Not that everyone is Ward and June Cleaver. Ginny Butler, a fourteen-year-old from Mount Vernon, Washington, with her black eye shadow, studded leather belt, punk rock T-shirts, and her fondness for professional bull riding contests, is one of those who adds spice to the crowd. One morning her mother is having a quick smoke outside the hotel and sums it up: “My daughter’s not like these other kids—and I like that.”
But whatever the variations in lifestyle, these are parents who take an active role in their kids’ education. Making it to the National Bee is no small achievement, and none of the 273 kids got here by themselves. In the language of contemporary psychology, these are child-centered families.
In some cases, the kids have been nudged—or pushed—to get here. As one mother told me about her son, “He just won the statewide math competition—spelling is a side hobby I make him do.” It’s unlikely, though, that a kid would do all the drill and study required, then stand up and perform under pressure, if he or she didn’t have some kind of enthusiasm for competitive spelling. In fact there’s a rumor this year of a boy whose older brother was a top speller from a prior year and whose parents were grooming him to repeat his older brother’s success. But the boy himself wasn’t interested and so purposely misspelled at the school level to put himself out of competition. It’s an unusual truth: Most of these kids are here because—oddly—they find spelling truly interesting.
That interest alone, however, is not enough. They’ve needed copious support and cheering from parents to arrive here. In many instances a mother or father is the speller’s personal coach, and some parents hire a personal coach. To be sure, behind every speller’s performance onstage is the story of a family who cares deeply about that speller. For all the recognition that the finalists receive, their trophies could as well go to the family members who were quiet during a car trip so Ted could study, or who made sacrifices in their daily schedule so Jenny could fit in some extra word list drill.
And now, those sacrifices having been made, the Bee is almost here. The camcorders are ready, the cameras are loaded. Many of these spellers will be on the ESPN broadcast—the Tivo is set to record. Today is sunshine and Frisbees and kickball, but the anticipation, underneath the spirit of fun, is growing…