Rules & Procedures
Respect is the number one rule in this class—respect of the teacher, respect of each other (including other students’ opinions, writing, and property), and respect of class material (what’s being taught, the physical environment) are paramount. We are a community of learners that thrives on respect.
Disciplinary infractions will result in class detentions at 7 AM on days designated by Mr. Eble in 327. Serious infractions will result in a meeting with Mr. Kremer. I will call/email your parents when disciplinary situations arise. I typically haven't given many detentions in this class because people recognize their role in ensuring a well-functioning classroom.
Other rules / procedures:
Disciplinary infractions will result in class detentions at 7 AM on days designated by Mr. Eble in 327. Serious infractions will result in a meeting with Mr. Kremer. I will call/email your parents when disciplinary situations arise. I typically haven't given many detentions in this class because people recognize their role in ensuring a well-functioning classroom.
Other rules / procedures:
1. Please arrive on time. You'll be marked tardy if your tablet is open at the start of class or if you're using it when not allowed. Adhere by this rule so that I can have your full attention at the start of class so we can pray, outline the agenda for the day, and take quizzes / tests promptly.
2. Because this class is based upon discussion, orderly participation and attentive listening are paramount. Thus, please raise your hand to speak during class; during seminars, you'll be expected to speak, but please allow only one person to talk at once, and don't dominate discussion.
3. You should come to every class with the following materials:
A. I will ask you to purchase one text this year (at the end) for your independent reading project. I will allow you to donate your purchased text to Moeller for extra credit.
B. For any text I hand out to you...if you do not return the text that I give you by the end of the quarter, I will place a hold on your account,
meaning that your final large assignment of the quarter (test, paper, or project) will be marked as a zero until you return that book to me.
4. While no two days will be the same, we will have common practices throughout the year:
5. No food or drink or candy allowed in class. You may bring a full water bottle to class, though. Stay hydrated!
6. Unless otherwise noted, no cell phones will be allowed in class. If I see one, I'll confiscate it on the spot until the end of the day--no excuses.
7. No talking or communication with other students will be permitted during tests and quizzes. Unless you're asking me a question after raising your hand, I should not hear from you at all. Any talking or communication may result in a "0" on that assessment.
8. Tablets are for class purposes only; please do not use it during class to email, to game, to complete work for other classes, to check scores, or to fulfill any purpose outside of what's being done in class. This is a college-level course, so I will not be monitoring your computer use like a hawk. However, if you do not abide by this simple rule, you will be issued a class detention or have points docked from seminar grades.
While I understand that wardrobe malfunctions happen (shirts untuck!) in the heat of discussion and academic intensity, all other handbook policies will be enforced. In the words of Barney Stinson, "Suit up."
2. Because this class is based upon discussion, orderly participation and attentive listening are paramount. Thus, please raise your hand to speak during class; during seminars, you'll be expected to speak, but please allow only one person to talk at once, and don't dominate discussion.
3. You should come to every class with the following materials:
- A blue or black pen
- A pencil
- A three-ringed binder for keeping notes and handouts in an organized place; you should keep looseleaf in this binder, as well as a tab for your Writing Center consultation forms. Otherwise, you can choose how you'd like to organize your binder; I'd suggest tabs for Writing, Rhetorical Analysis, Synthesis, Seminar, Revision, Microscopic Skills, and Writing Center.
- Your tablet, charger, and stylus, with access to PDF Annotator, DyKnow, and all Microsoft Office applications.
- The Language of Composition, Second Addition (Moeller text) and/or whatever other text we're studying at the time
A. I will ask you to purchase one text this year (at the end) for your independent reading project. I will allow you to donate your purchased text to Moeller for extra credit.
B. For any text I hand out to you...if you do not return the text that I give you by the end of the quarter, I will place a hold on your account,
meaning that your final large assignment of the quarter (test, paper, or project) will be marked as a zero until you return that book to me.
4. While no two days will be the same, we will have common practices throughout the year:
- Socratic Seminar discussions
- Peer, group, and class review sessions of writing
- DyKnow exercises over style
- Quizzes over assigned readings
- Field trips to Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park and Cincinnati Shakespeare Company
- Group / Pair work
- AP Test practice
5. No food or drink or candy allowed in class. You may bring a full water bottle to class, though. Stay hydrated!
6. Unless otherwise noted, no cell phones will be allowed in class. If I see one, I'll confiscate it on the spot until the end of the day--no excuses.
7. No talking or communication with other students will be permitted during tests and quizzes. Unless you're asking me a question after raising your hand, I should not hear from you at all. Any talking or communication may result in a "0" on that assessment.
8. Tablets are for class purposes only; please do not use it during class to email, to game, to complete work for other classes, to check scores, or to fulfill any purpose outside of what's being done in class. This is a college-level course, so I will not be monitoring your computer use like a hawk. However, if you do not abide by this simple rule, you will be issued a class detention or have points docked from seminar grades.
While I understand that wardrobe malfunctions happen (shirts untuck!) in the heat of discussion and academic intensity, all other handbook policies will be enforced. In the words of Barney Stinson, "Suit up."
Academic Integrity
Plagiarism, as defined by the MLA Style Manual, involves "[u]sing another person's ideas or expressions in your writing without acknowledging the source constitutes plagiarism.... [T]o plagiarize is to give the impression that you wrote or thought something that you in fact borrowed from someone, and to do so is a violation of professional ethics.... Forms of plagiarism include the failure to give appropriate acknowledgment when repeating another's wording or particularly apt phrase, paraphrasing another's argument, and presenting another's line of thinking"
Anything I deem as plagiarism will result in a report to Mr. Collison, academic / disciplinary action from the Moeller Administration, and a "0" on the assignment. This includes use of Sparknotes, Schmoop, or any other study guide, copying homework from another student, and working in groups on individual assignments.
More information on Moeller’s Academic Integrity policies can be found on Moeller's website.
Anything I deem as plagiarism will result in a report to Mr. Collison, academic / disciplinary action from the Moeller Administration, and a "0" on the assignment. This includes use of Sparknotes, Schmoop, or any other study guide, copying homework from another student, and working in groups on individual assignments.
More information on Moeller’s Academic Integrity policies can be found on Moeller's website.
Absences, Makeup Work, Retreats, Late Work
Excused absences will not be counted against you. However, if I notice frequent absenteeism (I.E. consecutive or regular absences), you will meet with Mr. Collison and me to determine a course of action.
Any assignment that is due on the absent day must be printed and submitted to the dropbox when you return.
For quizzes/tests and in-class writing assignments you miss, it is your responsibility to complete the assignment outside of class time. Within one or two classes of your absence, you should schedule via email or discussion a makeup time for the morning (7:15-7:45) or M-block / afternoon. You will receive no credit for Quizzes / Tests and writing assignments not completed within two class periods of your return. That means a "0" (a zero). Exceptions to these policies may be granted at my discretion.
For retreats, as per the Moeller policy, “For assignments, quizzes, and tests posted during the KAIROS retreat, students have as many days as they were gone on retreat to make up the work or the assessment. It is in the student's interest to make up the work as quickly as possible. But, if a student is gone for 3 class days, then he has that much time to make up any work assigned while he was absent.”
All formal writing assignments should be printed and submitted to the dropbox. You will not earn full credit if you submit any formal/informal writing assignment or quarter project late, with a 20% deduction for each school day (A or B day, according to the block). You may not go down to the printer at the start of class time. Thus...
Any assignment that is due on the absent day must be printed and submitted to the dropbox when you return.
For quizzes/tests and in-class writing assignments you miss, it is your responsibility to complete the assignment outside of class time. Within one or two classes of your absence, you should schedule via email or discussion a makeup time for the morning (7:15-7:45) or M-block / afternoon. You will receive no credit for Quizzes / Tests and writing assignments not completed within two class periods of your return. That means a "0" (a zero). Exceptions to these policies may be granted at my discretion.
For retreats, as per the Moeller policy, “For assignments, quizzes, and tests posted during the KAIROS retreat, students have as many days as they were gone on retreat to make up the work or the assessment. It is in the student's interest to make up the work as quickly as possible. But, if a student is gone for 3 class days, then he has that much time to make up any work assigned while he was absent.”
All formal writing assignments should be printed and submitted to the dropbox. You will not earn full credit if you submit any formal/informal writing assignment or quarter project late, with a 20% deduction for each school day (A or B day, according to the block). You may not go down to the printer at the start of class time. Thus...
- If a paper is not submitted at the start of the class period, you can earn a maximum of 80% credit.
- If a paper is submitted one day late, you can earn a maximum of 80%.
- If a paper is submitted two days late, you can earn a maximum of 60%.
- After three days, you earn no credit
Communication
I will enforce these rules and procedures throughout the entire school year; they are intended to help class run smoothly and efficiently. If you have problems with any element of class, the best communication method is a conversation. Emails work well enough, but remember that many textual nuances can result in miscommunication of your ideas or emotions. Typically, if an issue takes more than one email to clarify, personal discussion works best.
Also keep in mind that I will not always respond to emails as quickly as you'd like, so plan ahead and email me with questions sooner than the night before an assignment is due. Though I often grade well into the night, I generally stay away from my inbox after 9 PM.
Finally, please feel free to share openly and honestly about any issues you have with this class. I'm open to ideas and suggestions, as well as complaints and grievances; while my job is to assess you, please share your ideas with me instead of letting them fester and transform into something negative.
Also keep in mind that I will not always respond to emails as quickly as you'd like, so plan ahead and email me with questions sooner than the night before an assignment is due. Though I often grade well into the night, I generally stay away from my inbox after 9 PM.
Finally, please feel free to share openly and honestly about any issues you have with this class. I'm open to ideas and suggestions, as well as complaints and grievances; while my job is to assess you, please share your ideas with me instead of letting them fester and transform into something negative.