The phrase “once in a lifetime” can mean an event or opportunity that literally will not be repeated within one’s lifetime, or, more usually, is an exaggeration that refers to an event or opportunity that happens infrequently. So, while Katina Seymour has coached a number of spelling bee contestants over the years, all of whom she said hold a special place in her heart, she describes it as an “honor and a divine blessing” to have encountered a student like Roy Seligman – a three-time Bahamas national champion who had a historic run at the 93rd Scripps National Spelling Bee over the summer, finishing tied for fourth place with three other spellers.
“Roy is different in that after his first competition, both nationally and internationally, he wanted to return. He wanted to go further than his last achievement. He wanted more – and I loved it. I then knew that Scripps National [Spelling Bee] was possible, and that we were a viable contender,” said Seymour.
Seymour, the head of Lower School and Primary Years Programme (PYP) coordinator at Lyford Cay International School, said what stood out for her in the very beginning was Roy’s curiosity, his love for learning, the questions he asked, and his willingness to find answers with her.
“He was not an empty barrel in the least. He came with innate smarts, and a gift that only needed to be set ablaze. I was the catalyst for this.”
Seymour, who has coached Roy for his three national title wins, said she observed the pre-teen intently during their first year and noted that he was willing to arrive at school early, and came prepared to learn and grow. She said he also did not complain or make excuses, continued the study plan at home without having to be coerced and was excited about what he was doing and what he was learning.
“He was the one,” said Seymour. “Upon seeing this, I knew I could push him further and ask more of him. He rose to the task every time.”
She said she had to keep reminding herself that Roy was only nine years old when they started working together, but at the same token, Seymour said Roy kept showing her that his age was not a factor.
As an educator, she takes joy in challenging students to go beyond what they think they can do. With Roy, she said it’s something she got to do frequently. One of the ways they did this was by having regular competitions between themselves.
“At first, I won the majority [of the competitions] and this inspired and motivated him. He wanted to beat me and I wanted to keep beating him as well because I saw how this pushed him.”
They were learning together.
“We worked together. We strategized together. We made connections together. We struggled together. I was just as involved … interested, and we enjoyed every moment.”
The coach said she also sought to challenge Roy with variety. Sometimes she would give him a specified time to match words with their origins or definitions, or she would give him definitions and he would have to tell her the word, or she would give him the word and he would have to say its origin. She would also have him draw or view images that helped him connect with and remember new words. They would walk the school’s campus calling and spelling words.
Seymour also gave Roy past Scripps and local competition spelling lists to review. They engaged in line spelling (taking turns alternating and spelling words one letter at a time). They also switched roles with Roy taking on the coach’s job and Seymour taking on the role of student, and he had to help her spell new words based on his clues. The duo played with patterns and built new word lists, and competed with each other, using a timer to ramp it up. She said words were their “friends” and they had fun with them.
Seymour was not alone in Roy’s coaching and said the pre-teen’s parents Nuala and Arthur Seligman were just as involved every step of the way.
“His mom would send updates and share how Roy said that learning or reviewing spelling was something he did for relaxation. He was ‘stung by the bees’ she said tongue-in-cheek. There was never a time that Roy wasn’t ready – or didn’t want to work,” she recalled.
“As a matter of fact, in my role as coach, I often reminded him of the importance of balance. Our statement to him, especially as we neared the 2021 championship was, ‘After you have eaten, Roy, you need to give the food time to digest, so that it nourishes your body.’ This meant that after he had spent hours studying, he needed to give his brain time to process, assimilate and connect the information for it to be useful and help with new learning. He understood this and agreed. From that point, he was setting his own schedule – early mornings, lunch breaks and evening sessions were led by him.”
Once they “tasted” the national win in 2019, Seymour said Roy was intrinsically motivated to return. In 2020, as the pandemic unfolded, she said Roy networked with other spellers, participated in online bees and once she and he returned to school, they continued the routines they established early on – learning vocabulary, studying language patterns, building online study sets, read, and read widely; made personal and experiential connections with words and other spellers; explored words from various fields and professions; played games and made learning fun.
Top five ingredients
The top five ingredients that made Seymour’s partnership with Roy work and that aided in his accomplishment included personal drive and commitment from both Roy and herself; a supportive team – student, family and coach, and by extension the extended community; access to resources – people, equipment and otherwise; being knowledgeable – research about the bee and what it takes to win on all levels; belief in the student, the process, the product; and personally, she said, a belief and faith in a God who reminds them that the diligent hands will rule.
Coaching also required giving up personal time from both sides and Seymour said there is no escaping that – whether at school early mornings, lunch breaks, after school – or even over the years, they’ve done Saturday sessions.
“What makes the sacrifice worth it is that every time we met, Roy was ready and prepared to learn, work, and make the most of our time. We enjoyed the sessions and grew together. So, while it was a lot of personal time, I enjoyed every minute of it.”
The coach said she loves engaging with activities and experiences that stimulate her mind, and that spelling is one of them.
“I love words, stretching my brain, having great conversations about the bee and students in the bee, [and] making connections to the new words as well. Though in my personal time, I must honestly say that because I found someone like myself, it was more like investing in myself even while helping Roy.”
As Seymour watched Roy ascend the championship stage – and she sat front row – which she said felt surreal, in that moment, she said she was optimistic and proud.
“There were mixed
emotions,” she recalled. “[I was] super nervous when the competition finally began. I was relieved and more hopeful after each round. My level of pride, gratitude, satisfaction and appreciation kept rising as I reminisced on where we came from and how, with God’s help and Roy’s diligent hands, we made it to the world stage. This thought had me emotional at points in the competition … I was simply overjoyed and grateful. Sharing these moments with the Seligman family was a major blessing. I have the greatest appreciation for them.”
As she read about the journeys of past and current spellers, the coach said she realized that Roy was doing everything, and in some cases, more than others around the world.
“Roy is an amazing student. He was keen and [at that point] wanted to be on that stage. All along the journey, he set incremental goals and I supported and endorsed them. Each time he achieved them, we got the feeling that more was awaiting us, and together we pressed forward.”
Looking back, Seymour said heading into the finals, her role with Roy was fluid.
“When we began the journey, I was indeed the teacher – imparting knowledge, exposing him to strategies, providing opportunities and information. Then there were times I became his motivator and encourager – this role is equally important, especially as the stage and the stakes got higher. Before the finals, I reminded Roy, as I did many times – no matter the outcome, you are already and will always be my champion.”
Seymour remembers asking him to look her in the eye as she said that to him, and that she always got a smile, the one that assures her that he will be OK, in return. She said their pre-competition talk concluded with her telling Roy, “I only expect your best,” and that Roy replied, “I will do my best.”
Roy tied for fourth place at Scripps with three other spellers.
After the competition, the coach said she asked Roy how he was, a question that she said was important because Roy is a person, her student, and someone’s child, who is now like her own family. As such, she said Roy’s well-being will always be more important than the results.
“I made a commitment to his parents and to Roy that I will treat him as I would want someone to treat my son. Afterward, I let him freely tell me about his performance [at Scripps], where he felt confident, and where he had doubts [without] pressure. Within minutes, he did, and I listened. He was on the stage. He knew the experience. It was his story and I wanted him to tell it from his perspective.”
Seymour said she was definitely not disappointed with his result.
“We set incremental goals throughout the journey to [that] point [and] he exceeded them all. When he embarked on the stage for the finals, the goal was to be in the top 10; we didn’t want to be eliminated in the first round – we did it. Top nine, top eight, top seven, top six, and then top five … I was over the moon … ecstatic – almost couldn’t contain myself. I was the proudest coach in the arena, for sure. The thought of making history again for The Bahamas, brought great fulfillment. I prayed and thanked God during and after each round. When the finals ended and it was official that he tied for fourth, it was amazing.”
In 2019, Roy tied for 51st place.
“From 51st to fourth – the victory was sweet!”
Next level exposure
Preparation for 2021 was different from 2019 for the duo.
“In 2019, we were totally new to the game. We had a handful of resources that both parents and I explored and decided on together. We understood the importance of vocabulary in this competition, the whole essence of a word – its etymology, part of speech, definitions [some words have multiple], context, pronunciation [some words have multiple]. This is where we did the groundwork. This was the heavy lifting, so-to-speak, and where most of the time was spent. This is the firm foundation that must be laid for all the pieces to make sense and connect.
“The next step was to learn the thousands of word roots, prefixes and suffixes. After this, it was exposure, exposure, and more exposure to our ‘friend’ as we called her – Merriam Webster [dictionary] – the unabridged version. We used the apps, game cards, Quizlet, online competitions, words from various professions – medical, science, legal, etc.”
To prepare for the 2021 competition, they continued in the same vein, but added another dimension. During the lockdowns of 2020, Roy, with his parents’ guidance, connected with past and current spellers from around the United States, online, including some of the 2019 “Octochamps”, which was strategic.
Roy was able to engage and network with like-minded students, and participate in online competitions. Seymour described it as “next-level exposure and experience”, especially as the bee was canceled in 2020, due to the pandemic, and the new online Scripps format was announced in early 2021.
“Online connections can be tricky for children, so having his parents lead and monitor those connections was super important. They were beneficial for Roy. His confidence grew. He saw himself as capable and wanted to continue his quest.”
Seymour’s personal mantra as a coach is that she always remembers that her students are children first – and someone else’s child at that – and that learning for them must be engaging, meaningful, and appropriate.
“They must buy into the process and the diligence necessary to achieve any personal goal or measure of success. I often remind Roy, and assure his parents, that I will never impose my dreams or will on him. If the student is not interested, unwilling to work, or if the student ever loses their love for it … in this case for the bee, I would be willing to end it all. Their overall well-being is the priority. I need them well to work on this level.
“One of the reasons I am an educator today is because I honestly love learning. So, whatever I do, and whenever I work with a student for the bee, or any task that requires time, sacrifices, personal commitment, and a level of independence, accountability, and responsibility, they must love it. If not, the joy is removed and the learning becomes more work-laborious [and] it comes crashing to an end. For me, learning is continuous and happens on a continuum, and I want my students to see it like that.”
Katina Seymour’s top ingredients in making a spelling bee champ
• A personal drive and commitment from the student and the coach.
• A supportive team – student, family and coach – and by extension, the extended community.
• Have access to resources – people, equipment, and otherwise.
• Be knowledgeable – research about the bee, and what it takes to win on all levels.
• Belief in the student, the process, the product, and personally, belief and faith in a God who reminds me that the diligent hands will rule.
The post The making of a spelling champ: coach’s perspective appeared first on The Nassau Guardian.
source https://thenassauguardian.com/the-making-of-a-spelling-champ-coachs-perspective/
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