It's Elementary - Transcript

This is the story of a city mouse and a country mouse. Well, actually it is plural, city mice and country mice. And as you can see, these are not mice, but children. Second graders who live east in the city of Omaha and west in the community of Morril.

Now, one might think there are a lot of differences between a city school and a country school. And, though one is nestled in a neighborhood and the other rests on a prairie they are quite similar. The children start their school day the same way.

[School Children:] "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America… and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

Both schools have classrooms filled with books, activities, charts, artwork, and desks.

[Student #1:] "This is my spelling book; this is my desk right here."

[Student #2:] "This is the map I was talking about. And this is my journal. And this is my six hundred set words."

[Student #3:] "In my desk I have math books, spelling books, social studies, and notepads."

Both classrooms are filled with students who study hard with their teachers and have favorite subjects.

[Various Students:] "My favorite subject is math. Math and reading. My favorite subject is science. Math and spelling."

The city school has many hallways that connect 27 classrooms. The country school has a single doorway that connects two classrooms. Both schools have lockers for their students and lunchrooms.

And playgrounds for the children.

[Various Students:] "At recess I like playing tag with my friends and sliding on the slides. I like running sometimes. During recess I talk to my friend Ruby and my friend Conrad. And I swing and I play in the sand."

Having so many things alike, we asked these students if they'd like to trade places.

Would you like to live in the country? Or do you like living in the city?

[Various Students:] "City. Country. Basically here. Country's cool. I like the country school."

So, whether it's east or west, city or country, big or small, these Nebraska second graders know that we all learn best in our own way. And hey, isn't that the moral of the city mouse and the country mouse?