Posted on 01/18/2012 4:28:36 PM PST by nickcarraway
The Lauderhill Spelling Bee has come under controversy after an incident that brought back memories of Dan Quayle’s problem spelling the word potato.
Robert McKenzie said that his daughter was dismissed from the Lauderhill MLK championship spelling bee earlier this week. The controversy centered on the word vacation.
Video posted to YouTube showed McKenzie’s eight-year-old daughter, McKhalia being asked to spell the word vacation.
McKenzie posted the video to YouTube that showed his nine-year-old daughter being asked to spell the word.
McKhaila responded by correctly spelling the word, but she was immediately told it was incorrect in the video.
“I actually thought I got it wrong cause I couldn’t really remember what I said,” recalled McKhaila. “But then, when I went in the room and my dad came in and said I got the word right I started crying, bursting out tears”
McKenzie, who is a teacher at Castle Hill Elementary, immediately brought his video to the judges to protest.
“I’m stunned because I’m thinking to myself, if I can spell it, she can spell it,” he said. “She’s a better speller than me. So I immediately grabbed the camera from my wife. I go outside, look at the tape, I immediately go to the officials. I tell them look my daughter spelled it right. I played the tape for them and they agreed it is correct. But the judges don’t want to listen to it, don’t want to listen to me. They’re shooing me away.”
He wants the mayor to apologize. The mayor declined to comment; but city officials did respond saying they don’t want to make a hasty decision.
They say it will take several days and several people to review the tape.
“I know how hard she worked for this opportunity and I would have rather her lose fairly than lose like this,” said Robert McKenzie.
Better listen again. She did NOT put that e in there. She spelled it correctly. I would like to know whose child won this contest. Judges who won't listen to this tape clearly have an agenda, they probably didn't think anyone would tape it and were throwing the contest for some big wig's kid.
Strange. I’ve been to more spelling bees that the average person.
There is an official tape. Parents can protest before the end of the round and the judges can go back to that tape and correct any incorrect ruling.
Granted, the parent’s videotape isn’t going to be accepted, but there is always an official tape and a stated appeals process.
She did NOT say an e. She clearly spelled it v a c a t i o n. You and Kirkwood had better get your ears checked.
No way that slight quiver after the c should have been considered a letter. She spelled it right. Her parents, on the other hand, have some spelling issues of their own...
But it did allow us eventually to grandfather into the ranks of the FR Grammar Police.
≤}B^)
I thought so too, but if you listen to the cadence, she is definitely pausing between each letter, and the cee-e sound is part of one beat, if you know what I mean. So, I can see why they think she mispelled it, but I really think the kid did not mean to say “e” at all, it just sounds like she mispoke and pronounced the “c” very akwardly.
In the 9th grade semifinals the prettiest and most popular girl in the school lost to me also by a coin toss.
The school grapevine twittered (not the electronic kind!) about the raw deal she got.
Years after high school, I heard that she died of her own hand.
Spelling bees. More brutal than they may seem.
Sounds like she said the ‘cee’ sound with more emphasis that needed but still as one letter. The judges are just preparing the contestants to have that which they have earned taken away and given to those that haven’t earned it. Publik skoolz, ya no.
They only thing you teacher taught you is how lazy, incompetent and dishonorable public school teachers are.
My son had high school teachers, more than once, who made mistakes on tests and changed it for him when confronted but who did not change the grade in their grade books. Also they would make mistakes in averaging his final grade for the class and not change it on the transcript at the office after admitted they had made the mistake.
He had to keep his own organized paper trail and set of grade books and go to the office multiple times to make things right. I would not let him give up and give into any of that abuse.
Turned out it was a game being played by group of dyke teachers trying to harm the college potential of male atheletes. They did other stuff to them too like marking them absent without an excuse when they were in class, etc., etc. They finally got nailed.
Democrat-STRANGE-Zombies
Bob Hope, Zombies and Democrats
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=mSDZVIgKFDw
“I” is a nominative pronoun and is used as a subject of a sentence or clause, while “me” is an objective pronoun and used as an object.
Correct.
But, the verb “to be” takes the nominative case.
An easy way to determine the correct usage in this case would be to complete the sentence:
...he’s a better speller than I am.—correct
vs
...he’s a better speller than me am.—incorrect
Also "P. L. O." :B^)
Ed
Very sad. Teachers don’t realize the harm they do to kids in their charge. I got over it, but was very upset at the time because, up to the coin toss, I respected (I hate that word) that teacher.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.