I’ve always wanted to be in a spelling B. Growing up, I saw tons of shows and movies that showcase the miraculous event that is a spelling B. I’m not entirely sure what was so fascinating about students being lined up with numbers on their chest and told to spell out words, but to younger me, it sounded like a cool challenge.
I was always above my grade when it came to my reading level, I found myself dipping into chapter books in Elementary school, and only continued this trend as I got into middle school. Not to mention, I definitely remember reading my first adult novel when I was 12.
But back to the idea of spelling B’s. Personally, I’ve never been to one. I’m not sure if you had to be a protégé in vocabulary, or if the schools I attended just didn’t have them, but I never had the opportunity to take part in one. The closest thing I had to a spelling B was something my teacher used to do before a vocab quiz. In a similar spelling B fashion she’d line us up, and give us words to spell. If you spelled it wrong, you had to sit down. If you got it right, you got to stay up and wait for the others to be weeded out. Eventually, you’d find yourself with just one other student, battling it out for the title of “winner” and the grand prize of a blow pop or two.
I took these very seriously, as they were the closest thing to a spelling B that I could find at the time. I was extremely competitive, and usually one of the last standing. Though, even in the case of these mini spelling B’s, I never won. Sometimes the teacher would give you a blow pop for being second if there were extra. Though, it wasn’t enough.
There was one particular time where I almost won, although, I second-guessed myself. The word was definitely. Part of me was unsure whether there was an “e” before the “-ly”, I told myself “I think there’s an e but I don’t wanna chance it. I eventually ended up causing my own downfall, and I think that was the beginning of my villain arc.
Even though I still haven’t had the chance to shine at a spelling B, and probably never will, I still find myself bitter and sad. I could have been a beast at spelling, if only they gave me the chance. And if you’re reading this right now and have been in a spelling B, how was it? I hope you lost, cause that would make me feel better. And if you’re reading this and you won a spelling B at some point, I’m going to steal your trophy/ribbon/certificate whatever it is. Its mine now.
I hope the kids nowadays appreciate the nostalgia that is a spelling B, so I can live vicariously through them. Hopefully, that’s enough to stop me from creating a device that stops spelling B’s from happening ever.
Featured Image Cred: Clarissa Watson @Unsplashed
