Generous Spelling Bee Winner!
July 9, 2009
Sometimes saying “thank you” says as much about you as it does the person to whom you’re saying it. Have you said it to your employees or co-workers recently?
We often spend a great deal of time and effort trying to teach our children the appropriate values that will help them be successful members of society. Every so often, though, it is the child who teaches us a valuable lesson.
In June, George Thampy won the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee by correctly spelling the word “demarche” in the 15th round of the competition. This impressed me since he’s only in the seventh grade, and I certainly didn’t know how to spell “demarche” when I was 12 years old. In fact, I didn’t even know what the word meant until I looked it up. (For the record, it means a course of action, a maneuver.)
His prize for winning? $10,000 in cash!
The most amazing thing about the whole situation was what he planned to do with his prize money. He planned to give it to his parents. You see, George is home schooled, and he credited his parents with his success in the competition.
Since his parents did most of the work in teaching him, he said, they should have the prize money. How many twelve-year-old children do you know who would voluntarily give away a $10,000 prize?
If a child can show this kind of appreciation for the people who have helped him succeed, we as adults should be able to do this as well. Take a minute to identify the people who have helped you succeed at work, at home, and in life. While you may not want to give each of them $10,000, a sincere thank you will make both of you feel great. And fortunately for you, “thank you” is much easier to spell than “demarche.”
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