Sunday, December 16, 2012

Bopping Along with Spelling


Two Sundays ago, I blogged about my auditory learning disability and how that affected my ability to spell. As long as I had a speller with a list of words in it to memorize each week in grade school, I could fairly well ace the spelling test each Friday. That changed in high school. For the first three years there was no spelling. Then, in my senior year, I signed up for English Literature.
         Studying the English poets, essayists, dramatists, and novelists from the Anglo-Saxon period up to the early twentieth century enthralled me. I’d always been passionate about reading. So studying English lit seemed like daily entering “seventh heaven.”
         Well, that’s not quite the truth. The literature transported me to celestial realms, but Sister Mary Rosaria’s insistence on spelling didn’t.  Each day she’d assign us a reading from the lit book. The next day she’d begin the classroom period with a quiz of ten words she’d chosen from the text we’d read.


         We never knew what those words would be and sometimes the text was so erudite that I simply couldn’t memorize all the words that might appear on her list. I couldn’t divide unfamiliar words into syllables and sound them out, much less pronounce them. I simply saw a word that I didn’t know and mostly figured out its meaning in context. So when she said a word, it was coded. That is, I often had no idea as to what letter started the word, much less what letters followed.
         Sister Mary Rosaria strode up and down the aisles, declaiming each of the ten words. I scribbled a group of letters on the paper. I didn’t even know then what a syllable was or that each syllable in the English language used a vowel. 
         She completed her list, then continued striding as she spelled the words correctly for us. We determined our score and gave it to her to record in her grading book. She strode as she recording our grades.
         Sometimes, all the words eluded me: 0 out of 10. Sometimes, I conquered as many as 3. That was cause for celebration on my part.
         But not so for Sister Rosaria. Each day, she doggedly called my name: “Dolores. What today?” I gave her my score. Immediately, she rounded the aisle and strode to where I sat. Muttering all the while, she rolled her sheaf of papers into a cylinder and bopped me on the head with it.
         Sometimes exasperation overtook her, and she continued to bop my shoulders and upper arms. I ducked, but her aim was good and it was only paper, so nothing but my pride was injured.
         To appreciate just how poor a speller I was, you need to know that in our class of twenty-six, I ended up being the valedictorian. So it’s not surprising that Sister Mary Rosaria suspected I was being contrary each day by doing so poorly on the spelling quiz.
         “Stop fooling around, Dolores! What was your real grade?”
         “I got one right.”
         “You’re mocking me! Tomorrow I expect 100 percent from you.”
         Ha!
         I did try, but to no avail. I had a good reading vocabulary and if I didn’t know what a word in the text meant by considering its context, I’d look it up. But I still didn’t understand how to say the word because I couldn’t interpret the pronunciation squiggles in the dictionary.
         I didn’t have a good speaking vocabulary because I had no idea how to attack new words and say them correctly. Whenever an adult said I word I didn’t know, I’d ask her or him to spell it. Then I’d memorize the letters in order and know that when I saw those letters they were pronounced the way that person had pronounced them.
         Of course, if the original person pronounced the word incorrectly, then I still do so today, even if someone has corrected my pronunciation. Once a word is rutted in my mind, I can’t seem to change it.
         To this day, I’ll hear a word and realize from its context that I’m hearing how to pronounce a word I know from my reading but have never known how it sounded when said aloud. And so I frequently ask people to spell a word for me that they’ve said and I memorize it so I can use it in writing. And in speech as well.
         And yet. And yet. I have been an editor for forty-five years. And a successful one at that.  Who can explain the vagaries of life? 

24 comments:

  1. Oh, you did have to struggle with spelling, poor Dee, and I can understand why your teacher couldn't believe that such a keen and able student couldn't spell new words. If it's any consolation in high school there were numbers of less common words that I only knew from reading and had no idea how to pronounce them properly. Even today I have to be careful not to pronounce misled mizzled. :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Perpetua, when I was teaching grade school back in the sixties my heart so went out to students who couldn't spell. But I really wasn't able to help them because I simply didn't know how to approach spelling. As to "misled mizzled," what does that mean and when might you use the words in a sentence? I'd like to know so I might add it to my reading vocabulary. Peace.

      Delete
    2. Dee, misled is the past tense of the verb 'to mislead', so you might say I was misled by the inaccurate article in the newspaper. But as a child I didn't know to separate the two syllables like this 'mis-led', so I thought of it as a non-existent) word mizzle to rhyme with drizzle. Does that make sense?

      Delete
    3. Dear Perpetua, thank you for the explanation of midled (mis-led). What is a mizzle? Were you misled by a mizzle?????? Or were you "mizzled" when you were misled? I'm eager to find out how to use that word. Is it both a noun and a verb? Can it be an adjective? Peace.

      Delete
    4. Dee, I've just checked my English dictionary to find that there is a now little-used meaning of mizzle which is 'to confuse'.

      Nowadays in the UK mizzle is used to refer to very fine rain - somewhere between mist and drizzle, but I didn't know that as a child. :-)

      Delete
    5. Dear Perpetua, thank you for these explanations. Now I have a new word. I can say that I was "mizzled" (confused) by your earlier comment. And I can also say that today here in Independence, Missouri, we had mizzle (fine rain, misty drizzle!). I'm loving this!!! Peace.

      Delete
  2. Learning disabilities were not well understood back then. I know now and even as far back as 1980 that there's a link between the ability to understand sound waves and then link this to thr recall of the spelling of words. Children who could not match pitch in music class also could not spell easily. They had to find their own ways to spell just like you.
    I also came to learn that the brain is subject to food sensitivities that for some reason block the ability to concentrate and spell along with other learning issues. One of my grade 4 pupils was fed eggs each morning. After having parents take eggs out of his diet his performance was very much improved! In my family one of my girls became very hyper when fed a hot bowl of cream of wheat cereal. Her teacher in kindergarten made us aware of her changed behaviour. Much less wheat was in her diet after that!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Heidrun, my learning disability wasn't diagnosed until in the late 1970s. You've made me wonder about my singing voice. No one has ever told me I sing off-key, but then no one has ever asked me to continue singing either!!! So maybe I do.

      My mother sang when doing all her tasks throughout the day and my brother and I both follow her lead and do this also. When I volunteered at the AIDS clinic and went to quite a number of memorial services, I always sang "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." I'm wondering now if I sang all off key??????? I'll need to ask someone if that's the case. Peace.

      Delete
  3. That must have made things very confusing to you! I'm reminded of George Bernard Shaw saying that the word "fish" could just as easily been spelled "ghoti" with the "gh" sound from "enough", the "o" from "women" & the "ti" from a word that ended in "tion".

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Fishducky, yes, confusing. I so like your telling us about George Bernard Shaw and the word "fish." English is such a hard language to learn! Peace.

      Delete
  4. They've made so many changes, regarding how to teach children how to read, since I was a kid that after learning the new methods with my kids, I've started understanding more about pronunciation. That's been nice because I always struggled with pronouncing words.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Elisa, I'm so glad to learn that schools are teaching more about pronunciation. Like you, I've struggled with that my whole life. Peace.

      Delete
  5. I am waiting to find out how you overcame all this to become one of the best writers I have ever read. And yes, I studied all that literature too, for two years when I lived in London. This must have been so difficult for you, in addition to the asthma and everything else you had to go through as a young person. You have really overcome so much.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Inger, the thing is that writing doesn't depend on spelling. Writing a novel demands the development of a plot and characters, motivation and suspense, scene and atmosphere. There's also an editor who can fix up the spelling!!!!!!!! Peace.

      Delete
  6. Spelling was never difficult for me, but my brother had struggles just like yours. I feel for my students who have difficulty spelling, because most don't have the discipline or techniques you used. There are so many facets of language acquisition that go into the learning of spelling that it's a wonder to me any of us can spell with any success at all.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Shelly, in her comment Fishducky points out something that George Bernard Shaw said about spelling the word "fish." I'd never heard it before but it just goes to show how difficult a language English is. And why spelling is hard, just as you said. I don't know that I had either discipline or technique. What I did have is a great need to be successful so that people would like me. That's what motivated so much of my first forty years of life. Peace.

      Delete
  7. Oh how this resonates. I read very widely. I read words I havve never heard - and I am still (despite dictionaries) not entirely sure how they are pronounced.
    Thanks Dee - another post which fills me with awe. Determination in spades.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear EC, we're in this together! Like you, there's such a difference between my reading and my speaking vocabulary. And you know, that determination comes from wanting to succeed so that everyone would like me. And that need came from the seeming abandonment I experienced at five. It's only been in the last few years that I've been able to come to grips with that. Peace.

      Delete
  8. You were so determined, but you're right: the fact that you became a successful editor for so long just amazes me. What an incredible accomplishment!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear DJan, you, having been/being an editor know the place of spelling in editing. I've become so cautious about spelling in a manuscript. I look up many more than most editors need to. Peace.

      Delete
  9. Your editing ability is testimony to your hard work.

    Love,
    Janie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Janie, thank you for your kind words. Peace.

      Delete
  10. This just proves your superior intelligence that you have not only done well, but have excelled against such an obstacle. Your are such a remarkable woman!! I am proud to know you. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Rita, I think you're somewhat biased in my favor!!!!! Thank you for that. It's always great to have someone like you in my cheering stand. I'm proud to know you also. Your creativity never fails to amaze me. And your cheerfulness in the midst of being mostly homebound is inspiring.

      I haven't been to your blog lately because of a series of doctors' appointment. All is well, but they've kept me busy and somewhat exhausted. Now the holidays are coming along with visitors for several days and so I won't get back to reading blogs until after January 1. I'm missing reading what is happening in your life, but I'm also aware that getting lots of rest is essential right now. So have a lovely, merry Christmas filled with warmth and light and the miracle of love. Peace to you, Rita.

      Delete