"Can you Spell co-champions?" the Metro page of the Washington Post read; both Vanya Shivashankar and Gokul Venkatachalum were named co-winners of the 2015 Scripps National Spelling Bee. A slew of what we call "haters" attacked them because they are of Indian descent; the fact is, Indian Americans have been winning the Scripps Spelling Bee for the past eight years, including two out of the five instances in the history of the contest in which co-champions were named. Impressive!
Well, apparently, not to everyone. Several people took to Twitter to vent their disapproval, stating that the next winner needed to be "American", and not of Indian descent, which prompted analysis and discussion about why the trend has been Indian winners of the spelling bee. While many people talk about how Indian Americans have an "extraordinary work ethic" or how education is valued more by Asians in general more than those born on this continent, I propose a different theory. I would say that Indians value spelling in their homeland- it is integrated into their instruction/schools.
Part of my goal with TCM and behind etymological studies is to increase our understanding of language in general, to help people learn other languages as well. Grammar shows the structure of a language, and although the structure may differ, the components never change. Meaning, a noun is a person, place, thing, or idea in English, Spanish, or Chinese. A noun can be described by an adjective in Arabic and French alike. I would like to travel internationally to spread my views on this concept- and India seemed a fertile ground for this effort. Why?
Check out India Trust, a non-government, public agency with nation wide operations dedicated to Human Resource Development, advanced training and policy advocacy in the areas of EDUCATION, TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT in the sectors of CAREER MANAGEMENT, EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP DEVELOPMENT. This organization sponsors an India-based contest called "Spelling Bee International". In addition, teachers are eligible to participate in a training, and workbooks are developed and provided to participating schools.
In other words, etymology is held in high regard in Indian culture; thus, it is natural that they continue to dominate in an area of study that we ignore or barely touch in our schools. Yes, we may learn some prefixes, roots, and suffixes; but think about when was the last time you (as a student) or your child (as a parent) really got a thorough etymology lesson? How deep does your/their word study go? What is your/their relationship with the English language? If we came up learning English as our first language ,then we generally think first in English- for clarity of thought, shouldn't this be a part of every class in our schools?
It seems Indian educators, policymakers, and stakeholders are aware of this:
http://logophilia.in/
http://www.spellbeeinternational.com/
http://indiaspellbee.in/
http://www.classmatespellbee.in/
Well, apparently, not to everyone. Several people took to Twitter to vent their disapproval, stating that the next winner needed to be "American", and not of Indian descent, which prompted analysis and discussion about why the trend has been Indian winners of the spelling bee. While many people talk about how Indian Americans have an "extraordinary work ethic" or how education is valued more by Asians in general more than those born on this continent, I propose a different theory. I would say that Indians value spelling in their homeland- it is integrated into their instruction/schools.
Part of my goal with TCM and behind etymological studies is to increase our understanding of language in general, to help people learn other languages as well. Grammar shows the structure of a language, and although the structure may differ, the components never change. Meaning, a noun is a person, place, thing, or idea in English, Spanish, or Chinese. A noun can be described by an adjective in Arabic and French alike. I would like to travel internationally to spread my views on this concept- and India seemed a fertile ground for this effort. Why?
Check out India Trust, a non-government, public agency with nation wide operations dedicated to Human Resource Development, advanced training and policy advocacy in the areas of EDUCATION, TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT in the sectors of CAREER MANAGEMENT, EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP DEVELOPMENT. This organization sponsors an India-based contest called "Spelling Bee International". In addition, teachers are eligible to participate in a training, and workbooks are developed and provided to participating schools.
In other words, etymology is held in high regard in Indian culture; thus, it is natural that they continue to dominate in an area of study that we ignore or barely touch in our schools. Yes, we may learn some prefixes, roots, and suffixes; but think about when was the last time you (as a student) or your child (as a parent) really got a thorough etymology lesson? How deep does your/their word study go? What is your/their relationship with the English language? If we came up learning English as our first language ,then we generally think first in English- for clarity of thought, shouldn't this be a part of every class in our schools?
It seems Indian educators, policymakers, and stakeholders are aware of this:
http://logophilia.in/
http://www.spellbeeinternational.com/
http://indiaspellbee.in/
http://www.classmatespellbee.in/
Excerpt from NPR's "Why Indian Americans Reign As Spelling Bee Champs"
Arvind's dad, Srinivas Mahankali, says it's not just about the words. Rather, he sees spelling as a "window" into everything from history and culture to science and medicine. Mahankali says it's no surprise that spelling bees have caught on with Indian immigrants like him, who put great emphasis on learning.
Mahankali says spelling also teaches kids logic, as they use a word's origin and meaning to deduce its spelling. But it is also, of course, an exercise in memorization, and while rote learning tends to be scorned in American schools these days, it is central to Indian education, and very much valued by immigrant parents who grew up that way, like Mahankali.
Arvind's dad, Srinivas Mahankali, says it's not just about the words. Rather, he sees spelling as a "window" into everything from history and culture to science and medicine. Mahankali says it's no surprise that spelling bees have caught on with Indian immigrants like him, who put great emphasis on learning.
Mahankali says spelling also teaches kids logic, as they use a word's origin and meaning to deduce its spelling. But it is also, of course, an exercise in memorization, and while rote learning tends to be scorned in American schools these days, it is central to Indian education, and very much valued by immigrant parents who grew up that way, like Mahankali.
I hope my message is clear; we need to take a serious look at integrating etymology into our curriculum; not just in language arts and English, but in our approach to curriculum and instruction overall.
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