Spelling Bee


It was Mindy's turn in the class spelling bee. The teacher said a word
and asked Mindy to spell it. Mindy realized that there was more than one
way to spell the word she heard, so she asked the teacher to use the word 
in a sentence. The teacher didn't catch on as to why a sentence was necessary,
but used the word in a sentence anyway. 

Mindy still wasn't sure how to spell the word, so she asked the teacher, "Up 
or down?". 

The teacher finally caught on and answered her question. After hearing the
teacher's reply, Mindy spelled a six letter word. She got the word right and 
went on to win the spelling bee. What word did Mindy spell?
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Answer:
RAISED  (as opposed to razed)

The teacher's sentence was:  
"They raised their children to respect their elders."