Professionalism in the
Classroom
Any
professional situation requires that we treat one another with dignity and
respect, as is required by the BCC Affirmation of Inclusion. Each class session should be treated as a
professional appointment that requires your complete attention and presence for
the full time
In
my classes I require that you observe the following professional courtesies:
1. Please arrive on time every day with the
appropriate texts and materials and stay for the entire class. Late arrivals or early departures cause
disruptions that are unacceptable to your colleagues. Please do not come to class if you can’t
arrive on time (within 2-3 minutes); the latest arrivals should sit near the
door so that disruption is kept to a minimum.
2. Please turn off all cell phones, beepers, and
other noisemakers. I get more student
complaints about phones than about anything else. Even a phone in silent mode causes distraction
if you have to stop, find the phone, and check the message. If you have an emergency and need to be
available by phone, please arrange a special accommodation with me in advance.
3. Text-messaging, surfing the net, listening to
music, etc., are all signs that you are not giving the class your full
attention. Please avoid all such
distractions in my class. Others are
trying to concentrate, and someone playing with toys is a disruption.
4. Talking, passing notes, or other grade-school
behaviors send very bad signals to your colleagues and should not occur in my
classroom.
5. Please be courteous to those asking
questions. What may seem a trivial
question to you may be the one small point that keeps someone else from
understanding the whole picture.
Remember that there is only one stupid question: “I wasn’t here yesterday—did we do
anything?”
6. Review the Arts and Humanities sheet on
student expectations. This document is a
part of my syllabus.
7. It is not a student’s right to sleep in
class. I will wake you and ask you to
leave.
8. I reserve the right to count partial classes
(late arrival, unauthorized breaks, or early departures) as absences.
9. Failure to maintain professionalism will
result in a lowered participation grade.
If
disruptive behavior occurs, I will ask you to stop it. Second offences will be reported to the Dean
of Students, who may take further action that can lead to your permanent
removal from the classroom.