Note: This is the first of a series of interviews and other features on Bluffton third graders. The Icon thanks third grade teachers, Ann Kingsley, Andy Armstrong, Janelle Bogart and Beth Raeburn, for participating in this project.
Interviewed are: Delaney Maple (Kingsley); Caitlin Dailey (Bogart); Kylie Monday (Anderson); Libby Frazier (Raeburn)
Tell me about the first time you lost a tooth:
Caitlin: I think I was outside wiggling it and I pulled it. Then my dad grabbed a napkin and pulled it off. I wrote a note to the tooth fairy and put it under my pillow.
Delaney: I think it was this one (pointing to a front tooth). My dad helped me with it.
Kylie: I was playing tug of war with my brother. I don’t know why it came out, but it really hurt the first time.
Libby: It was at the swimming pool after my fifth birthday. I was going to dive off the diving board and when I hit the water it jerked my jaw and I pulled it out.
What kind of things do you learn in the third grade?
Kylie: Math, spelling and science.
Libby: Social studies.
Caitlin: Recess (everyone laughs).
Delaney: We go up to the math board and write stuff.
Is third grade harder than second grade?
Caitlin: In second grade at the end of the year we learned multipliers, 2, 1, 0, 10 and 5. We are learning more of them in third grade.
Libby: We are learning division in third grade. Third grade is harder than second. In second grade we had more time to do stuff and there was less homework. Every week we learn stuff harder and harder and your mind just blows up.
Caitlin: We are now learning the meaning of words like transcontinental, Lewis and Clark and George Washington.
Delaney: And we are studying about the Civil War.
Caitlin: Daniel Boone.
Libby: Sacajawea.
Tell me about her:
All: She helped Lewis and Clark find the way on their journey. George Washington hired Lewis and Clark to find the Pacific and they discovered lots of new places.
Tell me what you are thinking about the fourth grade, next year:
Libby: I’m a little worried about learning the recorders. You know, the difference between F and G.
Caitlin: We’ll do more division, like 14 divided by 20.
You mean dividing smaller numbers by larger numbers?
Caitlin: Yeah.
Kylie: We’ll do more math.
Delaney: There will be more science tests.
Libby: Now we are in home groups and you have a class. In the fourth grade you go to other rooms, but we don’t do that in third grade.
Kylie: It will be confusing on where you go next (from one room to the next).
What subject do you like best in school?
Delaney: Probably math.
Caitlin: Math or social studies. In social studies you learn things from the past.
Kylie: Probably math and science. I like science. I can do projects.
Libby: Social studies is what I personally like. In science we had a bean plant.
Delaney: There was no soil in it, just water, but it still grows. It has lots of roots. I didn’t think there could be so many.
Caitlin: Right now we are having a guessing thing with leaves – carrots, radishes, lettuce and tomatoes. You have to guess the plant by the leaf.
Libby: The hardest is the tomato.
Delaney: The hardest for my group was the radish.
If you could have any pet in the world, what would it be?
Delaney: A dog and cat. I have a dog and I like her. I just have wanted a cat for a long time.
Caitlin: Well, I have lots. I have a puppy and dog. My puppy is a lot meaner than my dog, George. I’d have a rabbit and name it Carrot.
Kylie: I’d have a puppy and a bunny. I’ve never had a puppy before. When I’m older I want a bunny and a horse.
Libby: A horse and bunny. The horse would be Windspiker. The bunny would be Mr. Fluffy. I’d also like an alligator about this long (indicating with her hands about 2 feet). I love reptiles.
Tell me about some of the books you are reading:
Delaney: I’m reading fairy books. I have almost all of them.
Caitlin: Ramona Forever.
Would you like to be Ramona?
Caitlin: Yes.
Kylie: Cam Jansen. She’s a girl whose name is really Jennifer. She remembers everything. That’s why her name is Cam (as in camera – photographic memory).
Libby: The Escape of the Dirty Plant That Eats Socks. It’s about two boys. One owns that plant. The other has a plant that eats clean socks.
What famous person would you like to meet?
Delanie, Caitlin and Kylie all at once: Taylor Swift. (It was determined as part of this question that Hannah Montana is not liked by any of the four).
What would you like to be when you grow up?
(Long pause before anyone answered)
Delaney: A teacher. Second grade or kindergarten.
Kylie: A vet – my sister explained what they do – or a teacher.
Caitlin: A veterinarian. Because I have lots of animals, five hens, two frogs, two snails (lots of other animals that the interviewer didn’t have time to write down).
Libby: An engineer. I like to build stuff.
Thanks everyone, now let’s take your picture.
