Ethan, your word is...

At first he was excited about it, but by the time the Spelling Bee rolled around (Jan. 24th) and he more fully understood what exactly it entailed (guess he wasn't understanding me when I told him a time or two before that he'd be spelling the words orally in front of a group of parents & judges and also he thought he had to spell all 300+ words on the list...to name a couple of his complaints), Ethan didn't want to do it. He had stayed home sick the day before, so I knew he was still feeling not-so-great. However, I wanted him to go ahead and participate since we'd been practicing the list of words for the better part of three weeks and I knew it wouldn't last long and I knew he could do very well, as he's an terrific speller. So, after talking it up for a good portion of the afternoon--even going so far as semi-bribing him--and having him talk to Peter about it on the phone, Ethan rather reluctantly agreed to do it. "But I don't want to do it next year," he kept repeating. (I told him that we'll wait and see; he might feel differently once a whole year has gone by.) The first graders competed with the second graders, but they were given words based on the lists they'd been given to study which were 'grade-appropriate'. Ethan went first every round and did well. He outlasted most of the other kids. ...Then his principal said, "Ethan, your word is...under." He repeated the word back like he was supposed to, paused a moment and then started spelling, "u......d...n-e-r". He again said the word to indicate he was satisfied with his spelling of the word. ...My heart sank some & it ached a little when the principal went on to tell him that it was incorrect. Aaagh! Ethan switches letters like that every now and then...so has Brandon...perhaps it's a common thing among kids their ages. I just felt so bad for him because he knew how to spell the word, he probably just got a tiny bit confused standing there in front of the crowd! Oh well. Now I don't think Ethan or I will think of the word "under" in the same way again. :) He did do awesome; so brave to participate even though he didn't want to! He would've placed fourth or fifth overall, had they given awards out beyond third place. (Two 1st graders placed first and third while a 2nd grader placed second...FYI.) Anyway, we're proud of him! Way to go, Ethan!!! :) (If you're wondering, Brandon would've done awesome too had he participated, but he adamantly refused, and after discussing it, Peter and I decided to let him off the hook this year to give him a chance to watch it and see what it's like, but next year he WILL participate! He's a fantastic speller also. And it would be a good experience for him as far as facing his fear of standing before an audience--and this was a fairly small audience.) Below are some pics from a few different rounds (not his first or his final though) and then Ethan w/his certificate for participating...