Good morning! The date is May 15th, 1797. This morning, you awake to the sound of fishermen and shipwrights beginning their days on the Newport docks. The sun is shining across the water; you can see it from your bedroom window, looking west towards the harbor and Conanicut Island, which can only be reached by boat. A gentle breeze carries the rather unpleasant smell of low tide into your home, but you get out of bed eager to begin your day at school. 

Now that you have gotten yourself out of bed, it is time to begin preparing for your day at school. You find the outfit that your mother spun for you during the previous winter, and you start the complicated process of getting dressed. First, you slip into your long linen shirt and button the sleeves tight around your wrists. Next, you hoist up your woolen breeches and begin tying the strings in the back and buttoning up the front. After that, you pull your arms into your vest and secure all of those buttons. You secure your neckerchief around your neck in a neat knot, and now you are finally ready to head to school.

Now that you are dressed and prepped, it is time to leave the house and begin your day at school. On your way out the door, you grab your hornbook and your primer, two learning materials you must arrive at school with. You wave goodbye to your mother, who is busy salting some cod for a later meal. The sun is shining as you make the trek to 47 Division Street, where Miss Mary Brett has established a schoolhouse.

At noon, Miss Brett dismisses your class for dinner. You quickly head back to your home so you don't miss your family's midday meal, which consists of roast beef, bread, and seasonal vegetables. Dinner is always your largest meal of the day, and it is eaten around noon rather than in the evening. You are energized by the food your mother has made, and you say your thanks after eating before heading back to school for your afternoon lesson.

You arrive back at Miss Mary Brett's school eager to continue your studies, which include reading, writing, grammar, geography, and arithmetic. At twelve years old, you are one of the more advanced students in the classroom, so your schoolwork consists of more difficult math problems, longer words to spell, and a more complicated geography lesson to complete. During today's session, you are responsible for studying complex words in Murray's English Grammar book and memorizing their spelling. While not your favorite subject, you can understand why it is so important to know how to spell larger words, especially because the world is beginning to modernize around you.

At 4:00 PM, Miss Brett concludes her teaching and dismisses the class for the afternoon. Since it is only May, there is still plenty of daylight for you to enjoy after your studies have ceased. You pack up your belongings and begin your walk back towards home. On the way, you decide to stop alongside the harbor and watch the light sparkle on the water. Trinity Church stands just behind you, and you think about the sermon Reverend William Smith gave last Sunday. As the sun dips lower into the sky, the energy in Newport shifts as working men begin to head home for the evening.

After a long afternoon at school and a quick meal around 6:00 PM, it is finally time to unwind and get into your bed for the evening. You take off the outfit that took you so long to put on this morning, leaving just your long linen shirt to sleep in. Before falling asleep, you say your prayers while kneeling next to your bed. You snuggle into your covers and watch the shadows of tree branches move in the moonlight on your bedroom floor. You are grateful for such a productive day at school, and you cannot wait to start learning again tomorrow. Goodnight!