Tazewell Today

Spelling Bee Nightmare

   I had a flashback during the newscast while we reported on the 81st Annual Scripp’s Spelling Bee.

   As the words rolled off my lips, my mind wandered off to 3rd grade when I got elimated from a spelling bee.  It was early on in the bee and obviously to this day the sound of  “THAT” word brings back terrible memories.  I vividly remember my teacher saying, “Spell color.”  I thought to myself, “What an easy word!”  I quickly responded “C-O-L-O-R.”  She said, “No.  That’s incorrect.  Go sit down.  The correct spelling is C-O-L-O-U-R.”  Huh?  We lived in South Dakota…the U.S. version is generally COLOR!  That’s what we were always taught!  The British version is COLOUR, but NOT IN SOUTH DAKOTA!  I thought to myself, “What was she trying to pull?”  I wish I could have looked at her book to see how it was spelled.  To this day I still believe she intenionally tried to sabotoge me.  I think she gave me that word knowing that she would say the opposite of what I said.      

   Neadless to say, everytime I write the word COLOR, I second guess the spelling.  How were you taught to spell it? 

   I wonder if my former teacher in South Dakota is reading this?