Three day weekends are a blessing.

Hello there family and friends.

As the title says, three day weekends are a blessing!
My sister and I got to go to Mesa, AZ for the weekend and the weather was OUT OF CONTROL. It was the in 100's every single day. I don't know who would live in Arizona of their own free will, but to each their own.
My whole family was together for a couple of days and it was glorious. I have to say that families are another blessing. Your family is where you can be yourself and where you feel the most support and love. Cherish your family.
Our flight got back into Salt Lake around 7:15pm. After taking the shuttle to the economy parking lot and stopping by my boyfriend's for a quick hello, we got into Provo around 9:20pm. Awesome. I pretty much got right into bed.

I walked to work this morning because my sister needed the car. I don't mind walking because the weather is so nice in the morning, but, what do you know. I left my ipod in the car and my phone was on its last bar, so I couldn't listen to music or even call anyone. I know. It's a little pathetic that I cringe at the thought of walking 10-15 minutes without something to do, but what can I say? I did survive - in case you were wondering.

I was a little nervous about how today would pan out considering we had just had a three day weekend. Would my kids be a complete behavior mess? Would I lose all control? Would I even be able to accomplish everything I needed to?
Well, my 1st period students arrived on time! Early in fact. Every student was in their seat with their planners out before the bell even rang. If only if only every class could be like that. It could have something to do with the fact that there are only seven students, it's 1st period, they are all 7th graders...I don't know. I do know that I love it though.

Todays schedule looked something like this:

Check planners
Review classroom rules/procedures
Hand out/organize class binders
Work on letters to teachers

Not every class period was the same, but that's the gist of it.
I actually love teaching Resource Learning because a big part of what I teach is organization. Do my kids like it when I teach them organization? Hardly. But I love being organized and it's something I'm actually quite good at. SO my students are about to get a year-ful of organization techniques. I am SO EXCITED! haha

The day flew by and some students didn't even get to work on their letters. Arg. These letters are so important and I have been meaning to get them done for...oh I don't know...at least a week!
Let me explain the "letters to teachers" assignment. Mary, the teacher who taught Resource Learning last year, told me that she had her students write letters to each of their teachers introducing themselves, listing a few strengths, and stating what they need help with in class. I thought this was a great activity for students with disabilities. I know that IEPs (the official, legal document that lists the goals, accommodations, etc. for students with special needs) can be kind of intimidating and overwhelming, so these letters are a great idea!
One teacher mentioned that she loved receiving the letters because she got to know which students needed special help and how she could help them just by reading a short letter from the student. Basically, this letter idea was pure divine genius!

-Ms. Audryn Damron-