Course Expectations:
Be on time!
If you arrive late to class after the late bell has rung and you do not have a valid, signed pass, you will receive a detention.
Be prepared and ready to learn!
Being prepared and ready to learn means you come to class with all needed materials. You should have your AP Human Geography binder, relevant classwork/homework.
Be engaged and willing to participate!
At Western, we have 47 minute class periods, so we must maximize every minute of class time for instruction. You should expect that every day we have class there will be an assignment to complete. Even if there is a half day, or modified schedule, you should expect a focused, shorter class with assignments.
You should be ready to participate in class whether it be working on a group project, class discussion, or an individual assignment. I will factor your participation into your grade as a sign of your general preparedness and cooperative attitude towards this class. If you have any problems participating in class, please come see me so that we can discuss possible solutions.
Be respectful!
This is vital! As you demonstrate maturity and respect towards me and your fellow students, you will earn my respect and trust. I will not tolerate disrespect in my classroom in any form or fashion, and will deal with such behavior and attitude immediately and thoroughly.
Be complaint of all school rules and policies!
Cell phones, mp3 players, or any other electronic devices are not permitted in school. If you have them in your bag turned off at all times, there should not be a problem.
Western’s uniform policy applies in my classroom. As you come into class each day, students who are not in compliance with the uniform policy will not be permitted into class unless they can immediately comply. Otherwise, they will be sent to the office to sign up for an administrative office detention. No exceptions!
Please do not bring food or drink into my classroom. The only exception is water in a clear container.
Please place all trash in the trash bins. I have 4 trash bins in my room. If I find that you have left trash in my room, you will earn a detention where you help me clean and organize my room after school.
Leaving Class: If you need to use the bathroom or get water, you are free to do so without asking for permission under the following conditions: only one student at a time, sign-out and sign-in, and take the pass. If this privilege is not followed or abused, it will be revoked.
Consequences:
Failure to adhere to the guidelines will result in the following:
Verbal Warning:
you will receive a verbal warning indicating that you need to adjust your behavior so that class can continue to run smoothly. In most cases, I will ask students to move desks, which is an indication that your behavior is inappropriate and disrupting class.
Detention:
If you do not respond to the verbal warning you will then be given a detention which must be served that day. Detentions are 20 minutes. If you miss that detention, you will receive a detention for the next two days. If you fail to serve detentions after 3 days a phone call will be made home. If detention is still not served it the student will be referred to the administration.
Phone Call or Letter Home:
I reserve the right to contact your parent/guardian regarding your performance in my class, or any inappropriate behavior in the classroom. I normally will call when you miss a detention or if the action calls for it.
Referral to Administration:
I reserve the right to ask you to leave my classroom if your behavior is preventing your classmates from learning. If you are asked to leave, you must do so quickly, quietly, and without question so as to allow your classmates to return to their work. I also reserve the right to refer you to an administrator at any time if your offense is severe.
Policies and Procedures:
Attendance
The best and easiest to succeed in school is to attend every day. Every day we will be covering new material, much of which is necessary to understand what we will learn next.
In the case that you are absent or late, you are responsible for all missed work. I will not likely seek you out to make sure that you get missed work, it is your responsibility to do so the day that you return to class.
There are at least 3 ways that you can find out what work you missed: 1. speak with a classmate 2. visit the website 3. come see me. Please do not ask for make up work during instruction time; come see me before or after school. I prefer that you rely on your fellow students, and suggest early on in the year you exchange email or phone numbers with a classmate that you can go to to get missed work.
Academic Honesty
For homework and in-class assignments, you are free to discuss work with your classmates, parents, etc. However, what you hand in must be your work. Anything short of that is considered cheating.
Plagiarism will not be tolerated. Copying someone else’s work, whether written, spoken, or in any other form, is unethical and forbidden. On major assignments and essays, failure to credit sources (copying any information verbatim without citing a source) will result in no credit.
Homework/Make-up Work
You should expect to complete homework every day, including weekends. omework is due on the date specified when the assignment is given. If a student is absent the day an assignment is due, the work is due the day they get back. If you miss a day of class, you are expected to get the assignment the day you get back, from which point the assignment will be due the next day, or however specified by the teacher.
Late work will be accepted in some instances. I will let you know which assignments will not be eligible to be handed in late. Most assignments will not be accepted late after they are handed back, which in most cases tends to be between 2-4 days. The best policy is always to complete all assignments on time and hand them in when due.
Coach Class
Coach Class is offered on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 3:15-4:00 p.m. or by appointment only. The purpose of CC is to help students who are regularly attending who need additional assistance from the teacher to succeed in the course. To respect my time, please let me know at least one day in advance that you would like to attend CC and the reason why so that I can prepare according to your needs. Please be on time, even though CC might not take the full 45 minutes scheduled.
Extra Credit
Extra Credit opportunities will be made available on occasion. Too often, students are negligent in tracking their grades, or miss several assignments, and then look to extra credit to bail them out. If this is the case, do not expect EC opportunities. The best EC is to complete all assignments on time, which will earn you full credit the first time around.
Grading
I use a 20 point grading rubric for most assignments (see fig. 1) The weight of an assignment will typically be displayed at the top header, and will depend on the type of assignment – test, quiz, homework, etc. (see fig. 2) Grades will be posted regularly either in class, via email, or online. Student conferences regarding grades must be made in advance and scheduled to take place after school.
