Warning: Bad Word Ahead (And don't go skipping to the end to find it...)

Bailey has really been struggling with her spelling words this week. She's had some words with the -ight spelling, and some with the -ite spelling. She has had a terrible time keeping straight in her head which ones are which. So she's spelling d-e-l-i-t-e and w-h-i-g-h-t. It's been extremely frustrating for both of us. Both right and write are on the list, and that has caused just extra headaches.

Friday is spelling test day. I knew going in that it wasn't going to be easy for her. We reviewed up until the last moment before the test. I even gave her the idea to associate write with kite, since she never misses that one. I said, "Think, 'I am going to write about a kite.'" It seemed to help at least a bit.

So we get through the phonics part of the test with ease, and it's now time for the spelling section. I've given her the first three words and she's breezed through them. It's now time for the final three (she's only tested on a random six of the fifteen she studied.) For might, she writes m-h-i-t-e, apparently because white was the word before that, which she wrote correctly. She gets right correct. It's time for the big finish.

The word is sight. She looks up at me with fear in her eyes. She's drawing a complete blank. Slowly she begins to write, s-h-i-t. And she stops.

If it hadn't been so obviously what she was feeling, it might not have been so hard to keep a straight face. But I could not hold back the laughter. Sadly, I have to explain to her why I'm laughing, which has already drawn Bradley in from the other room. He is incapable of playing this cool, which turns her cheeks even redder than they were to begin with.

Not our best homeschooling moment... but definitely one I won't soon forget!