Mr. Jones’ Essential 43
1. If you do not treat anyone with respect, you cannot expect to receive it in return.
2. Make eye contact. When someone is speaking, keep your eyes on him or her at all times. If someone makes a comment, turn and face that person. This shows a lot of respect and confidence.
3. If someone in the class wins a game or does something well, we will congratulate that person. Don't be bitter or jealous, thats just bad form.
4. During discussions, respects other students’ comments, opinions and ideas. When possible, make statements like, “ I agree with John, and I also feel that…” or “ I disagree with Sara. She made a good point but I feel that…” or “I think Jose made an excellent observation, and it made me realize…”
5. If you win or do well at something, do not brag. If you lose do not show anger. Instead, say something like, “great game, can’t wait to play again” or say nothing at all. To show anger or sarcasm, such as: I wasn’t really trying” or “you really aren’t that good” show weakness. You are better then that.
6. If you are asked a question in conversation, you should ask a question in return. For example: if someone asked if you had a good weekend, answer and ask in return. It is only polite to show others that you are just as interested in them as they are in you.
7. When you cough, sneeze or burp, it is appropriate to turn your head away from others and cover your mouth with your arm. Using a fist is not acceptable. Afterward, say “excuse me.”
8. Do not smack your lips, tsk, roll your else or show disrespect with gestures.
9. Always say thank you when I give you something. If you do not say it within three seconds after receiving the item, I will take it back. There is no excuse for not showing appreciation.
10. When you are given something from someone, never insult that person by making negative comments about the gift or by insinuating that it was not appreciated.
11. Surprise others by performing random acts of kindness. Go out of your way to do something surprisingly kind and generous for someone at least once a month.
12. When we read together in class, you must follow along. If I call on you to read, you must know exactly where we are and begin reading immediately.
13. Answer all written questions with a complete sentence. For example if the question asks “what is the capital of Canada” you should respond by writing “the capital of Canada is Ottawa.”
14. At times throughout the year, I will give rewards for good behaviour, academic performances and other acts worthy of praise, If you ever ask me for a reward, however, it will not be given. It is rude to ask if you are getting something for good behavior. You should be good and try your best because you are trying to better yourself, not because you are anticipating a reward.
15. When we are in transition from one subject to the other, the change will be swift, quiet and orderly.
16. You will make every effort to be as organized as possible.
17. While you are with an occasional teacher, you will obey the same rules that you follow when I am with you. (I know this is hard, but it is important.)
18. You may bring a bottle of water and leave it on your desk. Do not ask me if you can get water while I am teaching a lesson. You can even have food at your desk as long as other don’t see it and I don’t hear you eat it.
19. Quickly learn the names of other teachers in the school and greet them by saying things like “good morning Mrs. Brown” etc.
20. Flush the toilet and wash your hands after using the washroom.
21. Do not save seats in the lunchroom. If someone wants to sit down, let them. Do not try to exclude anyone. We are a team, and we must treat one another with respect.
22. If I or any other teacher in the school is peaking to or disciplining a student, do not look at that student. You wouldn’t want other looking at you. If you are the student I am talking to, do not get angry or curse at the students who are looking, let me know and I will take care of it.
23. After we eat, we will clean up after ourselves. This includes cleaning off the tables and making sure we haven’t left any trash on the floor around the eating area. It is important to be responsible for your trash no matter where you are and to be sure not to litter.
24. When responding to any adult, answer by saying “yes ma’am” or “no sir” or using their name “yes Mr. Jones. Just nodding your head or saying any other form of yes or no is not acceptable.
25. When we ride the bus, upon exit we will always thank the bus driver and tell him to have a good day.
26. When we go on field trips, we will meet different people. When I introduce you to the people, make sure you remember their names. Then, when we are leaving, make sure to shake their hands and thank them, mentioning their names as you do so.
27. Whenever you are offered food, whether it is a buffet or treats in class, never take more then your fair share. You never want to be greedy and try to get more than you should, not only because it is wasteful but also because it is disrespectful to others when you do not leave enough for them.
28. If someone drops something, pick it up and hand it back to them. Even if they are closer to the object, it is only polite to make the gesture of bending down to retrieve the item.
29. If you approach a door and someone is following you, hold the door. If the door opens by pulling, pill it open, stand to the side, and allow the other person to pass through first.
30. If someone bumps into you, even if it was not your fault, say “excuse me.”
31. When we enter the gym for an assembly, we will enter the area so quiet that no one will even notice that we are there. During the assembly, do not speak and do not look around and try to get the attention of your friends in other classes. We must uphold an image that shows we have out act together!
32. When you answer the phone at your house, you must do so in an appropriate manner.
33. When we return from a trip, you will shake the hand of every chaperone. You will thank them for taking the time to take you on the trip and let them know you appreciate having the opportunity to go. I am not concerned with being thanked, I am concerned with teaching you that is it appropriate to show appreciation when someone has gone out of their way to help you.
34. Never cut line. If someone cuts in from of you, do not say or do anything about it. Let it happened, and let me know about it. I will handle the situation, if you fuss about it; chances are you will get in trouble too. Its not worth it.
35. Do not bring ketchup chips into the school building.
36. If anyone in the school is bothering you, let me know. Myself and your classmates are not going to let anyone bully you or make you feel uncomfortable. We are a team, we pick each other up when we are down and we look out for each other, we challenge and motivate each other.
37. Stand up for what you believe in. You shouldn’t take no for an answer if your heart and mind are leading you in a direction that you feel strongly about.
38. Be positive and enjoy life. Some things just aren’t worth getting upset over. Keep everything in perspective and focus on the good in your life.
39. Live so that you will never have regrets. If there is something you want to do, do it. Never let fear, doubt or other obstacles stand in your way. If there is something you want, fight for it will of your heart. If there is something you want to do, go for it and don’t stop until you make it happen. If there is something you want to be, do whatever is necessary in order to live out that dream.
40. Accept that you are going to make mistakes. Learn from it and move on.
41. No matter what the circumstances, always be honest. Even if you have done something wrong, it is best to admit it to me, because I will respect that, and often times I will forget any disciplinary measures because of your honesty.
42. Carpe diem. You only live today once, so don’t waste it. Life is made up of special moments, many of which happen when caution is thrown to the wind and people take action and seize the day.
43. Be the best person you can be.