Farmington Through the Eyes of a Fourth Grader
By: Tycen Gray
10/02/18
During the last week of September, I had the privilege of traveling over to Roosevelt Elementary to be interviewed for their school newspaper by fourth grade student, Lily. In addition to being asked a couple questions, I decided that would also inquire a few question about her and her views on Farmington as a town, community, and society. Going into the interview, I expected there to be quite a different perspective on our little world of Farmington than the perspectives of high schoolers and adults. I can confidently say that in no way was I disappointed.
To start off the interview, I warmed Lily up with a couple of simple and fun questions.
T: So what is the best place to eat in Farmington?
L: Ummmmmm, that’s really tough. Have you ever been to The Factory Diner?
T: Yes I have, the football team makes frequent visits with parties of 35.
L: I like that place, but I think the best is Mario’s.
There is certainly nothing wrong with picking a homegrown classy restaurant over a chain joint.
T: What about activities? What is there to do in Farmington that is really fun?
L: I would say the Roller Zone.
T: WOW! I totally forgot all about the Roller Zone, I probably haven’t been there since I was your age.
L: I go there a lot, my dad likes to play hockey there.
While the majority of teenagers have other activities that would much prefer over the Roller Zone, it was refreshing to hear that the youth of Farmington still skate it up and hit the arcade at the Roller Zone. After that, I asked Lily a couple more thoughtful questions about the town.
T: What makes Farmington cool? What is good about Farmington?
L: I think that the people here are really nice. Also, I like school and the teachers. School is fun everyday and it is just always enjoyable.
That is an extremely debatable topic when it comes to the opinions of teenagers and adults in the community. The majority of individuals could possibly possess unfavorable opinions about the people and school system in this town, and it may be a sign of a bright future if the youth still hold favorable opinions about their peers and school (for the time being).
T: What about the negatives? What is one thing you do not love about Farmington?
L: I don’t really know. Farmington is really cool and I really like it. If I had to choose one thing, it would probably be people littering. I hate seeing trash all over the side of the road and people not caring about Farmington and the environment.
Is it noticeable how she did not say something about drama? Or politics? Or list off a handful of reasons as to why she wants to get out of Farmington so bad? When I heard that take as her biggest negative in Farmington, it really opened my mind to how simple the things we should worry about the most are. Instead, it seems we become infatuated with the words and mental matter we create and how they affect us.
Now it was time to have Lily think about her future a little bit.
T: I know it’s a few years down the road still, but is there anything about high school that you are already excited for?
L: I don’t know a whole lot about high school, but it sounds like there a lot of different classes in high school (stemming from an earlier conversation). Is that true?
T: Yes, we have six different classes everyday plus a seminar or homeroom.
L: Yeah, I think that would be fun, especially since I really like social studies, there’s a lot more classes to take.
T: Is there anything you have heard or know about that already makes you nervous about high school?
L: I bet the math classes are very hard in high school.
T: I can tell you right now it doesn’t get any easier from here.
L: Yeah, I’m definitely not excited for that.
It was super neat and somewhat eye-opening to talk with Lily, and see Farmington through a different pair of eyes. While also being engaged in entertained, I found a certain lesson in Lily’s answers, even if she did not realize it. I sort of realized that relatively everything is much simpler and less worrisome than it may seem at times. Without question, it is a little piece of new information that I can carry with me throughout my days.