Spelling makes a comeback in U.S. schools

BOSTON, Jan. 9 (UPI) -- Spelling lessons are making a comeback in U.S. schools, which have had a spelling decline in an era of spellcheckers and text lingo, educators said.

Richard Gentry, a Florida reading and spelling consultant, told The Boston Globe that spelling is a hot topic these days. "Researchers want to understand how we learn it, teachers want to know how best to teach it, and kids want to know how to ... win competitions." he told the newspaper.

Spelling-themed movies such as 2006's "Akeelah and the Bee'' and 2002's "Spellbound," as well as the Broadway musical "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee'' have given new importance to what was quickly becoming a lost art.

The Scripps National Spelling Bee is broadcast live on ESPN.

The Internet has actually made people more aware of bad spelling, the newspaper said Monday.

"People never knew how to spell," said Geoffrey Nunberg, a linguist and professor at University of California, Berkeley.

"They kept it a secret unless you saw their shopping lists or Christmas letter. You didn't see the comments they wrote on other people's blogs. You didn't see their own blogs."