I. Expected Behavior

Students are expected to respect their fellow students, teacher, and any other individual in the school. They will have completed the readings or assignments before the class has started and to participate in all class discussions. They are expected to interrupt myself at any appropriate moment when they have something to add to the discussion. All students are expected to participate at least once a day. They will respect the opinions of all students. They will follow the honor code of the school and all of the rules and regulations of the student handbook. They will report to me any instances which causes them to feel uncomfortable in class whether it is by a fellow student or a teacher. When they have a pass to leave early or to arrive late they will proceed to the door or to their seat with as little disruption as possible. Students are expected to interject any appropriate humor in class to make the learning process as enjoyable as possible.

II. Prohibited Conduct.

They will not interrupt any other student in the class or talk to another student when any lecture is ongoing. A student will not pass or write notes in my class. They will not do any homework or readings in my class and are expected not to do any of my assignments in another teacher’s class. They will not speak ill of any other student or teacher in the building. Students will not cheat. They will not intimidate or make any student feel uncomfortable in class. They will not make any offensive jokes or comments. A student is not allowed to eat or drink in my classroom unless they have approval for me. Approval will only be granted for students who have skipped their lunch to take a Latin class with me. Students will also do nothing that prohibits themselves or any other student from learning in class.

III. Punishments

Students who participate in any prohibited behavior can face any of the following consequences; discussion of their behavior after class, detention, expulsion from the classroom to the Vice-Principal office, reduction of their class participation grade, a phone call to their parent, or being excluded from any class trip. Any type of violence directed to another student will automatically result in expulsion to the Vice-Principal office. Any violence directed at myself will result in the notification of appropriate law enforcement authorities.

IV. Disciplinary Guidelines.

Since all students have been warned before hand of the behavior that is expected if a student breaks any of the rules even once they can expect any of the punishments listed above. Different students will be treated differently and punished differently. While that may seem capricous to other students, I may have more knowledge about the individual to shape an appropriate punishment.

V. Rewards

If the student follows all the expected code they will most likely see the benefits of a higher grade, becoming a better student, and becoming a better and more knowledge person. All students can expect to receive a college letter of recommendation from me, however the strength of the letter will be determined not only by your grades but how you conducted yourself as a person in my class. All students will receive a letter of recommendation, which has received careful thought from myself. Students may also use me as a reference for applying to jobs, honor societies, and scholarships. Once again the strength of the reference will be determined partly by grades but also by the conduct of the student. Also no matter what their grade is if the student has behaved and participated well in class, on their interim progress reports I will mention something positive about the student no matter what my concerns about their grade is. I will also make it a point to attend one athletic event for each student during the course of the year.

VII. Miscellaneous Thoughts

As I have mentioned before on a previous post I generally do not have any problems in class. I like an active classroom so I do have to put up with some off topic conversations by the students. I tend to ignore this since it allows students to feel comfortable in the classroom and they will be more likely to participate in class discussions. But all students in my class know that there is a thin line for youthful exuberance and willful disruption of the class. I have never given a detention in class and have not asked a student to leave my classroom in five years and will probably not send another one out unless violence is involved. I find that I can develop a better relationship with the students by talking with them after class and modeling their behavior to what I think is appropriate. While some may take umbrage that I will punish different students differently. One has to remember that some of these students do have medical afflictions, which may limit the punishment since they have IEP plan which is a legal document that I must follow. Also since I get to know many of my students on a personal level, I learn what I can do to motivate them to behave properly. I find that reminding the students that I will call home and discuss their behavior to be the most effective. However, most of my students have parents who care about their education. There is a certain percentage of people who do not care or are not active in their children’s lives and calling home will not be an effective deterrent. I am just thankful I do not have those parents as of yet. Lastly, my comment about violence directed at myself I take very seriously. I have taught at a school where the principal was assaulted by a student at the end of the school year. The only punishment that was meted out was at home instruction and not allowed to walk during graduation. While I do not know all the facts about the student and I may agree with the punishment if I did know them, if a student would ever assault me I would have no hesitation to call police myself and press charges.