This semester I have been volunteering at Evie's school most Wednesdays at lunch time as a instructor/cat wrangler for the Junior School mahjong club. When the parent who organizes it found out I was willing (and able) to help with the club I really had no choice :) Evie joined the club and is in love with the game, she is among a handful of 1st graders in the club and I am totally fascinated that little kids can play a game with so many seemingly strange rules. I have even dragged my co-worker into helping me one week when the other mom wasn't able to come. I have been traveling a lot for work and have meetings some Wednesdays so I don't always make it... but always get flack from Evie when I miss it.
In November I missed a mahjong club to go to Clarkdale for work so as "punishment" (not really) I came to her school that Friday morning to help proctor the 1st grade spelling bee. So that it isn't a painful experience for too many of the kids (just a select few) the process is for kids to sit in the auditorium and write the first ten words on a paper. Those who get all 10 right go up on stage for a real(er) spelling bee experience. Evie and six other kids got all 10 words correct and went on stage. The first three were eliminated pretty quickly, some with tears.... Having never witnessed a spelling bee before I felt kind of bad (and was glad that I could be there for Evie when her tears came...)
The bee went on and on because Evie and her 2 friends knew the whole list by heart. The teacher decided to try the next list and all of them failed miserably (a sure sign that spelling is all about memorization and confirming what I always suspected... bad speller (like me) does not equal lack of intelligence). So in the end (and because it was time to go to the next class) it was determined that there would be three spelling bee winners and Evie was one of them! She was so thrilled and now treats the pencil she won with great reverence. I was happy to have missed the mahjong club that week so that I had the chance to be there for it!
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