Busy Bees

Love to Learn

Dear Speller,

Maybe this is your first year competing in a spelling bee. Perhaps this is the last year in a long spelling bee journey. It is possible you are somewhere in between. Wherever you are, the spelling bee is quite the time commitment. Depending on how serious you are, you could be studying for 15 minutes a day, or eight hours a day. Either way, the spelling bee requires dedication, hard work, and lots of love. In order to get the best out of this experience, you need to love spelling. Now, you may be thinking, Juliette, how can I love something that just involves putting the correct letters in the right order? I know, words aren’t for everyone. When I began spelling in third grade, I enjoyed words, but spelling wasn’t my greatest passion of all time. I preferred musical theater. Over the years, though, I began to love learning new words. I enjoyed learning about the different languages that these words came from, and for me, the longer the word, the better. The more you study, the more you will crave knowledge. To get started, sit down with some hot chocolate, ask a friend to quiz you, and try to spark some curiosity. That little spark of interest could grow into an endlessly burning fire of love. You’ll have to wait and see!

As ever yours,

Juliette Anderson

P.S. Study strategy of the week:

Write a catchy acrostic poem for the word that is giving you the most trouble!