The bee's knees: Spelling bees and pop culture
(11/22/21 3:03am)
At 14 years old, you are not the best at most things. You are in middle school; you are learning about algebra and ancient civilizations, puberty, and prose. Maybe you are trying out for the soccer team or band. Whatever you choose to pursue, the assumption is that you will be pretty average. For Dev Jaiswal ’23, though, (and the other 11 million students who compete in school sponsored spelling bees each year) 14 years old was pretty much the sweet spot: middle school, for the serious, marks the peak of their spelling abilities. And, for the particularly serious, their introduction to a national media environment that has made spelling bees a cultural phenomenon.