It's only fair that you as my students know my pet peeves. The first two are things I absolutely will not tolerate. The next two are things I will tolerate once or twice, but that will be the extent of my mercy. The last thing is less a pet peeve and something that will cause me more disappointment than irritation. Consider this fair warning.

Disrespect, in any form, will not be tolerated in this class.  You must demonstrate respect for me, other adults, classmates, and even yourself.  

We are not in a court of law, but you are still expected to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. You are expected to turn in your work and no one else's. You are expected to read the books you say you read when you say you read them. In short, you are expected to be honest in every sense of the word.

We will do a lot of discussion in my class. As a result, the air will often be filled with the sounds of brilliant brainstorming, fantastic ideas, and masterful minds at work. This is music to my ears. What is not, however, is tapping, banging, hitting, whistling, or any other sort of unnecessary noise-making. It is useless and distracting, and I'd greatly appreciate it if you'd please refrain from it in my classroom.

We do not compete often in my class, but on the rare occasion we do, I expect you to accept victories with humility and loses with gracefulness. Do not rub your success in someone else's face, and do not mope and complain if you didn't "win." This also applies to sports. For example, if you are a KU fan, and KU beats K-State, I expect you to be a humble winner, and vice versa.

I demand your best. I expect you to give me your best, and as I get to know you, I will learn what your best is. It's my job, and because it's my job, I will learn it better than you. You are bright, intelligent students, capable of everything I will ask you to do. If you meet your potential, you may surprise yourself at your own abilities. If you do it, we will get along fine. If you exhibit laziness by neglecting to do it, we will have issues. It will not be pleasant. It may involve principals and it will involve your parents.

To return to Mrs. Stones' homepage, click here.