education researcher and NCLB critic who fills the e-mail inboxes of school reporters around the nation, had this to say:
Yesterday Patti Ghezzi asked if Emperor NCLB was buck naked. I’d say he’s wearing precisely the clothes he was intended to wear. The clothes say that the Emperor wants to elminate the wihte-minority achievement gap. They disguise the true purpose of the law which is to chip away at the enormous potential market that is elementary and secondary education and transfer as much money as possible to the private sector. By the way, I said this in a Newsday article in January 2001—a year before the plan, then without the name ripped off from the Children’s Defense Fund’s slogan, became a law.
And from the Achievement Alliance, a pro-NCLB group:
The primary complaint of the report is that NCLB’s system of “adequate yearly progress” (AYP) has a “disparate impact” on and thus “penalizes” large school districts and districts with diverse student populations. We disagree strenuously with the report’s conclusions that the law is somehow unfair to poor and minority children. NCLB was designed to identify schools and school districts with achievement gaps between poor and non-poor and minority and majority students and to target interventions and resources to help close those gaps.
Is NCLB helping to - as the cliche goes - “close the achievement gap”?
When Success is an Illusion
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Is the emperor that is NCLB buck naked? A study by the Harvard Civil Rights Project (read the story here) found that many school districts - including more than 100 in Georgia - escaped a failing label simply because the feds approved changes in the criteria.
In Georgia, districts no longer must have all students in various subgroups � including blacks, Hispanics, special education and limited English proficiency categories � meet state testing goals, writes my colleague, Paul Donsky.
Instead, the students in each subgroup are broken into two groups: elementary and middle school; and high school. Districts now receive a failing grade only if both groups fail to meet state standards for two years running.
The stigma of being labeled as failing - even if the official label is the softer “needs improvement” - stings. It can affect whether parents with options go elsewhere, whether teacher candidates interview for vacancies, whether the principal stays or goes.
But the many criteria that go into a school or district getting a label are complicated and vary from state to state, as do the standardized tests used to determine who passes and who does not. Parents who find out that their school didn’t meet standards should of course find out why, but even that information may not be enough to make an informed decision about what it means.
Thoughts?
The Plight of Georgia’s Rural Schools
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s hard to resist blogging about this story of nepotism run rampant at a Georgia technical college, but I think the rural school’s lawsuit has a greater potential impact.
As Mary MacDonald reports in this story, rural school systems say they cannot adequately educate kids because they lack the local tax base to fund schools. State officials say rural schools should raise property taxes so more money will flow into their schools. Metro school district officials fear they will be expected to send more of their local tax dollars out to rural areas.
It’s a sticky issue. Already wealthier metro districts send millions of dollars to poor districts, but rural systems still can’t offer the services and programs comparable to, say, Cobb County. The problem isn’t just money. It’s about population - not enough kids to benefit from the economy of scale.
Cobb County spent $7,335 per pupil last year, according to the state Department of Education. The rural Quitman County, a member of the consortium suing the state, spent $12,646. Districts like Quitman have a greater percentage of poor children - 96 percent get free or reduced price lunch - so they need more money. But they also struggle because they have so few students. Quitman had just 295 in its lone school for grades prek - 8. (I’m assuming high school kids must go to a neighboring county.)
Obviously the Robin Hood idea doesn’t go over well with many metro Atlanta taxpayers, but should kids in rural schools be denied an adequate education just because they don’t live in the city or the burbs?
Tell Us What You Really Think, Dr. P
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Most school officials, especially superintendents, tread carefully when answering media questions, trying to give a general answer that sounds upbeat but reveals little about their opinion on a controversial issue.
Cherokee County Superintendent Frank Petruzielo is not such an official.
He recently shared his take on a relaxing of some criteria involving No Child Left Behind, allowing, among other things, special education test results to be scored on a curve for this year only.
In a story by my colleague Paul Donsky, Petruzielo said he appreciated the adjustments. But he took issue with the No Child Left Behind Act, blasting it for giving the public a false measure of schools.
“All of this gerry-rigging that is occurring, in my view, is simply an attempt to put off the inevitable —- which is a total loss of confidence in using this as a measure for evaluating the quality of American education,” he said. “To really look at schools and evaluate them, you have to look at so much more than [No child]requires you to look at.”
Do you agree or disagree that NCLB gives the public a false measure of schools?
Schwarzenegger Takes on Teacher Tenure
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Is Arnold a fool to mess with teacher tenure? According to this story, his popularity has declined since announcing a special election.
On the ballot: limits on state spending, redrawn legislative and congressional districts, and changes in tenure for public school teachers. He doesn’t want to eliminate tenure, just award it to teachers after five years instead of two.
Still, just the term “teacher tenure” could be risky.
In Georgia, former democratic Gov. Roy Barnes abolished what was referred to as “teacher tenure,” though a more accurate description might be job protection or right to a due process hearing. He was booted from office after just one term.
Sure, other factors came into play, namely the overwhelming victories of Republicans all over. But teacher tenure seems politically dicey. After all, teachers vote. They also tend to feel underpaid and underappreciated.
Should they be afforded some type of job protection?
An Uncomfortable Tax Hike
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
So Fulton County is the latest metro district to nudge up taxes this year to get the budget to balance. The increase will mean about 40 bucks more a year on a $200,000 home. Here’s the story.
The board vote was not unanimous. Board member Katie Reeves, who voted in favor, said raising taxes, “isn’t a comfortable feeling.”
The budget calls for class size to increase by one student, and teachers aren’t getting cost-of-living raises. Two new programs will open to house disruptive students.
Is this tax hike reasonable?
Shall Schoolkids Dance
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I saw Mad Hot Ballroom the other day. It’s a documentary about NYC schoolkids who learn ballroom dancing for 10 weeks during their PE class. The kids who are the best compete in a tournament for a giant trophy.
The film, among other things, shows the value of arts programs in public schools. It also shows how kids respond to structure, discipline and routine.
Despite some clumsy filmmaking from a first-time director, Mad Hot Ballroom shows what it’s like to be 10 years old and how having a passion can make the descent into puberty a little less scary.
Don’t Mess With Rockdale
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If you plan to vandalize a school, best not do it in Rockdale County. Two teenagers went to prison - one for almost four years - for tearing up an elementary school to the tune of $250,000. The judge famously said at the time: “Rockdale County and its people have a right to self-defense. They have a right to defend themselves, even against their own children.”
Here’s the story.
Thoughts?
Good News for Gay Clubs
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
State Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox wanted to require schools to seek parent permission for participation in extracurriculuar activities, but the state school board frowned on the idea. Here’s the story.
Although the policy didn’t specifically address clubs for gay students, opponents said the policy would have blocked many students from joining.
Did the board make the right decision?
Grades and Punishment
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Larry Neace was fired from Dacula High School for refusing to obey an administrator’s order to restore a student’s grade the teacher docked for misbehavior. Controversy over the popular teacher’s dismissal has sparked questions about whether it’s okay to use grades as a disciplinary measure. Here’s Laura Diamond’s story.
Teachers generally say no, but privately some acknowledge that they have no leverage with today’s students. Calling their parents … not a big deal. Detention … not a big deal. But lower a grade … whoa!
Should teachers have the authority to use grades as a discipline tool?
I Don’t Have a Favorite Teacher
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Friday’s blog post calling for “favorite teacher” stories got me thinking about my own. Funny, I don’t have an inspirational teacher who stands out from the rest, a teacher with whom I shared a special bond or who imparted some wisdom beyond the subject matter.
Yet all my teachers did what they were supposed to do: educate me.
I entered first grade in 1976 at First Presbyterian Day School in Jackson, Mississippi. At First Prez, as we called it, teachers taught. A few of them also proselytized, to my mother’s chagrin. But my teachers didn’t mold my character or steer me toward a particular college or career. My teachers didn’t inspire, but they taught me well. That was enough. My mother took care of the rest.
Today, teachers are supposed to show students how what they’re learning applies in real life. They’re supposed to find a way to make sure every child can experience success. They’re supposed to gear lessons toward each student’s learning style.
My teachers didn’t do that, at least not that I can remember. I learned to read in first grade by sounding out words. In second grade, I learned cursive and wrote an essay about patriotism in which I defined taxes as “a gift we give in a store.” In third grade, I learned my multiplication tables. In fourth grade, I tackled long division. Fifth grade … my only memory is discussing the Iranian hostage crisis.
Mrs. Higginbotham, Miss Hurt, Miss Rawlins, Miss Mangum, Mrs. Meador, Mrs. Dale. They knew what they needed to teach me, and they covered a lot of ground, seeing as we had daily Bible lessons, recess, and weekly music and art instruction. My teachers drilled in the basics. I remember flashcards and worksheets and book reports and spelling tests. We answered endless questions, always in complete sentences, at the end of the chapters in our science and social studies textbooks. We diagrammed sentences.
My teachers didn’t have to deal with a lot of discipline problems. Private schools can act swiftly to get rid of a problem child, though I doubt many kids got expelled from First Prez.
The teachers I had in elementary school gave me a solid foundation, which carried me through junior high and high school when my motivation waned. Mrs. Cooper, Mr. Towery, Mrs. White. My good fortune continued when I switched to the more affluent, football-centric Jackson Prep. Mrs. Patrick, Mrs. Ray, Mr. Forcier. In tenth grade, my mother and I moved to a Philadelphia suburb, where I attended a highly regarded public school.
In my mother’s eyes, my education nose-dived. She says I was smarter when I started at Radnor High School than when I finished. But in all fairness, my Radnor teachers did their jobs. I didn’t do mine. My teachers didn’t drag me to class when I chose to hang out in the cafeteria. They didn’t preach the importance of trying my best and working hard so I could get into a good college and get a good job. But when I showed up for class, they taught.
I still managed to learn a startling amount of chemistry from a teacher who was accused of using drugs by an underground student newspaper. I learned enough algebra and geometry to do okay on the SAT. And the praise I got from English teachers who liked the way I wrote probably played a role in my career choice. Miss Bowes, Dr. Hemminger, Mr. Talone — funny how these names come back to you — they were good teachers back then. But what if they taught in a diverse school, one where half the kids never learned their multiplication tables and parent indifference was the norm? How good would they be if they had to be a social worker and a surrogate parent as well as a teacher?
I feel like someone lucky enough to have the education I had should have a favorite teacher. I barely remember what my teachers looked like. I’ve forgotten many of their names. I guess that’s the way it is for most teachers who do their jobs year in and year out. It’s a thankless profession. I guess some things haven’t changed.
My Favorite Teacher
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A blog poster writes:
“To the moderator of Get Schooled why don’t you do a blog asking people to share a story of a teacher who changed their life or at least made a lasting impression. It would be a nice change of pace after the bashing they have taken here.”
Well, folks, let’s here your favorite teacher stories…
Pass Test or Stay Behind
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
One in six Georgia fifth-graders failed at least one key portion of the state curriculum test, meaning they’ll have to go to summer school and pass a re-test or face the humiliation of repeating fifth grade. State law requires, starting this year, fifth-graders to pass the math and reading tests before advancing to middle school.
Eight percent of the state’s third graders failed the reading test, which they are required to pass to advance to fourth grade.
Here’s the story.
Is it a good idea to retain kids who can’t pass this test?
Seniors Rule …And Go To Jail
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
UPDATE: Charges dropped against the kids, who will have to pay for the damages. Read here.
Mothers cried as their sons were taken to jail Wednesday. The boys are charged with vandalizing Jonesboro High School. They allegedly stank up the school with dead possums and caused $7,000 in damage.
Prosecutors didn’t object to the defense lawyers’ request that the families be allowed to post bond and take their kids home, but the judge ordered the boys to spend the night in jail. Here’s the story.
Is this response to a “senior prank” on target or over-reaction?
Letting High School Kids Sleep In
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Should high schools adjust their start times to suit the lifestyles and biology of teenagers?
Several studies suggest that teenagers — biologically driven to go to bed late — would do better in high school if they didn’t have to start so early. (High school start times vary, with some starting as early as 7:30 a.m.)
The earlier start times at high schools enable bus routes to be more efficient by getting high school kids to school first, then running elementary and middle school routes. The schedule also allows the school day to end early enough for sports - yes, I’ll say it, football - as well other extra-curricular activities and part-time jobs.
Would later start times curb absenteeism? Curb tardiness? Help more kids stay in school? Help kids do better on tests?
A Teacher’s Frustration
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tomorrow, the state will release results on the CRCT, Georgia’s Big Test. Pass rates are expected to be high, and it’s hard to know what to make of the pass rates, because there’s no way to know how difficult it is to pass the test.
Test scores will be used to judge schools and teachers. Here’s a post from a teacher who’s frustrated.
“I had one student in my class that was tested at the Kindergarten level in every subject. (I teach 5th Grade.) Why he has not been placed in an alternative setting is beyond me, but now that he did not pass the reading and math sections faces the prospect of summer school. Clearly, this child is learning disabled in some way and will undoubtedly suffer through three weeks of intense drill only to not pass the test again.
How much sense does it make to retain and retain and retain a youngster that needs additional support and a lot of it?(Also, this child’s mother called the school to complain that the parent-liason was “harrassing” her about getting her plethora of children to school on time.) This child’s scores (and others like him) will now be a reflection of me and how I taught all year. I don’t think that that is very fair.
Something needs to change in the ol’ accoutability column. I’d like to see them compare children’s specific test scores from grade to grade.”
Does the system judge teachers unfairly?
NCLB and You
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Have you and your child benefited from No Child Left Behind?
Have you taken advantage of the free tutoring option?
Have you taken advantage of the option to transfer your child to another public school?
Or has pressure from the law motivated your school to make improvements?
Please tell us your story…
School Transfers Under NCLB
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Thanks, all, for indulging my bee mania. Now back to No Child Left Behind. A school board member in a metro district poses this question:
“If your school is labeled a non-performing school - because of attendance or special education, is it better to let the school continue at that level (even with state intervention) or allow it to be a “good school” and receive any and all students who want to transfer under NCLB?”
Under No Child Left Behind, schools deemed “Needs Improvement” must offer students the option of transferring to a better school. But sometimes the schools offered as the transfer option aren’t regarded in the community as any better than the school that “Needs Improvement,” and sometimes a highly regarded school will miss a target such as attendance or special education.
I think what the board member is getting at is should a school be excused from accepting transfers under NCLB if it falls short in a sub-category such as special education?
It’s appoggiatura
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s Aunrag Kashyap, a 13-year-old from Poway, Calif. The winning word: appoggiatura. Samir had to settle for a tie for second place.
What an event the National Spelling Bee is. If you have Bee fever, swing by a video store and check out Spellbound. Or buy Bee Season, a novel that brilliantly captures the Bee spirit, though the plot gets a little weird. There’s even a Broadway musical about a spelling bee, so it’s not like I’m alone in my bee obsession.
A word to the sponsors: James was sponsored by the Atlanta Daily World and the Georgia Association of Educators. Joe’s sponsor was the Augusta Chronicle.
Rajiv is out. It’s dowon to Samir and two Californians, Anurag Kashyap and Aliya Deri.
Marshall missed on Serang. There are four kids remaining, Rajiv and Samir among them. In fact, the four remaining kids all appear to be Indian. I wrote about this phenomenon last year. The Indian community holds spelling bees regularly, making it a more high-profile activity and giving Indian kids more opportunities to practice.
Katharine Close is out. She fell on laetrile, which she spelled laotryl. Samir, Marshall and Rajiv are withing striking distance of an appearance on David Letterman. The field has narrowed to six. All four made it through Round 12: Anurag, Aliya, Rajiv and Samir. All have been to the national Bee before.
According to Webster’s Third New International Dictionary, hooroosh is a noun meaning a wild, hurried, or excited state or situation; confusion. What a great word!
Samir, Katharine, Rajiv and Marshall all survived Round 9. Ten spellers remain.
Hooroosh??? What the heck is that? I can’t find it in my dictionary, but Samir Patel managed to spell it correctly. Katharine, Rajiv and Marshall are also still alive.
As my favorite figure skater Michelle Kwan says, “The ice is slippery.” This is the third straight year that Georgia has had a strong showing at the National Spelling Bee.
Bravo, Joe and James! By my count, they tied for 22nd place. Remember, that’s from a field of 273, all of whom had to win at least one local bee to get to Washington.
Learning so many words requires a lot of time, commitment and discipline. Some cynics will say it’s a waste of time to learn to spell seldom-used words, but many spellers also learn the definitions while they’re at it. It helps them remember the spelling.
Four of my picks survived Round 7: Samir, Katharine, Rajiv and Marshall.
It’s off to the comfort room for both Georgia’s spellers. The comfort room is where kids go after they misspell, so they can compose themselves. One parent is allowed in to console them. When they emerge, the TV cameras are usually right there in their faces, with the reporters saying, “How do you feel?”
And Joe is out, too. He got tombolo, which he spelled tambalo.
James, it was a good run. James was dinged out on keratinophilic. I suspect he hadn’t heard the word. He spelled it coratinophilic. He should hold his head high!
Whoops! Katie Brown of Florida is out. Dinged on monogoneutic.
The Bee World: It’s hard to explain the National Spelling Bee, an event that at times seems so magical and at other times so out of control.
For example, last year a child fainted on stage and no adult rushed to his rescue. He staggered to his feet, unaided, and correctly spelled the word. He ended up coming in second. But the incident soured me on the Bee a bit, not necessarily the event but the way some parents put so much pressure on their kids and seem to lose sight of the fact that it’s supposed to be fun.
Over the past three years, Georgia’s kids have stood out not only for their spelling prowess, but for their ability to see the Bee in perspective. Athena Lao, only child of Filipino immigrants, returned to her seat after coming in twelfth and applauded wildly for her friends who were still in the hunt. She and her father spelled almost every word correctly from the audience. When it was all over, she said, “I’m just so glad I got to see it.” She and her dad had previously watched it on TV at home.
Last year, Biplab Panda came in, I believe, 16th. He shed a few tears and then returned to watch the end. While the winner was holding court with the press, Biplab noted that he knew how to spell the word that ultimately won. “I knew the winning word at the National Spelling Bee,” he told me. “How cool is that?”
And don’t get me started on the press-shy Joe Shepherd, the most polite child I’ve ever encountered.
These kids set an example, and not just because they know how to spell.
Patti’s Picks: Round 6 was halted for lunch and to accommodate the ESPN schedule. I’ll take this opportunity to make my picks. Though I’m bursting with pride for Joe and James, I can’t put them on my list. Joe has so many other interests besides spelling, and James is new to the national stage.
- Samir Patel of Texas
- Catharine Close of New Jersey
- Marshall Winchester of North Carolina
- Rajiv Tarigopula of Missouri
- Katie Brown of Florida.
It’s anybody’s race, but I’m giving these kids an edge because they have the experience and commitment.
This Just In: These Georgia kids can spell! James spelled gneiss, and Joe spelled olid. Just because words are short doesn’t mean they are easy to spell. Katie Brown, a veteran speller from Florida, is also a speller to watch. She correctly spelled ipseity to make it into Round 7. The spellers will probably break for lunch after this round.
Bee Bulletin: Round 6 and only 36 of 273 spellers remain. This Bee might not stretch into the later afternooon like last year’s did.
The National Spelling Bee is being broadcast live on ESPN, but the TV in my office doesn’t get ESPN. Torture!
James and Joe survived the fifth round. James spelled terrigenous, and Joe spelled myasthenia.
At this point in the competition, several factors come into play: the ability to stay calm under pressure, knowledge of a freakishly large amount of obscure words and luck.
Both James and Joe have made Georgia very proud in getting this far.
I’m going to predict Samir Patel of Texas as the ultimate winner. He crawled into his mother’s lap and cried when he came in third two years ago at age 9. Last year, he made a shockingly early exit, and the word around the Bee was he was overconfident. This could be his year, though he still has two more years of eligibility.
James and Joe Go to Washington
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
After two years of traveling to Washington to chronicle Georgia’s spellers in the National Spelling Bee, I had to take this year off. It’s killing me. Competition is underway, and I want to be there. At least I can follow the bee action online.
Here’s what’s happened so far:
Joe Shepherd, a 13-year-old homeschooled boy from Waynesboro, is making his fourth trip to nationals. Unlike most bee kids who make it to nationals year after year, Joe is not an obsessed speller. He’s just a darn good one. He has gotten further in the competition every year. He got his first word correct this morning: vermiculated.
James Clark, winner of Georgia’s state spelling bee, is a 14-year-old from Brantley County. He was impressive at the state bee, outlasting a superior home-schooled speller from Henry County in one of the longest bees in Georgia history. But he’s a newbie in his last year of eligibility. Will he be able to handle the pressure? He got his first word correct: dolichopodous.
UPDATE: The first oral round is over, and now spellers must wait to find out if they will move on in the competition. Success depends on their performance on this morning’s written test. Here are the words. How would you have done? (In past years, spellers could miss 12 words and still advance…)
- souvenir, 2. occurrence, 3. remediless, 4. censor, 5. chiropractor, 6. mimicry, 7. rebuttal, 8. heifer, 9. tenet, 10. qwerty, 11. amulet, 12. rappelled, 13. synodal, 14. lido, 15. sylph, 16. pyrophyte, 17. syncope, 18. thelytokous, 19. Rorschach, 20. chaetophorous, 21. scilicet, 22. Kneippism, 23. glacis, 24. recamier, 25. scherenschnitte
UPDATE: James and Joe both made it through to Round 3. From here on out, the spelling words are not limited to any word list. Any word in the dictionary, including an addendum with pop culture words, is fair game. A poor kid last year got dinged out on Shazaam. Like today’s 13-year-olds watch Gomer Pyle!
The next big goal the kids are hoping for is a chance to be on ESPN when the sports network starts broadcasting live at 10 a.m. Thursday.
UPDATE: Some easy words get dealt at the National Spelling Bee, and in Round 3 Joe and James each caught one. Joe spelled prodigal, and James spelled astigmatism. The unfortunate child who went before them got dinged out on deliquesce.
There will be one more round today.
UPDATE: James and Joe live to spell another day. James got vitrescible, and Joe had no trouble with saponaceous.
The competition started with 273 spellers and now there are only 50. Tomorrow, James and Joe will be on stage under the bright lights of ESPN.
Stay tuned for updates throughout the day. Or follow the competition here.
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