Both Fishburne and Bassett also remarked that an important message of "Akeelah and the Bee" is to "speak properly" rather than strictly in vernacular, although Bassett emphasized the importance of the film's themes beyond spelling and spelling bees. Atchison added that beyond learning how to spell words, Akeelah must learn the importance of the words. He said that Larabee "looks at Akeelah as a potential leader. He wants her to understand her history. She needs to know the importance of language – and competition." In spite of knowing its importance, it "deconstructthe 'competition' paradigm of learning", according to Ingman. Fishburne noted not only children but parents can learn from the film; in his opinion, the most important is that they should pay attention to their children's abilities. Villarreal also felt that, through Dylan's father, parents would be able to ponder if they are "push[ing their kids to follow their own dreams and not the children's dreams."