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Benefits of Spelling Bee and Vocabulary Contests
By Dr. Ratnam Chitturi

For over ten years, the North South Foundation has been conducting Spelling Bee and Vocabulary Contests for children in our communities. The objective of these contests is to promote excellence in proper usage of the English language among children. The Foundation designed these contests with a view to improve children's vocabulary and also help prepare them for the SAT examination. SAT test scores are widely used by colleges in the US as a measure of eligibility for admission. Our children usually do quite well in math but not so well in English.

Many children and their parents are not fully aware of the importance of developing English vocabulary to succeed academically. For example, preliminary selection for National Merit Scholarships is solely based on a student's PSAT score. In this test, 67% weight is given to English skills and 33% to Math skills. SAT scores assume great significance as one of the key selection criteria in college admissions. In an effort to encourage children to excel in English early on, the Foundation has embarked on nationwide spelling and vocabulary contests. Improving one's language skills normally takes many years, so the sooner one embarks on this, the better.

When viewed in its proper context, participation in the contest should be taken as a means to learn, not just a means to win. Participation in sports is a good analogy. One participates to learn and enjoy. So it is important to have a proper understanding and perspective.

Beyond improving English, the contest provides many other benefits:

  • Building self-confidence and self-esteem.
  • Meeting other children and making new friends in our community.
  • Being able to stand up on a stage and talk.
  • Improving communication skills.
  • Improving listening skills.
  • Developing discipline.
  • Setting goals and meeting them.
  • Competing against one's own ability, not against others.
  • Recognizing that hard work leads to success, more so than innate intelligence.
  • Realizing that practice makes one perfect.
Given that we have been conducting these contests for over 10 years, we have learned a lot. Our children have proven that through hard work they can achieve higher aspirations. We had children ten years ago who were just as normal and run of the mill as you could find in any part of our community. They did not possess any special or gifted skills. Yet, they had proven that they could rise to the top, despite the odds, through hard work. Even 15 minutes per day of consistent and focused effort will achieve significant positive results. Over the years, the Foundation's children won top ranks in the Scripps Howard Finals in Washington D.C. This is an extraordinary achievement for our children. Many of them were able to join some of the best schools in the country, including Brown, MIT, Stanford, Yale, Texas A& M, UCLA, and Harvard.


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