Classroom Rules and Expectations
Behavior Expectations:
1. Do not smack lips, tsk, roll eyes, or any other disrespectful non-verbal gestures.
2. When I assign homework or a project, there will be no moaning or complaining. This will result in a doubled assignment.
3. I will work with respectful students for special cases concerning homework and projects. For example, if you are competing in sports or are in a play, I am willing to grant you more time if you are respectful in asking me.
4. You may have a bottle with water and leave it on your desk. Do not ask me if you can refill your bottle while I am teaching.
5. You may even have food at your desk as I don't hear you eat it, you don't share it, and it is all eaten or put away after the first 10 minutes of class. Clean up after yourself!
6. You may have gum as long as you don't give it out to other students in class and I don't hear you eat it. If any gum ends up under my tables, everyone will lose gum privileges.
7. You may not use your phone or any other device in class. Even if you tell me "I was putting it away" or "I was just turning it off," I will still take your phone and give it to the front office. Your parents will have to pick up your phone from the front office.
8. Have positive mental attitude! There is no benefit of having a bad attitude towards being here and learning. If you expect to have fun, you will. If you treat others with respect and generosity, you will receive it back. Your education and your life is what YOU make it!
Classroom Procedures:
In order to have an effective learning environment, I expect the following:
1. Do not smack lips, tsk, roll eyes, or any other disrespectful non-verbal gestures.
2. When I assign homework or a project, there will be no moaning or complaining. This will result in a doubled assignment.
3. I will work with respectful students for special cases concerning homework and projects. For example, if you are competing in sports or are in a play, I am willing to grant you more time if you are respectful in asking me.
4. You may have a bottle with water and leave it on your desk. Do not ask me if you can refill your bottle while I am teaching.
5. You may even have food at your desk as I don't hear you eat it, you don't share it, and it is all eaten or put away after the first 10 minutes of class. Clean up after yourself!
6. You may have gum as long as you don't give it out to other students in class and I don't hear you eat it. If any gum ends up under my tables, everyone will lose gum privileges.
7. You may not use your phone or any other device in class. Even if you tell me "I was putting it away" or "I was just turning it off," I will still take your phone and give it to the front office. Your parents will have to pick up your phone from the front office.
8. Have positive mental attitude! There is no benefit of having a bad attitude towards being here and learning. If you expect to have fun, you will. If you treat others with respect and generosity, you will receive it back. Your education and your life is what YOU make it!
Classroom Procedures:
In order to have an effective learning environment, I expect the following:
- Students will only use the "front door" of the classroom
- No backpacks on lab days. I will warn you of this in advance, and you will know it is a lab day if I am wearing my lab coat. Backpacks may be left in locker or outside classroom door. No exceptions.
- Raise hand to ask a question while I am talking.
- There will be no talking while I am talking to the class. Be seated while I am talking unless directed otherwise.
- Transition time is 10 seconds. For example, if you are discussing with a group and I ask for your attention, the class has 10 seconds to transition.
- To use the bathroom, you must sign your name on the clip board. Use the hand signal (sign language "t") to show me that you need to go if I am talking, otherwise wait until I am done talking to ask. Exception: If you are going to be sick, leave immediately. You do not need my permission.
- Science notebooks may be kept in the classroom so that you do not lose them. If you take your book home and lose it, I will not replace it. If you forget your book at home, do not sit and do nothing or wait for me to talk to you; grab some paper and staple your work into your book later.
- If you fill up your science notebook, I will replace it with a new one. You should only fill up one standard notebook this year. I will not replace your book if it has been lost unless you earn it through some classroom chores.
- I will address the class during the first few minutes of class each day, so the expectation is that you are in your seat and ready to listen and learn 10 seconds after the bell rings. If you are not in your seat 10 seconds after the bell rings, I will mark you tardy.
- If you miss a day of school, you are expected to come ask me what you missed during advisory or check the absent bins in the classroom. I have over 160 students to keep track of, and may not be able to remember if you were present or not. Make up assignments should be done within one week of absence, otherwise you may forget what we were working on.
- You are allowed to retake any test or redo any assignment for full credit. This must be done before the Last Acceptable Date (LAD) for the assignment.
- Come to class every day prepared to learn with a pen or pencil and your science notebook.
- Answer all questions in complete sentences unless directed otherwise. You will be asked to rewrite incomplete sentences. "Yes" and "No" are not complete sentences.