Proud Parents!

I had to share this tonight... I'm too proud and excited not to.

I received a phone call from school last week from Eli asking my permission for him to compete in his school's Canspell competition. He was the best speller in his class and was now eligible to compete. I, of course, said yes! I was so proud of him for even entering. He turns green before every piano recital and hates speaking in front of people so a spelling competition is a BIG deal......

Tonight was the competition and he was cool as a cucumber... maybe not a cucumber as he acted more like he had fire ants crawling all over his body the entire time (6-8 pm is not his best time of day, his ADHD meds have worn off and he is in a bit of rebound, so he gets pretty wiggly and excitable), but he was calm, cool and collected each time his turn came.

Canspell is a heartbreaking competition (and nerve wracking!). It was a school wide competition and I was surprised to learn that the grade Fives would be competing with EVERYONE (grades 5-8). No separation of grades. Yikes! I nearly cried when the first two kids were eliminated  (both were oopsies not spelling error... that was HARD to see) and every round I held my breath and closed my eyes while Eli stood up to spell. He took his time and asked questions and spelled all of his words correctly. He was almost disqualified for an incorrect letter, but he corrected himself BEFORE finishing the letter (a completed incorrect letter, even if immediately corrected is a disqualification).... As each round progressed and more and more spellers left the spelling circle, I was both relieved, stressed and proud. Relieved because he made it one more round, stressed because he made it one more round.... Proud, well, you get it.

He was finally disqualified for the word "waiver"(he spelled in the incorrect homonym)  with only 3 other students still standing. His overall place was a tie for Third with both second and first place students being from grade Eight.  He won a $50 Gift card for placing First in Grade Five! What a fabulous job he did! Way to go Eli!!