Getting Absent Work – if you have been absent, instead of asking me for the work, head to the front of the classroom! On the wall, to the right of the white board, is a file folder labeled “Absent Work Form”. Grab one of these and fill out the front side of the paper with your name, the date you’re filling out the form, and the date(s) you were absent. Then (and this is important!), place the absent form in the wicker basket on the side table. I will get all work to you within 24 hours.
Late Work – I do allow late work in my class because I understand that sometimes life can get the best of all of us, and sometimes you get home and can’t remember exactly what needs to be done. All DAILY homework assignments (this does NOT work with essays or projects) may be turned in up to ONE WEEK from the original due date, with no deductions for points. However, after that one week window is gone, I will no longer accept the assignment. Putting off the learning for too long means that you are getting behind on the core concepts, skills, or topics we’re focusing on in class.
Pre-Arranged Absences – are you going on vacation (lucky you!)? Are you going to have an appointment? Is a sports team or music group going to be gone during school? If you know in advance that you’re going to be gone, follow the same procedure as listed above for getting absent work. Please fill out this form at least 2 days before you are leaving so that I have time to gather work. If you need more than two days of work, please give me a week to get your work together!
Turning in Absent Work – attach your fully completed absent work to the absent work form and place the whole packet in the “absent work” tray located on the black filing cabinet (orange tray) that abuts my desk. The tray is labeled and ready for your work! You have the same number of days to complete the work as the number of days you were absent (1 day gone, 1 day to complete; 2 days gone, 2 days to complete, etc.). I correct the papers in the tray once per week, so be patient!
Emergencies – if something comes up at home that is an emergency and you are unable to complete your homework (a sickness in the family, not a shopping spree or a sports practice!), see me immediately before school the next day, or have a parent e-mail me. We will discuss the situation and go from there. Please don’t abuse this privilege. This does not apply to long term projects or assignments. If you are having problems completing a major assn., you need to see me well in advance of due dates.
Starting Class – we have very specific steps for starting the class, and the expectation is that these procedures are followed daily. All students are expected to come into the classroom, find assigned seat immediately, and begin working on the Do Now that is listed in the front of the room. The Do Now is in the same place every day, so you can’t get lost or confused! Do Nows should be done quietly and seriously – there is a point to these. Please hold all questions until later in the class period; a line up of students at my desk at the beginning of class really slows things down J
Do Nows – to receive full points on the Do Nows, you must include the following information: the prompt’s title (it’s written on the “banner” of the prompt), the day’s date (1 pt. for each of these things), then complete the prompt fully (2 pts. for this). Do Nows will be collected on specific dates and corrected. If you are absent, you are still responsible for completing the prompt for the day. Ask a classmate for the prompt or come see me before/after school.
End of Class – I often give a few minutes at the end of class to relax, but that depends on what we’re doing that day – sometimes we go right up to the bell and it’s necessary for you to sit tight and listen! Student cooperation is essential if everyone wants to leave on time, so packing up early actually slows us down and may make it more difficult to get out on time. J
Group Work – make sure that everyone in the group has a name on the paper in order for full points to be awarded. Group work = group grade. Cooperative working is an essential life skill, and it is important that students learn to work together in order to be successful – in school and in life. If your group is having issues working something through, call me over immediately, or speak to me privately at the time of the issue. I can’t help you work through problems if I don’t know they exist!
Paper Headings – I have 130+ students in my classes, and I cannot learn all of the handwriting! You need to write your name on the top of ALL papers in order to get a grade. The format that you are expected to use should look like this:
Johnny B. Good
Am Lit, 2 (that means American Lit – period 2)
9/10/17 (the day’s date)
Can’t Find it? - If I find a paper with no name on it, I will place a paper in the “No Name” folder that is stapled to the window wall. If you think that you turned something in, but it doesn’t show up on Skyward – remain calm! #1: check your back pack carefully! - sometimes papers didn’t quite make it in to me as you thought! #2: check the “No Name” folder. Your paper might just be there – you will still earn full points on assn. found in the no-name folder. Simply put your name on the paper, then resubmit it to the orange “absent work” tray by my desk.
Improving a Score – if you have fully completed an assignment, but earned a score that is less than desirable L, you are able to rewrite / revise the assignment in order to raise your score. Revisions may be done AFTER a brief meeting to discuss the assignment. This insures that you get the necessary guidance to increase your skills and understanding of the work. Once you have completed the revisions, attach the original assignment (very important! – no original = no new grade!) to the revision and place both in my “absent work” tray. I will correct these papers when I go through the absent work.
Rewriting Essays – you may rewrite an essay to improve your score. However, before doing this I require you to have an appointment with me so that we can sit down and discuss issues and changes that need to be made. Once you have completed the revisions, staple the original (required!) and the revised copy together, and turn both in to the “absent work” tray. Please make sure that revisions are serious attempts at improving your work!
Contacting Me – if you are absent, and have questions during the school day, feel free to send me an e-mail from home! I check my e-mail periodically throughout the day and will get back to you, as long as you e-mail me before 2:30. Here is my e-mail address again:
If you need to speak to me in private, I try to be in my room by 6:30 each day, and can usually speak to you before school (unless I have a meeting!). After school is another good time to meet with me. Making an appointment helps to insure that I will be in my room and ready to help, but if you can’t make one, then just drop by. If I’m busy, just be patient and wait for me!