Spelling bees open doors for student learning

By Krista Allen
Special to the Times

TÓNANEESDIZÍ

Spelling helps your vocabulary and helps you become a better reader.

Being a better reader helps one become a better speller, according to Marion Kieckbusch.

“It’s a circular effect,” said Kieckbusch, the librarian at Second Mesa Day School who’s also the school’s spelling bee sponsor.

This is Kieckbusch’s third year as a sponsor. She said the classroom competitions at Second Mesa this year merged into a school-wide bee competition to help spellers become familiar with a microphone and speaking before a large crowd.

“We’re trying to make it a little better every single year,” Kieckbusch explained. “We’re trying to encourage (the students) and help them practice and (teach) them how learning to spell helps (a child’s) vocabulary, (therefore) becoming better readers.”

The ability to read is a vital skill in today’s society, according to the One World Literacy Foundation. Reading is how children discover new things and develop a positive image. Reading for pleasure as well as for information can deepen a child’s understanding of the world, which is an important aspect of going to college, said Kelynea Yazzie, a 2014 graduate of Monument Valley High in Kayenta.

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