I have high expectations for this class, as I do for all of my classes. This class, as an A. P. class, will be taught at a college level; you are expected to conduct yourself accordingly. What I expect, both from myself and from you: a solid work ethic, active and appropriate participation, cooperation with classmates, a strong sense of personal commitment and responsibility for one’s education, positive thinking, and tenacity in pursuit of intellectual greatness. If you are not prepared to read, write, and think in great quantities, this class will be difficult for you.

Please speak up if you have any questions about these policies or those that follow. There is always a reason for everything we do in class, so please ask if at any time that reason isn’t clear to you.

I look forward to a challenging and rewarding semester for all of us!

Absences are your responsibility, not mine. Please see me to make up work or find out what you’ve missed; I will not hunt you down. Please also tell me when you know you will be absent. Absence is not an excuse for turning in major assignments late. Please turn in all work on or before the due date, whether you are here or not, via friend, parent, email, or carrier pigeon. If you are absent on a major due date and want me to accept your paper late, you must have a note from a parent.

Late work will lose one full grade (10 points) per day of lateness, up to 20 points. Assignments are due at the beginning of class. Assignments turned in later on the day they are due will lose five points. Please see me in advance for extensions if needed or if you have several assignments due on the same day. I am far more lenient when you talk with me in advance. Late essays may not be revised for a higher grade (see below). You are entitled to one (1) free computer/technical emergency that will buy you an extra day, free of penalty, on one assignment.

Email/voicemail is to be used judiciously. If you can’t make it to school on a due date, you can email your assignment as an attachment (Microsoft Word is best, otherwise Clarisworks). Please do not cut and paste! It messes with the spacing and margins and makes your work look sloppy! If you will be absent, email or leave a message in my voicemail (call the school and ask to be connected to it, or press 315 when you get the school’s message).

Meetings. Occasionally I will ask you to come see me, or you may need to do so on your own initiative. I’ll be most available periods 5 and 7, though others are possible. If you want to be sure I’ll be in my office, make an appointment.

My pet peeves: lateness to class, late assignments, rudeness, bigotry, random inappropriate comments in discussion, not telling me something I need to know.

I appreciate people who say thank you, open-mindedness, positive attitudes, balanced time management, well-rested students, a sense of perspective.

You will have the opportunity to revise each essay once, to improve your grade and to learn more. The new grade will be averaged with the old grade. Please remember, though, that it’s more efficient to do your best work the first time out instead of falling back on this policy to dig you out of a hole.

In general, if you earn an A from me, it will be because you have done truly exceptional work that brings in fresh ideas or perspectives. B’s signify that you are completing assignments adequately but are lacking an element of control, depth, risk, or clarity that would give your work a needed edge. C’s mean that you have completed the work, but it is seriously lacking key concepts, thought, or effort. D’s are reserved for work that is done with little effort on your part, usually at the last minute. F’s are usually earned on poor quizzes or late papers. It’s rare that an essay would earn an F, as I believe you really have to try to get an F. If you’ve actually written an essay, you’re not trying hard enough to fail.

If you have questions or concerns, please ask me now or at any time in the future. Please ask if you don’t know why we’re doing something or if you have a better idea.

• Essays 70%
• Quizzes 20%
• Classwork (self-evaluation) 10%

Note: Both sections will have journals due each week, on the second day we meet. All other due dates are the same. (If a due date falls on a drop day, your work is due by the end of the class period when we normally have class, not the end of the day.)

Period 2 will have the same schedule as period 3, but one day later.

Some drop days are not dropped, due usually to vacation. Some are noted here; others I will decide later.

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