7 Things Students Want to Know

1. Am I in the right room?

Each student will be greeted at the entrance of my classroom as they arrive. I will compare their copy of
the schedule with mine to ensure they are in the right place at the right time. If not, Ill give them clear
directions on how to get where they need to be and who they need to talk.

2. Where am I supposed to sit?
I always have assigned seating at the beginning of a new school year. It is, in part, a compensatory
strategy for me as it takes me a few days to learn all the new faces and names. It also prevents groups
of friends from bunching together and isolating themselves from the other students. As the year
progresses I tend to loosen the classroom seating requirement and let the students choose, within
reason, where they would like to sit.

3. What are the rules in this classroom?
My rules are simple and geared toward both individual and group success:
a. Arrive to class on time and be prepared to follow all instructions
b. No food or drink allowed in class
c. Maintain an appropriate level of supplies and materials (list given at start of school year)
d. Come to class ready to learn and remain seated and quiet unless directed by the teacher
e. Maintain a positive attitude and be respectful of your fellow students and teacher(s)
f. Keep an Open Mind
g. Believe in Yourself
Further clarification of these rules can be found on my class webpage.

4. What will I be doing this year?
This is 8
th
grade mathematics so we will be studying the concepts of proportionality, probability and
statistics, algebraic thinking, mathematical relationships, geometric properties and much more. Not
only will we learn these math concepts, but how they apply to the various career fields that my
students are interested in pursuing.
As with the rules of math, teaching and learning take place using appropriate policies and procedures. I
spend the first few weeks reinforcing the school policies and procedures outlined in the school
handbook, as well as my classroom policies and procedures which are posted on a bulletin board at the
front of the class.
Students will be provided with a written copy of the classroom policies and procedures and their first
grade of the year will be to return the paper with their parents/guardians signature along with the
students responses to two questions (one paragraph per question). Each student must tell me which
policy he/she feels is most important and why, and which policy I least important and why. I find this
helps motivate the students to actually read the policies vs. just having them signed.

5. How will I be graded?
I always let my students know that they start the year with a perfect score of 100 and whether they
keep it or not is totally up to them. I do not grade using a curve and if there is a group project, I will
give both a group and individual grade.
Each students grade will be based on their personal mastery of the learning criteria. The grading rubric
will be provided and briefly discussed on the first day of school, but will be reviewed in depth when the
first real assignment is given. I will also post grading criteria on my webpage and provide the students
and their parents/guardians with instructions on how to view my classroom grades online.

7 Things Students Want to Know


6. Who is the teacher as a person?
I will have a bulletin board in my classroom that includes a number of personal facts about who I am.
Since I teach math, the students will have to solve math functions to get the correct answers. This is a
fun way for the students to learn more about who I am plus answer a few warm-up questions also.
Students will be given the domain name for my webpage and encouraged to read my welcoming
statement and some of the additional facts about me and what I likes/ dislike.
Each student will be handed a brief questionnaire about what they do and do not like about math and
how they see themselves, if at all, using math in their career of choice. I also like to ask what kinds of
math activities and teaching styles they have found especially fun and useful for them in the past.

7. Will the teacher treat me as a human being?
Absolutely, I will meet my students at the door and provide them with a cheerful and caring greeting.
When they enter the classroom they will know that I keep it clean and well organized and they will be
met with a brief welcome message on the whiteboard. I tend to dress in business casual as it sets a
good example for the students and it models how they should dress if they want to be successful.
I always maintain a consistent professional attitude even when faced with disciplinary challenges.
Students are quick to pick up on whether or not a teacher is genuine or not, so I want my students to
know that with me, what you see is what you get. Students want to be respected and it is often the
teachers job to be the first to show that respect even if a student may not display behaviors deserving
of it. It will only take minute or two at the beginning of class for students to know they have a teacher
that is honest, fair, professional, and fun.