I live about a mile from the fairgrounds and I knew that it would be way easier to just walk there instead of trying to drive and find a parking spot. We were blessed here in our part of the state to receive some much needed moisture last evening that carried on into the overnight hours and was still coming down this morning. So I took off on foot, headed northbound, with the hopes that I could just dodge the raindrops long enough to make it to the fairgrounds. And if not, well you know I don't mind getting rained on, especially during one of the driest years I can remember. So when all was said and done, it was definitely a "bring on the rain moment".
There's nothing like a nice cold Kansas northwest wind at, let's say 15-20 mph, to wake a person up, especially one that didn't sleep all that well the night before. I hurried along the way, partially because it was about 40 degrees colder than the day before, partially because I didn't want to be late. As it turns out, I didn't have to worry about the "being late" part. The fairgrounds in the early morning hours are nearly deserted and today's inclement weather had pretty much cleared the pathway over to the 4H Encampment Building where the spelling bee was to occur.
Upon arrival, I headed over to where the crowd was gathered. The check in table held all of our name tags and you had to stop over there to let them know you hadn't chickened out and actually showed up for the contest. It was an interesting assortment of folks and since this contest was for those 50 years of age and older, well for once I felt like the "baby" of the group. I was amazed to see folks well into their 70's checking in as contestants. What was even MORE amazing was the name tag I saw right next to mine, which was soon to be picked up by an old friend from my days of teaching at good old "Yoder A&M". Our photo is shown below~
Meet Don Etchison, a now retired teacher who spent nearly all of his teaching career as the 7th and 8th grade teacher and coach of ALL sports at Yoder Grade School. I spent 20 years at Yoder, part of USD 312-Haven, as the 1st and 2nd grade teacher. Don and I go "way back" and I can't remember the last time I was able to visit with him even though we only live about 20 miles from one another. So to meet him on the fairgrounds at this particular event was totally unexpected. To know that Don was one of the contestants was a little nerve-wracking because, well let's just be honest about this, Don has always been one heck of a speller. We laughed about meeting in the "strangest" of places and I asked him to take it "easy" on me today and as a matter of courtesy, to at LEAST miss a word or two on the written exam. :)
At the 9:00 a.m. "appointed" hour, "the 25" made their way to one of the rooms in the Encampment Building to go through the first part of the spelling bee~the "written" exam. The whole idea behind the written part of the test was to determine the top 15 of the group. It would be those 15 people who would advance on to the stage to participate in the oral part. As we sat around the tables waiting for the pronouncing of the words to begin, I had the chance to speak with a nice lady from Salina who had come, just like me, to participate in her first state fair spelling bee. She had forgotten her glasses and realized it was too late to go back, so she had to rely upon her husband's "specs" as she called them to get her through the written part. They were a cute couple~she was the contestant and he was her "cheerleader". They've been retired now for many years and attending the fair was just something they always do.
When the written part finally began, I began to commiserate with all of the students that I have taught in now, well over 35 years. I shared their "test anxiety", felt their uncertainty. As each of the 30 words were pronounced, I found myself concentrating on each letter, every sound that I thought I had heard. I made sure my handwriting was legible because the judges made it "crystal clear" that if they couldn't read it, then it was wrong. Geesch, where had I heard THAT before?
Of the 30 words pronounced, there were 5 that I had never heard of before. I could tell by the groans of those around me that I wasn't alone. I began to wonder, where do they come up with these words? How on earth did I get to be nearly 57 years old and never ONCE hear the word "tautology" uttered? It was a humbling moment for THIS teacher, to realize that hey, I still have a lot to learn in this life. As the last word was pronounced, I breathed a sigh of relief that at least this part was over and maybe, JUST maybe I would have done well enough to advance to the oral part on stage.
While we waited in the auditorium for the first set of results, several of the spelling bee contestants took seats around where I was sitting with Don. It was so interesting to hear of their stories, people from all over the state who enjoyed the art of spelling. Many had been champions in their younger years, several remembering the "very" word that they went out on. When I shared my story of missing the word "haphazardly" as an 8th grader in the Reno County Spelling Bee of 1969, they shook their head in acknowledgement. The same things had indeed happened to many of them. It was as if all of a sudden we were ALL members of the same "orthography club" and it kind of felt nice to meet these folks today, even if only for this short while.
When the results of the written test were ready and the names were being called out, I had hoped that I would at least be called to go on stage to spell. As it turned out, my name was the third one to be called. My experience with spelling bees has always lent me to believe that you really don't want to be one of the first 5 called to the stage and as the first round began I soon found out why that was to be the case today.
I knew I was doomed, that it was soon to be over when I heard the woman pronounce my word. It was like "deja vu", like 1969 all over again. What "haphazardly" was to me on that fateful day as an 8th grader, today's word would soon become.
"Your word is garrulous."
I cannot tell you how it feels to have a word pronounced to you that you have never, ever heard before in all of your life. I'm sure that the judges must have sensed the look of shock and bewilderment on my face. I asked for the word to be pronounced, used in a sentence and given a definition. Trust me, NOTHING helped! So what do you do when you're standing there in front of a microphone absolutely "drawing a blank" about how to spell a word? Well, you do the only thing you can~you just start spelling and hope to goodness that you don't look too bad when it's all over.
I drew a couple of deep breaths and sighed~G-A-R-A-L-O-U-S were the letters that came out of my mouth and I added, just as my own personal signature, "But I know that's wrong." The judges shook their head in agreement with me and I took my seat. One by one, the rest of group fell, victims to even more difficult words than I had. The contest was down to the last two when I had to leave to get back to school and so I haven't learned yet who finally was the winner. But whoever it was, I applaud them for their spelling abilities. What a great group of people to spend the morning with!
The day is done and evening is approaching so very soon. It's been a good day and even though I didn't win I had a great time. My record from 1969 STILL stands for me and perhaps somewhere on the earth there is a person wishing that they too could have been the 5th best speller of all time. I learned a lot, that's for sure and one of the main things would be that I still have a lot to learn. And yes, I just want to say one more thing~ I love it when kids are surprised to learn that their teachers don't know everything :) It was my hope that by participating in this spelling bee that my students could see the value of lifelong learning. I wanted them to know that the English language is filled with words that can be a lot of fun to know and understand and yes, to know that even in a world filled with "spell checks", the "art of spelling" is alive and well!
Have a great evening friends~hope that wherever you are, you are safe, well, and at peace with this life~
My "new" word and I~
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