7th Grade Day

Maybe I will finish writing all the stories I need to from last school year before this next school year starts...that would be great! haha

My principal approached me near the beginning of the school year and asked me to be in charge of 7th grade day. My first thought was, "NO! Now I won't be able to go to Lagoon with the 8th graders" and I loved doing that my first year. Boo. I also saw it coming somehow. Earlier that year or during the previous summer, I remember thinking, "I hope my principal doesn't ask me to be in charge of 7th grade day. I don't want to!" I joked with my principal that I felt like it was a calling, because I kind of saw it coming and I didn't particularly want it, but I felt that it would be a good experience.

Ironically, I had never attended a 7th grade day because I went to Lagoon the year before, and this was my second year...so I had no idea what it was even supposed to look like or what I was supposed to do...ug. No fun.

Thankfully, the teacher who had run it for the past several years was extremely helpful and provided me with a basic time frame and gave me suggestions and tips from what went wrong the year before. She totally saved me and was such an angel to help me despite all that she had on her plate already.

The day before 7th grade day, I got in a car accident. (Long story short, my sister's car was stolen, so she was borrowing my car and driving me to work and right as we pulled out of my apartment complex we were hit on the left...it was beyond terrible.) My car was deemed a total loss and I was without a car for several days. That was a great trial right before this BIG day I was in charge of.

For 7th grade day, we went to Classic Skating in Orem, came back for lunch and a movie, and then ended the day with kickball outside. It was fairly easy, but I had to be in charge of making announcements and I had to be the EXPERT on the day's activities. People came up to me and asked me what was going on. It was kind of strange.

Classic Skating was great. We had just the right number of buses (5-6) and the kids had fun. I even put on some skates and skated around. Next year I will have to give more explicit instructions on when buses are allowed to leave, because buses just started leaving before I had taken a head count, and I just hoped everyone was there...

At the last minute, with the suggestion of a very helpful and technology-saavy math teacher, I decided to hold the movie (with the popcorn) in the boys' gym instead of in individual classrooms via the classroom televisions. Teachers were NOT happy because they wanted time to work on stuff in their classrooms. I did not feel bad. I didn't get to work in my classroom - I was in charge of the whole event! Besides, that was not a teacher preparation day, it was a day FOR THE STUDENTS. Sheesh. Calm down people. The custodians were beyond happy though because instead of  having to pick up popcorn mess in every single classroom that had students, they only had the gymnasium. So, that made me feel better.

Kickball seemed a bit unorganized, and we lost a few items (a ball, a couple of cones...), but thankfully they were returned within the week.

Overall, it was a smashing success! That same math teacher said, "...super job today...I heard from many it was the best day so far for 7th grade day...I heard a lot of people say the kids being able to hang out together [for the movie] was great"

Heck to the yes!

-Ms. Damron-