Bottom Line

 I am going to be honest with and up front. If your child has a work ethic they will have no problem in my class. If your child has a tendency not to turn things in they will have problems.  Your child and yourself will know way ahead of time when major assignments like tests, projects, and journals are due. A calendar is given out in class and a calendar is posted here at the web site. Also, you can register your email with me and I will send a notice every once and a while reminding people when journals and projects are due.

 I do not take work late. When it is due it is due. This is a major difference in general between middle school and high school.  Even if your son/daughter is mysteriously ill when a major assignment is due, I expect it to be turned in. There are ways to turn things into me online, which will be addressed in the newsletters.  The reason I say mysteriously ill is over the years through various means I have found out that 80% of the time a student is out of school on a day something is due it is because they had put off finishing it until the last minute and it was not done.

I expect a student in high school to put their names on papers and write in pen. Until the beginning of October, I will not take any points away from an assignment for not having a name or being done in pen. But starting October 1, I take 10% of the total grade for not having a full name (first name and last) on a paper. I also take 10% of the total grade starting October 1, if they do not turn assignments in done in ink. So, basically if a student turns something in to me in November and it has no name and is done in pencil they start at an 80%

 Lets get this one out of the way there is no Extra Credit in this class. For some reason over the years students and parents have gotten the definition of the word Extra Credit mixed up.  Here is a dictionary's definition of Extra Credit ..."More than or beyond what is usual, normal, expected, or necessary." The key here, what is beyond usual, normal, or expected, for some reason the students and parents of students that ask for extra credit are the ones that have not done what is usual, normal, or expected of them in the first place.

 I do not curve tests. I have yet to curve a test in 16 years. What your child gets on a test is what your child gets. I could go on for at least an hour why curving is wrong and should not be used. Believe it or not during the 2007-2008 school year I had a teacher from England email me, so he could tell his parents why it was wrong.

There are from time to time Bonus opportunities. A person has to be in school the day a bonus opportunity occurs. Bonus opportunities can not be made up. Bonus opportunities tend to occur on test days. Please see class rules for more details. They also tend to occur on days before you go on long holidays.

 Please be sure to note and I repeat please be sure to note, all quizzes in my classes are open note. Yes, you read that right, all quizzes are open note. Here is the kicker though; many students will fail to take me up on this by not taking notes. Please check early grade print outs and see how your child is doing on my open note quizzes. The first few days of school I will emphasize note taking. And throughout the year I will remind students that all quizzes are open note.  Now I will admit I tend not to announce when quizzes will occur but come on they are open note after all.  Did I say open note enough?

 Generally each quarter there will be around 1000 to 1500 points in my class. At the most 400 points will come from tests, the only grade that your child can not use books, notes or other resources on.  So, at the most 40% of a quarter grade is comprised of tests. Generally, I try to make it so tests are no more then 35% of a quarter's points. So, students with testing issues should not struggle in my class. Now on the other hand there are students who are good test takers and tend not to do any other work, they are going to have problems in my class, like I stated earlier.  I go by straight points; there are no weighted grades in my class.

 These are the basic things you should know about my classroom. Generally, I think that your son/daughter will enjoy my class. They are given every opportunity to succeed if they choose to. If they choose not to take those opportunities then I must give them the grade that they earn.