PK: A Day in the Life of a Smith Smartie
By James Hutchins - FF/S
Last week, the Smith Smarties' letter of the week was “i," so I must say that my experience as a pre-K student was incredible and interesting.
It was a sunny and warm day, just as Charlie predicted when he checked the conditions outside. Predicting the weather is one of the many things that the Smith Smarties do each morning, in addition to going over the days of the week and counting the number of days we have been in school this year. It was exciting to see that place value, Spanish color words, computers, and a slew of reading and writing activities are all in a day's work in pre-K.
I met some impressive young men and women that day. When I entered the classroom, Trenton, William, Joshua and Garrett were eager to make friends with me. Blair and Mia taught me how important it is to begin sentences with special, capital letters. Murray, who I must say was an incredible host, was sure to make me feel at home. He brought me plates of food, the plastic kind of course, throughout the day. Thanks, Murray!
Charlie and William were making preparations for the Special Olympics. (This is just one of the many ways that Darlington's pre-K students serve the community!) Charlotte, of course I now call her “cupcake,” was working diligently writing her sentences. Lily and Anna Grace quietly worked on their vowel letters, while Emma illustrated her knowledge of vowel placement. Angeline was adding a few minor details to the igloo drawing she was planning to share during show and tell.
Show and tell was a very important part of the day. Here are some interesting things that were shared:
• Iron Man was very popular with Charlie, Kines and Garrett.
• Mia shared her “I Love Justin Bieber" bracelet and entertained us with his hit song “Baby."
• Chatlie’s inchworm was a hit.
• Angeline’s igloo was colored beautifully.
• Joshua was unique with his ice tray.
• Porter showed off his iPod and asked if anyone wanted to touch it.
• Murray brought in the book "Me Too Iguana."
• Blair told us about her lovely ice skating picture.
• Josey had an interesting ink stamp.
• Alex played a beautiful Indian drum her grandmother gave her.
Before lunch, we got to go to the playground for a little while. William, Murray and I played hide-and-seek, while everyone else ran around and played on the swing set. Lunch was fun! I sat next to Cupcake, Angeline and Josey. They kept me busy running back and forth to the sandwich table. They really like sandwiches, especially the ones with peanut butter. When we showed Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Cox how much we ate, we got to choose our ice cream. Mine was delicious, vanilla and chocolate!
After lunch, I was sad to see Lily and Murray go home for the day. But I’ll get to see them again soon. I also was sad I didn’t get to see Alli as she wasn't able to be at school. I plan on making a point to see her soon, though!
This day, I became (and always will be!) a Smith Smartie. I immersed myself in the experience and went home totally worn out and exhausted! I have to give kudos to Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Cox for helping make this day, and every day, special at the Lower School.
James Hutchins, currently the director of Middle School, will serve as director of Darlington's PK-8 program beginning in July 2012. Over the next several weeks, he will spend a day with each grade level at the Lower School and blog about his experience.
