Your Word is “Wordnesia”

Have you ever wondered how you would prepare to be a pronouncer in a Spelling Bee? Have you wondered how you would effectively read detailed definitions that are filled with unfamiliar technical vocabulary? If you have, then VA Gamma Omicron sister, Knikki Hernandez, would be the A?K sister to ask.

Knikki, a high school Spanish teacher in Greene County VA, has been the official pronouncer for Charlottesville’s The Daily Progress Spelling Bee Regional Final for the past five years. She believes that this event is academically challenging and a positive experience for students. “It’s also one of those events that brings a community together,” she says. She further believes that it is a celebration of the ambition and hard work that go into a scholastic competition.

For Knikki, the hard work begins about three weeks before the competition. After receiving the official 500 word list, she identifies especially challenging words and begins her research. She says, “The pronunciation is obviously key.” She looks up the words, listens to their pronunciations and becomes familiar with the definitions. She spends many hours preparing so that when she walks to the podium?assume her role, she is confident, but there is still pressure. “I want to do the best possible job for the kids. I don’t want to let them down.”?

Knikki says that it’s when the spellers ask for a definition that her job can become more difficult, but that’s when her preparation really shows. An average spelling bee competition can easily be three hours long. Knikki says, “I have to be ‘on’ the whole time. As an educator, I take great pride in being part of an event where I see kids who are invested in their future. I’m proud of their accomplishments, and I know they have spent many hours preparing for the bee. Seeing them excel on stage is where I get my fulfillment. That’s why I love the spelling bee so much.”?

Who knows? With enthusiasm like that, we may one day see Knikki Hernandez pronouncing for the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Her Alpha Delta Kappa sisters would certainly want to be there to support her.

Wordnesia is the phenomenon of blanking on the spelling or pronunciation of a common word, a problem Knikki does not have.