So, I believe that at Tallulah Falls School, the opportunities available for our students are tremendous. Fifth grade is able, first of all, to participate in sports at this time. The selection of sports—including equestrian, swim team, and cross country—is just spectacular to me.
And let me say one thing: we had two fifth graders this year who were awesome. We have a boy and a girl, and they were winning; it’s been a great thing. But it isn't only in sports; we have so many things here daily that we offer, such as performing arts and technology. That's amazing. We also have a learn-to-swim program at our natatorium, which is held weekly. We go on Thursdays, and to us, that's a life skill that everybody needs to have.
Absolutely. And honestly, we have several students who don't know how to swim, and they've been working on that skill all year. We are so proud that the school emphasizes that; they don't want anyone to leave here without having that skill.
Well, I absolutely love fifth graders. You just never know what they're going to come up with, and they're so eager to learn. They're just at the point where they are almost like little sponges—they want to soak everything up. If something is of interest to them, you better be on your game because they may come up with a question that you can't answer! They're just great. They are so honest, and they truly want to please. They aren't afraid, which I really appreciate; they'll just jump in and try something new.
I agree with that. They are very respectful of each other, and we teach that as well through our character education program, the Tallulah T-12, which we love. The students in fifth grade are very loving and they love to have fun. We have a lot of fun in fifth grade; they bring that energy with them and we try to give them that time. I just feel like they're unique because they're so good to each other.
I love to see it in science especially. They get so excited to get to do a lab. I remember the first time they put on goggles this year; one student said, "Oh, Ms. Fain, I feel like a scientist!" and I told them, "You are one!"
And with me, it's reading. I have students who, at the beginning of the year, may be struggling to read or have had negative thoughts about reading in the past. When you see that shift to something positive—where they love a series or a specific book—it is very rewarding to see.
I love service projects. When I say we are the "Light in the Mountains," I tell the students, "Let's show them; let's show them we are the light in our community." We go help at Get Real Ministries and other places, but I would like to say that this year, the fifth grade led the way for a community service project for the Tallulah Falls area. We had a coat drive and a canned food drive. I love service projects because the students learn empathy. Many times they don't realize that some families aren't doing well and might need a little help; through these projects, they can finally see it.
Yeah, I agree that they love the service projects and helping others. We also have the Soque River Watershed service project that we work on here on campus. Getting outside of the classroom and being involved in that has been a big deal. They enjoy being out and about, so it’s been good to connect that to science and some of the writing projects we do.
Now, being the science person, I've really enjoyed the trips this year. We went to the aquarium, and we also just went to Roper Mountain in Greenville. Oh man, what a place! When we got back, I said, "Hey, we need to go back, there's a lot more to do than what we actually saw." It was top-notch. The kids had a great time, and it's so good to go to a place that emphasizes exactly what we're doing in the classroom. Just terrific.
We also went to Fernbank, and it was great, too. The kids absolutely loved it. Even just being able to get outside, go through nature, and see different things was wonderful. I love them; they're awesome. In fact, we’ll definitely take more field trips.
It's amazing how many field trips we get to take. It is so special that each grade level at this school has something specific that they go to see. When I first came here, I couldn't believe it. I’m doing things that I never did myself growing up. For example, we went and hiked with llamas one day! That is something I would have never done in my life if I hadn't been here on campus.
I think safety is the number one thing for me, both in the general environment and in the school. The security here is amazing; it's awesome. But in the classroom, I want them to feel safe to speak out. I want them to feel that it’s okay to share their ideas. If you disagree with something, that’s okay too, as long as you can tell me why and support your position. To me, that’s the most important thing—that and being respectful of each other. We both work on building relationships with them. We know them, and we know what's going on in their lives. It's a big deal that our numbers are small enough that we can have real conversations with the students and their parents. We're all here—this whole school is about what's best for them.
