Strebler’s “Do”s and “Don’t”s How to succeed in my classes

Just DO what you’re supposed to do For the most part, you know what that is. Life works well when you do those things.

DON’T do What you’re not supposed to do Again: you mostly know what that means

Not specific enough? OK – let’s take a closer look…..

DO Read assignment instructions and SchoolNotes.com carefully – every time. Many problems come from not doing those things. You are REQUIRED to check SchoolNotes every time it’s updated; this is not an optional thing on your part.

DO Ask me for help when you’re confused about something. me at or come see me during my office Read the syllabus; it tells you when office hours are.

DO Turn work in BEFORE the deadline whenever possible. This tells me that you care about my class. It also gives you a chance to get feedback and then revise your work for a better grade. Finally, it lets you avoid the inevitable excuses from waiting until the last minute and a problem causes your work to be late.

DO Turn in work before class starts. Put it in the box on my desk before the bell rings. After the bell, it gets a zero.

DO Care about my class. If your work and participation show that, then I’ll really care about your grade. That means giving you the benefit of the doubt and extra help, when I might not do so for someone else.

DO Write in paragraphs that are 3-6 sentences in length; half a page or less in most cases. Too many students write and write, without breaking their writing into paragraphs. You’ll get marked down for excessively long paragraphs.

DO CAPITALIZE proper nouns (names, places, etc.) Use proper punctuation These things count in good writing, and we practice good writing at I.S. You’ll be marked down for not doing these things

DO Look at all sides of an issue. The most widely-held opinions on many things are often not accurate or the best way to look at them.

DO Get your absences excused. If so, I accept your work when you come back and let you make up exams. If not, then not.

DON’T Write in pencil. Pencil is for grade school and math class. This is neither. Also, pencil is often harder to read. So: write in ink, or else type your work. Pencil work gets zero credit.

DON’T Use that binder notebook paper with the frilly little cositas on the edges; they’re a pain to deal with, and will get you a zero on your work. If I even see that kind of paper out on your desk, you get a zero on your work, so…. Buy paper for my class that doesn’t have them! It doesn’t cost any more.

DON’T Be messy and leave your trash, wrappers, cositas, etc. on the floor. Other teachers may not mind having a trashy looking classroom; I do

DON’T Wait until the last minute to do your work and then beg for mercy when you can’t get it done on time for one of countless reasons such as: My printer broke, the Internet’s down, my dog ate it, my mom got up late, I got sick, I forgot it at home – ALL of these are just excuses that you wouldn’t need if you’d done your work earlier, excuses that will not be accepted.

DON’T Send me an at 9 PM the night before an assignment’s due, asking for help. I don’t stay up at night just waiting for your last-minute s. Plan ahead, start on your work earlier rather than later, and me at a decent hour if you want help.

DON’T Cheat. I REALLY hate cheaters, and go out of my way to catch and punish them. Sometimes that means I have to go head to head with your parents – “oh, my child would NEVER cheat!” I hate doing that, but I hate cheaters even more. So don’t try it.

DON’T Expect to get a good grade just because you’re smart. The world is full of really smart people who end up as failures. It’s not what you KNOW, it’s what you DO that matters.

DON’T Bother asking me if you can make up work or an exam because of an absence. See the earlier slide about this, and/or read the syllabus.

DON’T Make excuses. Everyone has problems; when you do, find solutions rather than use your problem as an excuse. I’m not interested in why you couldn’t do something.  Instead, tell me how you were able to overcome the issue.

DON’T Turn in work (or no work at all) and expect to pass my class. You won’t Are you that person? If so, transfer out now to another class. You’ll save us both a lot of grief. Seriously

ONE MORE “DO” “Do anything you want…. As long as you’re willing to accept the consequences.” That’s “Strebler’s Law” It’s also how the real world works.