It's Personal: S-P-E-L-L-I-N-G

Do you remember standing before a group of classmates speaking, spelling, and repeating a word spoken by a moderator? After God knows how many spelling and vocabulary tests. After watching teachers pacing the classroom reading tricky words. Receive. Parallel. Neighbor. Commission. Mississippi.

It was fifth grade. I had Mrs. Huie for English. Her most interesting quote, Hells Bells. An odd exclamation, indeed. But even more intriguing since it was the first time I'd heard a teacher use such a word. If 'hells' can be considered a bad word. Each of the fifth graders stood in Moses Y. Beach's cafeteria. One by one, the students floundered. Some purposely. Others having attempted to spell one of those tricky words. R-E-C-I-E-V-E. Alas, no spell check. Before I knew it, two of us remained. She misspelled the word. And I had to swoop in, H-I-P-P-O-P-O-T-A-M-U-S.

The Town Spelling Bee. Dressed in my tie and surrounded by my family, I climbed the steps to sit on the stage with the winners from the other elementary and middle schools. I thought I was out of my league. But, I hung in there. Word after word until I was one of seven on the stage. The moderator read the word. I spelled. S-E-C-R-A-T-A-R-Y. I'm sorry, that's incorrect. My eyes watered. Perfection obliterated with one stupid letter. I barely saw my way off the stage. I couldn't believe I had lost.

But I had another chance. My sixth grade year. My first year at Dag Hammarskjold Middle School. I remember lining up with my classmates again. This time in Dag's auditorium. I watched as countless classmates faltered and stumbled. Until I was one of three. I rose to the microphone to spell a word. I heard the word and paused. How in God's name could this word be given to me prior to the Town Spelling Bee? It was much more difficult than secretary. And all those other tricky words I knew. I tried. T-A-B-O-G-O-N. Not even close. Not even a little. But I already knew that. The moderator spelled the word correctly, T-O-B-O-G-G-A-N. And if I were a more boisterous child, I would have laughed. Or said, are you kidding me? Or given the moderator the finger. Instead, I walked dry-eyed to my seat and wondered what would have happened had I actually spelled secretary correctly.