I can handle cracks about spelling bees, as I know it's not for everyone. Same goes for home-schoolers. I can even handle cracks about list memorizers because I've done it for QB and I'm not alone. But to generalize about all three of those together (and the people who fit them all) is just inaccurate and smacks of sour grapes. I do home-school my 3 1/2 kids (or rather, my wife does), they do memorize some things (like math facts), and they'll participate (at least once) in the Spelling Bee in our area when they're old enough (and, in our benighted area, have a good chance to win). If the parents can control themselves (which, for me, honestly, being a quite competitive person, is not easy) and the kids like doing it, it's a good thing. I ran the home-schoolers spelling bee this year in our county. We set up a hotseat for them a la Regis (instead of standing at a mike like the "real" bee), and they had a blast! The fact that many of them got words right before being knocked out gave them an experience in public performance they'll remember for a long time. Anyway, you don't need to memorize much at the pre-National level if you enjoy reading. Most words appear in good children's literature (Nationals, of course, is different.) If a home-schooled list-memorizer killed you (or someone you love) in Spelling Bee (or any other academic contest) sometime in your life, get over it already.
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