Truth: yearn for it, learn for it, seek for it, stand for it, treasure it, and keep it.

Trust: an essential ingredient for any successful relationship: teacher-scholar, friend-friend, etc.

Respect: the currency (along with Trust) that we save, share, bank on, contribute and spend in any and all relationships. Be careful of your gestures, words, actions and intentions. Disrespectful behavior can result in a loss of points and possibly other disciplinary action.

Personal Best: your truest, most compassionate, empathetic, diligent, loyal, accurate version of yourself. It is not measured by others or for others—it’s personal, it’s your best: your personal best. You are good enough to do your best (and worth it, too)

Personal Integrity: the whole person, real, honest and true to themselves and what they believe in—no matter where, no matter when. A person who maintains their integrity has no holes in their hull.

Active Involvement: a proactive person’s alternative to the Law of Entropy. If you passively wait long enough, the path of least resistance will find you on it—going nowhere, the ultimate waste. Make a choice to act, contribute and involve yourself in your own education. Life and Learning are not bounded by the ringing of school bells, they transcend them as far as you allow. This also means that announcing that you are bored in the hopes that the teacher will cure you is an example of false hope. Not only is it not your teacher’s job to keep you from being bored, it might be impossible to “un-bore” you. Your attitude can only change when you allow it.

Be on time. It is hard to say what you will miss if you miss class. Sure, there are lesson plans and syllabuses to give you the general idea, but what about everything else? Do you really know if a certain portion of class time is going to be worth missing? Time is a present, the present. Make a choice to spend it in a way that you will value now and later; take responsibility for your choice. Each day you attend Mr. Burrell’s class, you have the potential of earning two (2) citizenship points. A person who is tardy loses one of these points. A person who is absent from class can lose both points. Students who misbehave can also lose one or both of these points in a day.

Be prepared. You will need something to write with and something to write on every day. It seems only reasonable to bring some representation of what we talked about last time (notes, homework and assignments, application stories, epiphanies) In most cases, it will be hard to be actively involved if you do not have the text with you every time you expect to learn about its contents. Format your mind so that it can receive knowledge and truth as they burst onto the scene during class.

Raise hand to contribute during direct instruction.

Mr. Burrell’s BOUNDARIES AND STANDARDS include the CODE OF CONDUCT and all school-wide rules. So, these school rules and behaviors will be enforced in Mr. Burrell’s classroom, as well. A house divided against itself cannot weather the storm. Consider the fact that there are adults in your life who care enough about you to try and stack the odds of success in your favor. If you want fair, go to the fairgrounds. Life isn’t fair, it’s honest-that’s better.

Talking is permitted if a scholar raises their hand, receives permission from the teacher and the ensuing conversation is edifying and/or contributory.

Follow directions carefully the first time they are given. It can help save you from appearing to be rude or clueless (or both). Precious time is wasted in repeating something that was already delivered with the intention of being heard.

Cheating is giving or attempting to give the impression that one knows something that they don’t. It is a distortion of reality. Assisting another person to cheat may be considered cheating itself. If it is not yours, claiming that it is limits your ability to trust and be trusted.

“Thank you” should be used any time you receive something from somebody. Neglecting to say “thank you” implies that you do not want the gift. Certain people may be inclined to take it back, depending on the luster of the pearls, and the grunting of the swine.

Cell phones, digital cameras, and other electronica which disturb, distract or disrupt (the three little brothers of ‘disrespect’) the educational process are not acceptable in class. This even includes devices that allow wireless access to Youtube, Instagram, Twitter or Facebook. Part of the teacher’s responsibility is to be a channel of important information for the students. That’s why the front office addresses the teacher over the P.A. system during class. That’s why Mr. Burrell may take away your phone or other electronic device if it disrupts or distracts during class. This includes disruptions caused by someone taking unauthorized pictures or capturing unauthorized video during class. Items that are confiscated during class can be retrieved later through the school’s administrative officers. If someone who really needs to speak with you doesn’t know that you attend class, improve your relationship with them and let them know how much you value your education. Share my educational philosophy with them if you feel like it.

No talking or disruptive behavior will be tolerated during tests and quizzes. Consequences for such behavior may include a zero score on the test or quiz for the person creating the disturbance.

You may bring a bottle of water to class, rather than leave during class for a drink of water. No drinks other than water may be brought to class. Food that disrupts the educational process will not be allowed in class. Spills, wrappers and crumbs keep the class from operating more efficiently.

Take care of yourself, build a large enough bank account of self-respect so that you can afford to pay attention. If you are sick, allow yourself time to recover. Eat healthy, balanced meals. Go to bed and get up in a way that allows your body enough time to rest. That way, you won’t be tempted to fall asleep in class.

Your personal beauty doesn’t come from the outside. Your inner beauty is like an infinite constant that you discover as you grow. It isn’t changed by what someone else thinks of you. You are already beautiful. There is no need to turn a classroom into a salon. Save your nail polish, cosmetics, mirrors, brushes, eyelash curlers, hair-crimpers, shaving gear and other toiletries for another time. Who you really are is what counts in this class, not who you look like.

At the end of class and/or clean-up time, scholars return to their places after cleaning is completed, waiting to be dismissed by the teacher. Assuming that learning is over just because the time is almost over can turn into a risky venture. (See number 7.) This also means that packing your things up too early can be a problem. Getting out of your chair and hovering around the classroom door without being dismissed by the teacher is not acceptable behavior in Mr. Burrell’s class.

Grades: In Mr. Burrell’s class, a point is a point. Points from assignments, projects, quizzes, tests, and anything else all have equal weight. Therefore, a scholar’s grade percentage can, at any given time, be calculated by adding up the total points earned and dividing this number by the total points possible. Long-term projects (the kind that span more than two weeks on the calendar) have firm due dates. Short-term assignments like homework or lab reports should be completed as soon as possible. If they are not ready by the end of the next class meeting, they should be turned in on or before the day of the unit test they pertain to. Short-term work that is turned in later than the unit test may be turned in for partial credit by the end of the month in which it was assigned. After that, the work can be checked by the teacher, but it will not be worth any points. If a person fails to receive a passing grade in the class, it can be made up through Summer School in a customized independent study-type format. The last time someone used this option, the course cost $150 for six weeks of time to make-up a semester’s credit.