I learned some new words last night

And then I promptly forgot them all. The National Spelling Bee championship was aired live on ABC last night, and I found myself switching back and forth between it and "So You Think You Can Dance".

These kids blew my mind. They're in ELEMENTARY school, for pity sake!

I never really understood spelling bees, and never realized that ones for kids this small would have words that are incredibly difficult that no one has ever heard of. It didn't take me long to figure out how they do it, though --- they study etymological rules. So they can ask "What is the language of origin." Or, if they get a word that sounds like something else, they can ask "is that from the ______ root _____ meaning _____?" etc. Of course, that requires KNOWING the roots in different languages (like Greek, Latin etc.).

So, it was entertaining to watch. However I have to wonder if going to all of that trouble to learn etymology is actually going to enrich their lives and educational/career propects outside of the spelling bee world. It reminds me, though, that kids have a TON of potential to learn, remember and understand, and that they seem to be rarely encouraged to live up to it. I'm going to have to do a little research and find out if kids that go far in this are usually VERY gifted, or if some of them are just average and have worked at it.