A month ago I was banging around in the Citizen-Tribune storage room, looking for something. Sitting on the shelf, next to a pile of rubber bands, was a dust-covered Webster’s Dictionary.
I took it back to my office and put it on my desk. An hour or so later, I started paging through it. I had regularly perused the dictionary before, looking for fun words and definitions.
It is, after all, the second best “Good Book” on earth. How I got away from it is unknown.
Too busy? Hardly.
Any rate, it dawned on me we could really infuse enthusiasm into our weekly staff meetings with a word-a-week quiz: I pick the word, staffers first spell it, then define it.
I launched into the first quiz three weeks ago, explaining for 26 weeks, they would have the opportunity to expand their minds - and maybe get a prize. I would give them an A word first week, a B word the second, and on. You get it.
First week, they had their sheets of paper. “What’s the word?” one staffer asked.
R-gue-men-tae-shun, was my response. “Spell it and define it.” Grunts and groans. One staffer laid her pen on the table far too soon.
“Keep going,” said the boss.
Ever-efficient, bubbly, energetic, best-salesperson-in-the-world, farm girl and pianist at Snake River Church Mary Erickson Nehring smiled.
She nailed it. A perfect three points.
(Those country school-educated kids are good. Yes we are!)
ARGUMENTATION. In discourse (speaking) attempting to get an opposing view holder to accept your position.
Okay! The rest? One suggested the definition of Argumentation was “to argue.” That won’t work.
They’ll do better next week.
Next week, the same groan from the same people for the B word.
Bene-vo-lentz.
Spellings, okay. Definitions, better.
BENEVOLENCE. The (continuing) act of sharing a gift with others.
Last week, the C word.
CAPITALISM.
Can’t miss the spelling on that one - few did - they’re getting better.
What is capitalism? An economic system whereby people in the private sector are free to make or promote goods and services to sell to others and be in competition with others.
(Without government interference, right?)
I think this is getting fun. Some of them are buying into it, after all, their jobs are all about using the printed word to communicate.
And that is the beautiful part of our life on earth.
Catch a mis-spelling, as does our best friend, former Teacher Muriel Aleckson from Sherburne State Bank, and you can yell at us, as Muriel does, a little more often than I wish.
But there is a real twist coming to this weekly spelling-definition quiz at the office. It’s Thanksgiving Week and the tables may be turned.
Now I have their attention.
