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This page reflects what personally annoys me.If nothing on this list applies to you great ! If it does, knock it off.
Academics
Yes, I will contact your parents when you are failing, "especially" if you are a Senior.
There are consequences for turning in work late.
A D grade is not acceptable any more.
I am not an office supply store, bring your own materials
Do your homework
Finals are called Finals for a reason- once they are finished, you can't raise your grade!
Yes, you have to study for tests
Yes, an AP or an advanced class has more work, what did you expect?
Academics comes first, then sports, Don't ask me for a deal or a grade change. Academics comes first, then sports- you need to prioritize your time
Extra credit implies that you've done "regular" credit work first
You don't get any points for just showing up- you actually have to do something!
Not everything we do in class is group work or requires you to use your Chromebook.
No, you don't get "extra" time if you happen to be "sick" when a major project is due.
History is basically an English Lit class where the stories are true, so yes there are essays for you to write.
If you ignored all of the warning signs about your grade- online grades, progress reports, emails, and you want to raise your percentage at the last minute with some "Hail Mary" plan, it's not going to happen. Lack of effort has consequences.
Parents
When your student's report card says "Contact Teacher" could you contact us? The report card is our way of contacting you ! Email is an easy way to bridge communication issues.
What happens if you don't file your taxes or apply for an extension by April 15th? You are breaking federal law. Deadlines are important to learn.
A D grade is not acceptable any more. To be eligible for a 4 year university, 10th - 12th graders must earn C's or better to stay eligible
Buy them more paper and pens, but no Sharpie's. They don't need them.
They really do have homework all the time
Once a semester is over, grades are final.
Yes, they do have to study for tests.
Yes, they have more homework in an AP class. It is an advanced class, it is literally in the name of the course.
Academics comes first, then sports- lack of time for homework due to sports is priority problem, not a workload problem
Extra credit implies that they have completed their regular credit work first
They don't get points for just showing up- Do you get paid for just showing up? If you do, don't tell anyone, everyone will want your job!
The Internet is not a fad, it is a very important tool in education, get a computer or at least a smartphone to check their grades! Don't wait for the progress reports
If they are not contagious, can walk and talk, aren't bleeding, send them to school. If they are not really "sick" what lesson are they learning when you lie for them?
Show more open interest in their academic performance. Maybe it isn't as flashy or as entertaining as their extracurricular activities, but they are definitely more important
Behavior
No Gum in the Classroom = No Gum in the Classroom
If you have a Chromebook, it is the only technological tool you need for class
Don't act surprised when I give you a failing grade for a plagiarized essay
Yes, you do have to follow the dress code
30 seconds late is still Tardy.
Yes, your grade does go down when you are never here
Yes, you can be sent to the office for your language
Guess where kids put their used gum, It isn't the trash can.
Before cell phones, some how both parents and children managed to survive school years without minute by minute contact. You've given your child a portable music/video player, game arcade and personal social media device. They get texts from friends and family members throughout the school day. They seem to have problems concentrating in class. Could there be a connection? Call or text them before school, lunch or after school. If it is a real emergency, call the Main office. If you have an issue with school officials confiscating "your" property i.e. your cell phone that you give your child, then keep "your" property at home and it will never be an issue.
Copying whole paragraphs off of the Internet, without proper citations has always been and always will be considered cheating
We do have a dress code. Despite what the kids say, appropriate clothing is available to buy with a little effort. Actually read the T-shirts that they buy,
Buy them a watch. We have a lousy system in the mornings, so there is always "traffic" before school, please anticipate for it. If you're the reason your child is late, then own your mistake.
Yes, your child's' grade goes down when they go on vacation for two or more weeks of the semester. If you requested Independent study assignments for them, they are due the day they return to school, they don't get extra time.
Do you allow your student to use obscenities at home? If not, should they use them in public?
Personal Responsibility Graph
This is a theory I've been kicking around in regards to about how much personal responsibility and support students should have in regards to school work through out their lives. At the kindergarten level, students are basically expected to show up and their teachers and parents feed them information, and teach them basic skills in regards to school and learning. There is an assumption that parents have prepared them at least a little initially. As they acquire additional skills, students take on more responsibility.
By the time a student is a Senior is in high school, the teacher and parents role should be to provide support, but the student should guide themselves through the curriculum using the skills they should have acquired. When they are in college, they get no support from parents, and college professors expect students to have the skills they need.
Where students flounder, is either not enough support from teachers or parents, their skill level is below what is expected for a variety of reasons, or they do not take personal responsibility for themselves.
Rules for Teens
(Not made up by me, but still accurate)
Rule No. 1: Life is not fair. Get used to it. The average teenager uses the phrase "It's not fair" 8.6 times a day. You got it from your parents, who said it so often you decided they must be the most idealistic generation ever. When they started hearing it from their own kids, they realized Rule No. 1.
Rule No. 2: The real world won't care as much about your self-esteem as much as your school does. It'll expect you to accomplish something before you feel good about yourself. This may come as a shock. Usually, when inflated self-esteem meets reality, kids complain that it's not fair. (See Rule No. 1)
Rule No. 3: Sorry, you won't make $60,000 a year right out of high school. And you won't be a vice president or have a company car either. You may even have to wear a uniform that doesn't have a Gap label.
Rule No. 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait 'til you get a boss. He doesn't have tenure, so he tends to be a bit edgier. When you screw up, he's not going to ask you how you feel about it.
Rule No. 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grandparents had a different word for burger flipping. They called it opportunity. They weren't embarrassed making minimum wage either. They would have been embarrassed to sit around talking about Drake all weekend.
Rule No. 6: It's not your parents' fault. If you screw up, you are responsible. This is the flip side of "It's my life," and "You're not the boss of me," and other eloquent proclamations of your generation. When you turn 18, it's on your dime. Don't whine about it.
Rule No. 7: Before you were born your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way paying your bills, cleaning up your room and listening to you tell them how idealistic you are. And by the way, before you save the rain forest from the blood-sucking parasites of your parents' generation, try delousing the closet in your bedroom.
Rule No. 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers. Life hasn't. In some schools, they'll give you as many times as you want to get the right answer. Failing grades have been abolished and class valedictorians scrapped, lest anyone's feelings be hurt. Effort is as important as results. This, of course, bears not the slightest resemblance to anything in real life. (See Rule No. 1, Rule No. 2 and Rule No. 4.)
Rule No. 9: Life is not divided into semesters, and you don't get summers off. Not even Spring break. They expect you to show up every day. For eight hours. And you don't get a new life every 10 weeks. It just goes on and on. While we're at it, very few jobs are interested in fostering your self-expression or helping you find yourself. Fewer still lead to self-realization. (See Rule No. 1 and Rule No. 2.)
Rule No. 10: Television is not real life. Your life is not a sitcom. Your problems will not all be solved in 30 minutes, minus time for commercials. In real life, people actually have to leave the coffee shop to go to jobs. Your friends will not be as perky as Jennifer Aniston.
Rule No. 11: Be nice to nerds. You may end up working for them.
Rule No. 12: Smoking does not make you look cool, whether it is a cigarette, an e - cigarette or a joint. It makes you look moronic. Next time you're out cruising, watch an 11-year-old with a butt in his mouth. That's what you look like to anyone over 20. Ditto for "expressing yourself" with purple hair, pierced body parts and excessive tattoos.
Rule No. 13: You are not immortal. (See Rule No. 12.) If you are under the impression that living fast, dying young and leaving a beautiful corpse is romantic, you obviously haven't seen one of your peers at room temperature lately.
Rule No. 14: Enjoy this while you can. Sure parents are a pain, school's a bother, and life is depressing. But someday you'll realize how wonderful it was to be a kid. Maybe you should start now. You're welcome.
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