The Second Day of School

For the kids, the second day (called a B day) holds a different set of classes than the first. There are 4 one hour classes classes on A day and 4 one hour classes on B day. When I was in school, we had 6 45 min. classes daily. This way the kids can cram 2 extra courses in each year and have an easier time managing their homework since each assignment has 2 days to complete. I like this system.

Helena's B day looks like this;

1. B1 Honors English 10 (she is nervous because it will be hard)
2. B2 Honors Algebra II (she is excited because she really likes the teacher)
3. Orchestra (she'd really rather not do it, but made a deal with me for one more year)
4. Seminary

Yes, Seminary is release time and is worked right into their schedule. This is a unique feature in Utah that you will not find anywhere else. I really think this is probably why the A/B day schedule was adopted, so that kids could have Seminary and still get all their graduation requirements in.

We built Helena's schedule very carefully to balance out both days. Last year the Jr. High piled all her tough academic classes on the same day. It made for a very heavy backpack. The High School registration works just like college registration, with individuals selecting course, time, and teacher. I really like this system! She got exactly what she wanted! And since you are in so much control of your own schedule, the school locks out changes on July 27th. I am okay with that, too.

Will's schedule;

1. B1 English (no comment)
2. B2 Algebra (he's glad he has the same teacher he had last year)
3. B3 Symphonic Band
4. B4 Communications (this was supposed to be Tech Metal, but the school messed up his schedule and put him in the 9th grade section. The 8th grade section happens during Band, which can't be moved, of course, so they emergency switched him to the Communications class yesterday. They are going to be designing web pages? I'm not really sure what the class is about, but Will seems fine with it, so we'll go with it.)

As you can see, their B day schedules are surprisingly similar. How weird is that?

My second day of work was really laid back. There was a school wide 'Safety Day' with classes going to stations throughout the day to learn rules and procedures for the lunchroom, bathrooms, library, buses, playground, gym, etc. I had no students. Instead, I stopped by WalMart and picked up 10 yards of dark blue denim and spent the day installing it on the bulletin boards in my classroom. I usually put up blue paper, but that fades and I have to replace it every year. Many teachers are converting to fabric because it doesn't fade or tear and can be left up for many years! It looks FABULOUS!

Oh. And after spending the whole summer with teenagers my students all look LITTLE! Even the sixth graders. Ha! I am starting the year with 1st through 3rd graders. Six year olds are tiny!