Amy’s Adventures in Adolescence
I love words. I’ve enjoyed reading for as long as I can remember and always had a book with me when I was young. I love writing with pen and paper. I value penmanship. I have a genuine fondness for the English language.
In sixth grade, I was delighted that I scored high enough on a spelling test to participate in a school-wide spelling bee. All those years of reading were paying off by displaying my extensive vocabulary, and here was my chance at glory. I didn’t need to prepare because I already knew so many words from all that reading.
I excitedly shared the news with my parents. My dad made plans to be off work to watch me win.
The day of the bee finally arrived. When we drew numbers to choose our order, I selected “one”, a number befitting a winner. I stood at the front of the line while my dad sat in the audience waiting for his daughter to make him proud.
My word was “doctrine.”
My mind raced. What did she say? Doctrine? Is that even a word?
My heart started beating faster and faster. I was running out of time, so I said the only letters I could think of.
“Doctrine. D-O-C-K-T-R-I-N. Doctrine.”
Wrong. I took my place in the audience and hoped everyone would miss their words so I could have a second chance. In the first round my friend Lauren misspelled “abolish” and took her seat next to me. I scoffed to myself because I could have spelled that one easily. A few minutes later, we chattered to each other about how easy everyone else’s words were, until we were silenced by a resounding shush. S-H-U-S-H!
-Amy
