Why is everyone so obsessed with the National Spelling Bee? Is it the fact that it’s on ESPN? Is it that we as adults are so sad that we are entertained by kids crying in the comfort room after they lose? Do we really like watching kids under that much pressure? Or is it that we love the guy who gives out definitions? I mean he does have kind of soothing voice that puts you to sleep. Whatever the reason, it appears that the National Spelling Bee may have a new queen, and she’s just a tot.
Edith beat out about 50 competitors age 5 to 14 at the Green Country Regional Spelling Bee in Tulsa, Okla., on Saturday, making her the youngest person ever to qualify for the Scripps National Spelling Bee, reports KJRH. Her winning word was “jnana”–which refers to the acquisition of knowledge through meditation and study in Hinduism–though she afterward used a less tricky word to describe her emotion: “I feel thankful,” said Edith, who is home-schooled.
As a parent I can tell you right now that I’m glad Edith is not my child. It’ll be adorable watching her spell words correctly on television but having a child that smart at that young an age usually causes more stress and issues than anything else.
To prepare for the competition, Edith looked up words she couldn’t spell correctly, allowing her to “learn about different countries and cultures and different kinds of food,” Fuller says. “I’m proud she held her own.” A rep says Scripps officials “look forward to welcoming Edith Fuller and all of our more than 280 national spellers” in Washington, DC. Should be fun to watch.
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