One time I lost a spelling bee with the word "than".  The moderator said the word, and he used it in a sentence like, "The sun is bigger than the earth."  I spelled it T-H-E-N.  And I lost.  I walked to my seat and tearfully sat down next to my mom, who explained the difference between "then" and "than".  I'll never forget that fateful day, nor will I ever get the two words confused again.  Public education success?  I guess you could call it that.  You could also call it compulsory public humiliation by way of meaningless nerve-filled competition.  Either one, I suppose. #language