On a Friday afternoon, I had the pleasure of participating in “Read Across America” at the beautiful Hermosa View Elementary School. While waiting at the door for the class to get back from lunch, I was inundated with the intrigued thoughts from passing students, such as: “Are you a soldier? Why are you wearing all that?” and “I’m wearing camo, too! We match!!”
Once my class arrived, we were all ready for story time. I’m always amazed at how captivated kids can be by the familiar sounds of Dr. Seuss. I was nervous at first that I wouldn’t be able to hold their attention, but my fears were quickly assuaged while 15 well-behaved students sat enraptured by “And to Think I Saw it on Mulberry Street.”
Once I finished reading, the class was very excited to tell me how they were celebrating Dr. Seuss week – Friday was crazy sock day in honor of “Fox in Socks.” During question and answer time, their thoughts immediately went to all things Space – “Have you ever ridden on a rocket?” – and military – “Have you ever dropped an explosive bomb?”
Though a few things may have changed since I was seated on a rug in the middle of a 1st-grade classroom, like when the teacher asked if the students had an iPhone, every hand flew into the air, I remember special reading times like the one we had that Friday being the highlight of my week. The possibility that I might have made their day a bit more exciting, just like it used to be for me, is humbling and a little overwhelming – and all I had to do was narrate the timeless words of Dr. Seuss.
I believe I may have enjoyed my hour at Hermosa View even more than the kids did. Dr. Seuss said it best: “And to think, I saw it on (Prospect Avenue).”
