Seven things students want to know on the first day. Am I in the right room? Where am I supposed to sit? Who is the teacher as a person? Will the teacher treat me as a human being? What are the rules in this classroom? What will I be doing this year? How will I be graded?

 This is Art Class Room #004  You should be sitting at one of the large round tables. There should be no more than 4 students sitting at each table.

 My name is Ms. Saalfeld.  I am married and have two children.  I also have two goldfish.  I attended college at 4 different colleges and have 3 degrees.

 This is my 10 th year of teaching.  I had a lot of different types of jobs before I became a teacher and learned 1 very important lesson: › Being able to work with others is one of the most important qualities employers look for in applicants.

 Yes.  I will model what I expect from you.  I will treat you with dignity.  I will make sure you are given due process if you break a school or classroom rule.  I will forgive you for making mistakes.  I will not hold a grudge.  I will help you if you need me to.

 Be Respectful: › Every student has the right to a safe and secure classroom; you do not have the right to impede or jeopardize that in any way. Be respectful of yourself, your environment, your fellow classmates, and your teacher. Treat others the way you want to be treated.  Be Responsible: › The Oxford Dictionary defines responsible in this way:  “Liable to be called into account.”  “Morally accountable for one’s action, capable of rational conduct.” Act rationally; choose wisely. Recognize your own role in building a fun and productive community of learners. Understand there will be consequences, both good and bad, for your actions.

 Be Safe › Think about where you are and whom you are with. We must guarantee against harm or injury to another. Think. Ask yourself is it worth it? Would I want this done to me? I will not tolerate, nor should you, any behavior that takes away from the safety of this classroom, nor will the school.  Be Cooperative: › Time and again you will be asked to do something that you may not like or think is worthless. Be mature; work through it. You may find that “getting there” is half the fun. Our world demands that you work well with others. Think—choose wisely.

 Be a Worker › Do your job! Challenge yourself to be productive. You are here; use your time wisely.  Be Peaceful › The Oxford Dictionary defines peace as: › “Freedom from disorder”  “Quiet; tranquility” › “Serenity”. › “A mental calm.” › Simply put, be kind to each other—exercise self-control.

 You will spend the majority of your time making art projects in class.  You will also have assignments in the following: › Do Now › Class Work › Vocabulary Notebook › Homework

 Art Projects are worth 70% of your grade.  The Do Now and Homework are worth 10% of your grade.  Your Vocabulary Notebook is worth 5% of your grade.  Written Class Work is worth 5% of your grade.  Participation is worth 10% of your grad.

“One of the greatest gifts a caring teacher can contribute to children is to help them learn to sit when they feel like running, to raise their hand when they feel like talking, to be polite to their neighbor, to stand in line without pushing, and to do their homework when they feel like playing. By introducing procedures in the classroom, you are also introducing procedures as a way of living a happy and successful life.”- Harry Wong