| • Yes! You have to be here every day.
• Yes, you have to be ready to work when class starts. “Ready to work when class starts” means you have the following with you in the classroom: something to write on, something to write with, your completed homework assignment, the relevant handouts, your journal, and whatever else you may have been asked to bring to class. • It will take me too long to learn all your names—I apologize in advance for this. Please be patient, and please participate in my (sometimes silly) introduction and memory games. • Yes! There will be homework every night. Yes, over the weekends too. Yes, I know it’s a drag. No, you can’t skip it or whine your way out of it. In fact, excessive whining usually leads to additional homework being assigned. In general homework is designed to take half an hour or less to complete. • You must provide a loose-leaf binder and loose-leaf paper in which to take notes and do in-class assignments. Yes, it has to be a loose-leaf. Because you cannot add or replace pages in any other kind of notebook. It must hold standard 8.5 x 11 inch loose-leaf paper. Yes, your notebooks will be checked and graded. Some of these notebook checks will be announced in advance, some will not. • Yes, I expect you to keep all the handouts I give you. Use the hole puncher in the classroom if necessary, but put them in your English binder in some kind of useable order. • No! I do not accept late assignments. NOTE: There is one specified “Grace Day” per semester on which you can hand in one or two late assignments, but you need written permission from me (and an excellent reason!) to use it for more than two homework assignments or any larger assignment, and you can never receive full credit for work handed in then.) • Yes, I will read everything you hand in, make comments on it, and return it to you as quickly as possible. Yes, that includes tests, papers, journals, homework, and other assignments. • Yes, we will be reading a lot, both in class and at home. Yes, everyone must read aloud when we do classroom readings. No, there are no exceptions. • Yes, we will also be doing a lot of writing. • Yes, all class work and homework must be written in complete, grammatically correct sentences. And yes, spelling does count – this is an ENGLISH class. • Yes, you are expected to participate in classroom discussions. Yes, I really want to know what you think, even if you disagree with your classmates—especially if you disagree with me. No, an opinion can’t be wrong, but, it must be backed up with specific proof in the form of a quotation or paraphrase from the text. Yes, it is possible to completely disagree with someone without making that disagreement personal. In fact, it is essential. • Everyone in this room will be addressed with respect at all times. Disregarding this rule will have serious consequences. • Yes, I expect you to take notes on what I say and what I write on the board. Yes, I will be teaching you how to take notes effectively on both written and spoken information. • No, we can’t have class outside on the field, at the beach, or anywhere else. Sorry. • Everything you hand in must have the following universal English Department heading: Your FULL Name the date Ms. Dicksteen English 9, Period __ the name or a short description of the assignment Yes, I will take points off if you fail to comply with this simple request. All multi-page work must be stapled AND have your name on each page. • Work done at home should be typed. If you don’t have access to a computer, your hand-written work must be DOUBLE SPACED. That means you skip every other line when you write so I can make comments and notations in the spaces between lines. • Work written in class to be handed in must always be DOUBLE SPACED. (See above.) • You are responsible for your work. If I don’t have it, I can’t grade it and you can’t get credit for it. With that in mind, whenever possible, you should keep a copy of the things you hand in. • There is a procedure for leaving the room to use the bathroom or get a drink. You must have a pass which includes your name, where you’re going, the date and time, and my signature. o In order to get such a pass you need fill out a blank pass, sign the classroom sign out sheet (name, time leaving, and destination), and request a signature from me. Yes, you have to do it in that order. No, you don’t have to wait until the previous person returns to do everything EXCEPT leave the room. ONLY ONE PERSON MAY BE OUT OF THE ROOM AT A TIME. When you return, you need to add the time you returned to the sign out sheet and let the next person on the list know that they may leave. No one may leave the room during the first or last ten minutes of the period. This is a school rule and applies to all of your classes so please don’t ask me to break it. • Yes! I really like being a teacher, I really expect us all to learn something this year, and I really think we might have some fun together along the way—really. |