‘I don’t like to brag but I’m excellent at this’: Frances Whiting on her super skill

I don’t like to brag – well I do, but I pretend not to – but the fact is, I am an excellent speller, writes Frances Whiting on her secret skill.

First of all, thank you to the many readers who wrote to say how much they enjoyed my “Only Fran’s” column.

I truly love receiving your letters, and I appreciate the time you take to write. I would also like to gently point out to some of you that I don’t really have an Only Fran’s account, and no, Mr R.W, of Surrey Hills, I do not have a photo of me polishing my shoes to send you.

Now, I’m not sure if that’s a euphemism, but either way, I’m not going to do it.

Anyway, this week I’d like to talk about something I really am passionate about and that’s spelling. (Oh yes, if it were real, my Only Fran’s page would have been hot stuff, wouldn’t it? … “And now I’m going to spell Ornithocercus, you naughty boy.”)

I don’t like to brag – well I do, but I pretend not to – but the fact is, I am an excellent speller. How excellent? Well let’s just say you are looking at the 1982 Ironside State School Year 7 Spelling Bee winner.

I won that year for spelling “incognito” correctly, narrowly beating out Sophie Dittman, who went down like a ton of bricks with “magnificent” – what a loser. Sophie, if you’re reading this, I don’t really think you’re a loser, but only one of us has that giant bumblebee trophy on her mantelpiece. I wish you could see it – it’s magnificent.

Spelling is one of those skills I learnt in primary school that has stood me in good stead my entire life; it’s helped me become a better writer, a better reader and it’s a skill I have used again and again in my working life.

Frances Whiting shares her secret skill and why it’s so vital. Picture: Tara Croser.

This is as opposed to many other skills I learnt in primary school that frankly have proved no use to me whatsoever, including how to use an abacus, light a Bunsen burner, and perform the long jump.

I can confidently say I have never been asked to do any of these things since primary school – “Man, this party is really dying, quick can anyone perform Greensleeves on the recorder?!”

But spelling? It’s a lifelong skill – and pleasure.

And in an age of predictive texting and artificial intelligence, it’s also an excellent cognitive exercise to give our brains a workout.

Anyway, if you have a spelling fan in your family, or your classroom, I’d like to direct your attention to a really great competition, The Prime Minister’s Spelling Bee. It’s a free, online competition for students in Years 3-8, and it’s a lot of fun.

Students receive 30 randomly selected words from their competition level and have 25 seconds to type each answer.

Teachers, you can register your students from now until August 18, with the state and national finals held in late August and September.

The good news is that the national champion in each age group will win a trip to Canberra to meet the Prime Minister, an iPad, a HarperCollins book pack and a $1000 voucher for their school. So if you fancy yourself a speller, or you know someone who is, go to spelling-bee.com.au for all the information you’ll need.

And here’s a tip, given this is the Prime Minister’s Spelling Bee, it might be worthwhile learning how to spell A-l-b-a-n-e-s-e. Good luck.