I know that Emily has learned so much this year in first grade that she can’t contain it all. I’m amazed everytime she opens a book and begins reading, and the fact that she can add two-digit numbers blows me away.

But sometimes I have to wonder about the conversations they have at school. Recently her first-grade class has been learning about each state and different countries. Riding home from church this Sunday, I found out what Emily has been retaining. My oldest two children were discussing the merits of different pets. One had the nerve to tell her father and me that she wanted a duck. Of course she had the logistics all worked out, where it could stay, swim and sleep.

Her brother immediately chimed in telling us what he thought about this and what he would want.

In the middle of this chaos (it is a wonder we can drive down the road) Emily pipes up out of nowhere to say, &uot;I want a naked mole rat and they are only found in Africa.&uot; (Actually with her impeccable southern drawl it was a &uot;nekked mole rat.&uot;)

I really thought David was going to drive off the road and for just a brief moment her older brother and sister were speechless. And, believe me, that does not happen often. Then the entire car erupted with laughter, all except Emily. She was actually serious.

It turns out that she learned about naked mole rats in school, and they are only found in Africa. She also was able to tell us that Africa was a place very far away and there were lots of countries inside it.

As the school year winds down I want to take this chance to say thank you to Emily’s teacher, Joey Wilson. Personally, the thought of being in a room full of 6- and 7-year-old kids all day is enough to scare me to death. This class has managed to learn to read, do their math and most importantly think.

So just in case you first-grade teachers aren’t sure if your students are listening, take my parental word for it. They aren’t missing a thing.

And, for the record, the answer is no, we are not going to get a naked mole rat. Three children, two dogs, two cats and a husband are all I can handle.

Christina Hall is the lifestyle editor at The Democrat. She can be reached at 445-3549 or by e-mail at christina.hall@natchez.democrat.com