(Spelling) Bee Season

My 11-year-old son is representing his grade in the district-wide spelling bee. In preparation and celebration, we picked up the DVD Akeelah and the Bee. It was fun and inspiring, and we thoroughly enjoyed it.

Unfortunately, I think it was also a little intimidating - those words at the national level are tough! And how many kids have a dedicated coach who is an English professor and knows Latin? It would be hard to compete with that kind of preparation, no matter how long you studied on your own.

My son and I are going to have to redouble our efforts if we want to make it to the Nationals. Yes, I know I'm using "we." As Akeelah discovers, there are "50,000 coaches" who want to help.