The Essential 55

After reading rules 22-32 I have a few that I find important. These are just 5 that I thing are important out of the 10 but of course I love all of the rules Mr. Clark has come up with.

  Rule twenty three: Quickly learn the name of other teachers in the school and greet them by saying things like, "Good morning, Mrs. Graham," or "Good afternoon, Ms. Ortiz. That is a very pretty dress." This rule is the most important one to me from these rules. It just seems like people don't seem to care about anyone around them anymore. Since a young age I have been taught to always greet everyone in the room before doing anything else. I remember my aunts always commenting on how polite that was and always tried to implement that onto their own children. I thought that introducing yourself and greeting them was something everyone. Mr. Clark asks his students to do this because he thinks it "Makes for a more comfortable and enjoyable place to live and work, and they will be far happier in those environments."(Page 80)
  My next favorite rule is rule number twenty five: We will often have visitors to our school. If someone is coming to visit our class, I will send to students to the front door of the building. You will have a sign welcoming the person. When our visitor arrive we will often have visitors to our school. If someone is coming to visit our class, I will send to students to the front door of the building. You will have a sign welcoming the person. When our visitor arrives,  you will shake hands, tell him or her who you are, and welcome the person to our school. You will then take the visitor on the small tour of the building before bringing him or her to the classroom." This rule is just so nice to do. It makes the visitor feel a lot more at ease knowing a little about the place and having people waiting for them to welcome them. Like Mr. Clark said "Walking into a school can be especially intimidating when you don't know where to go or who you need to speak with."(Page 87) one story that stuck with me was Mr. Clark's story of  when he was in high school how he was terrified of his first day since he had just moved. His parents assured him that he would be assigned a buddy to show him around. Sadly though that never happened which resulted in him being all alone looking from class to class. He was dreading lunchtime since he didn't know anyone and would end up sitting alone. Thankfully though he was partnered up with a nice girl in class named Anita Cahoon who told him he would be eating lunch with her and her friends. Mr. Clark has never forgotten that frightening experience of not having anyone show him around or welcome him.
  The next important rule is rule number twenty six: Do not save seats in the lunchroom. If someone wants to sit down, let him or her. Do not try to exclude anyone. We are a family, and we must treat one another with respect and kindness. I just want to start off by saying I am a firm supporter of how Mr. Clark emphasizes to the students how they are a family. So many times I have seen students being excluded at lunch, in class, or at recess. This plays a huge role in the development of a child being excluded can cause many problems later on in life. When you let students know you are a family of makes it easier for them to be able to come to you if they ever need help. I do like how Mr. Clark says " I tell them that it is only human not to like everyone, but that I make sure to treat each person with kindness and respect regardless of my feelings."(Page 88) Students seem to think "Wellif I don't like so and so I'm just going to not be nice to them." that is not how we should handle the situation. Sadly kids are not the only ones doing this I have seen many adults do this to being disrespectful towards someone because they don't like them.
  Another great rule is rule number twenty eight: "If  you have a question about your homework, you may call me. If I am not there to answer the phone, please leave a message in the following manner: "Hi Mr. Clark, this is ________________. I need help with the _________ homework. You can call me back until ___:00. Thank you." There is no need to leave this message fourteen times. Now this rule is just terrific for many reasons. First being that many students use the excuse they didn't understand as a way to not do their homework. This gets rid of that excuse since they have your number. Next by giving students your number you are building trust with them. If they are ever in trouble or for any reason they can contact you for help at any moment. As Mr. Clark points out "Many kids are embarrassed to admit that they need help."(Page 92) I have experienced this first hand so many times. I was always shy or ashamed to raise my hand and ask for help. I thought that I was the only one who couldn't seem to understand what was happening. By giving students your number those who are shy and don't want to ask questions can now do so. This will in turn help them academically and to build a stronger bond with you.
  Finally the other extremely important rule is rule number thirty one:  when we stay in a hotel room, it is appropriate to leave a tip on the pillow for the hotel workers were responsible for cleaning the room after state. 2 to 3 dollars per night is an appropriate amount, depending on the cost of the room. I have always heard of leaving tips in a restaurant but never of a hotel room like Mr. Clark points out in the beginning of the page. When I was younger my mother worked cleaning people's house and car dealerships at night and she would often bring me along having no other place to leave me. I remember we would go to around three car dealerships and two houses all in one night. My mother by the end of the night would be exhausted. Sadly all she would get would be around 100 dollars or less per house and around 130 for the dealerships. They never thanked her for all her hard work or even tipped her. She worked holidays and even on her birthdays and most of the people she worked for didn't even know her name. In this rule Mr. Clark says "You should be kind to everyone and show appreciation to those who do things for you, and in return it can bring only good things to you."(Page 103) After reading this it got me to think that many people today are so accustomed to not appreciating what they have. Mr. Clark wants his students to be the kindest most respectful people you have ever met. Except to him this is just how he was raised and is trying to show these kids what it's like. This book is one that I believe everyone should read. It teaches you a lot about the world around us and how to be more respectful even if you don't like it.

I found this wonderful website with 10 ways to be more appreciative you should go check it out.

The Essential 55

Today we will be discussing rules 11-21 from The Essential 55 by Ron Clark.
  Out of thes rules my favorite would have to be number eleven: Suprise others by performing random acts of kindness. Go out of your way to do something surprisingly kind and generous for someone at least once a month. It's nice that Mr. Clark wants his students to get in the habit of doing things without expecting something in return. Like  Mr. Clark says " I feel, however, that the best time to give someone a nice suprise is when it isn't expected. That way, the person knows you didn't do it because of obligation, you did it because you wanted to."(Page 29) Doing something nice for someone is a great way to make them happy. You know what I don't like about doing random acts of kindness in the society. It's the fact that everyone must brag about how they are doing something nice hoping to gain popularity from it. If you are doing something nice why must the whole world now about this? It seems to me like you are doing it for your benefit of gaining the attention of the media.
  Another rule I found important would be number sixteen: Homework will be turned in each day for each subject by every student with no exception. Why is this so important you may be asking yourself? Well I'll tell you why you see we are all so use to making up excuses for why we didn't do something. It's almost becoming a habit of not turning in something but coming up with a great excuse. I like how Mr. Clark says " I want them to learn to be on time and proficient at a young age."(Page 56) Like I have mentioned before all these rules Mr. Clark has instilled in his students are useful not just for school but for their futures. I also think it's great how he's rewarding the students for getting their work in on time and motivating them to continue to do so.
  Rule number 18: You will make every effort to be as organized as possible. This rule seems like it would be hard for me personally. I try to be organized but when I'm in a rush there is just no way for me to take the time to place things in the correct order. Although Mr. Clark would take dramatic measures to insure students would be orgainized he explained to them why he does it. He tells them " It is not done in anger or to humiliate in any way; it is done to to teach."(Page 63)  At the end of this rule Mr. Clark states " It is always best to be specific about your expectations."(Page 66) What I find intriguing about this is that many of these books for teachers make it a point to stress this. For example, Mr. Wong also makes it known that this is very important to make sure your students know your expectations. In this book Mr. Clark has many rules and they are all very specific in how he expects them to be accomplished and I find it interesting.
  An important rule that would follow would be number nineteen: When I assign homework, there is to be no moaning or complaining. This will result in a doubled assignment. As Mr. Clark states many teachers tell him that they don't like this rule. They say homework should never be used as punishment. But he does say that it's better to have them understand that their will be consequences for their actions. If not he says they will always moan and complain about getting homework which is not acceptable. Mr. Clark says " I try to instill a positive type of attitude in my classroom, and under no circumstances do I allow my students to whine or fuss about any assignments or expectations of them."( Page 68) Again he is letting them know what is clearly expected of them. That being said he isn't completely unwilling to compromise with the students. He tells his students " If they do feel the homework too much for one night, they are welcome to voice their concerns."(Page 68) This way he is willing to work with them if they are busy and don't feel like that amount of homework will be completed.
  Finally my other important rule would be number twenty: While you are with a substitute teacher, you will obey the same rules that you follow when I am with you. (I know his is hard, but it is important.)  This rule is for students to learn that even though no one is watching them they must take pride in there appearance. This means they must not act silly or disrespectfully when their teacher is absent. This not only reflects badly on the students but also on the teacher who has taken time to get the students to follow certain protocols. Then they just decide that the protocols are not worth using while the teacher is out and toss out their manners as well? No that is not what is expected of this. As Mr. Clark has explained " I want my students to have the mind-set that they are working for themselves and to have pride in their work, wheather a boss is standing right over them or not." (Page 69)
 

On this website are 85 ideas for random acts of kindness. What do you say we try some out?

 

The Essential 55

We will be discussing Ron Clarks "The Essential 55" rules 1-10.

   I would like to start off by saying that I did think that 55 rules was a lot for kids to remember. After reading the rules however I realized these rules are more manners than anything something kids should already be familiar with. Many children today are taught manners but are not taught to make a habit of using them. I love how Mr. Clark makes students use their manners and let's them know why they must use them.
  I want to start off with my favorite rule out of the 10. It is rule number one: When responding to any adult, you must answer by saying "Yes ma'am" or "No sir." Just nodding your head or saying any other form of yes or no is not acceptable. Mr. Clark starts his rules with this one because he says " It sets the tone for the type of respect I expect from my students."(page 1) This rule is a great one to learn at a young age since it is a very useful tool when interacting with other adults.
  My next favorite would have to be number two: Make eye contact. When someone is speaking, keep your eyes on him or her at all times. If someone makes a comment, turn and face that person. See when someone is speaking it is a sign of respect to turn around and make eye contact. This shows that you are intreasted in what they have to say. As Mr. Clark also says "People will be more likely to trust you and believe in your ideas if they see that you are confident, sure of yourself, and making contact with them."(page 3) I believe this to be true since they do say that the eyes are the windows to your soul. I also really love how Mr. Clark urges his students to give respect to everyone not just teachers. "Often custodians, cafeteria workers, secretaries, and teachers' aides aren't considered worthy of the respect teachers get, and I work hard to change that image in the minds of my students.(page 5)
  An important rule that I think should be implemented in every classroom should be rule number eight: Do not smack your lips, tsk, roll your eyes, or show disrespect with gestures. I feel like many people do this and aren't really aware that they are doing it. Nonetheless this is still very disrespectful and makes it seem like you have no respect for the person talking or whatever someone just said to you. Mr. Clark lets his students know how disrespectful these actions are by saying "I talk to the students about how it is form of disrespect, and that sometimes you don't have to say a single word in order to get yourself in a lot of trouble."(Page 22) I think that Mr. Clark is fantastic in his way of teaching I mean after he implements a rule he has them role play someone breaking the rule. Then he shows the students the disciplinary measures that will be taken for breaking the rule. Then when the time comes and someone truly does break the rule they can't complain since they knew what was expected of them.
  Another important rule I think would be rule number nine: Always say thank you when I give you something. If you do not say it within three seconds after receiving the item, I will take it back. There is no excuse for not showing appreciation. This rule is really tough for kids today since they aren't use to appreciating the things they have. Mr. Clark had to establish this rule and remain consistent with it although it was tough at times. He has a point though there is no excuse for not showing appreciation.   Like Mr. Clark said he use to have a custodian who would occasionally mop and clean their rooms during the night shift. He made it a habit to thank him several times for all his good work. Mr. Clark says "He would seem surprised that I was thanking him for just doing his job."(Page 26) In today's society we are so use to not appreciating the things around us and it shouldn't be like that.
  I like how Mr. Clark hold these children to such standards. This teaches the children at a young age to become accustomed to being respectful and appreciative of everything and everyone around them. If you haven't yet I do recommend you read The Essential 55 by Ron Clark.

I found this website on how to get students to understand respect and gain it at the same time check it out.

Are schools built for learning?

 After watching Mr. Richardson's Ted talk video It got me thinking about our current educational system. Mr. Richardson motivates all of us watching to think about this question "Are schools built for learning?" I keep asking myself this question and have only come up with a very firm answer of no.
 You see when people are asked what an ideal learning environment would be they seem to come up with the complete opposite of how our learning environment is. It's sad that like Mr. Richardson said many students are learning more out of school then they are inside schools. The problem is that we aren't teaching students what they are passionate about but, instead we teach them what the state gives us. We must be honest most of the stuff these students are expected to know they will never use outside of school. We have children dropping out of school because they just can't find the motivation to stay. Instead they seem to be stressed out and losing all passion of wanting to learn.
 An ideal learning environment in my opinion would be one where we get to know what interest our students. We get to know what drives their passion for learning. Then we base our curriculum around their passions and incorporate everyone's interest into our learning. This could be used in the future as a way to get students engaging more. It also helps motivate our students to want to better their education without having to force them into it. This is also a great way to help those students that don't really have a passion. By teaching them based off what all the others are motivated it could help them find a passion. We also must figure out what motivates our students to better their education and make sure we keep that motivation alive. Getting an education should be something many people should be passionate about but sadly this isn't the case. We have hours of learning going on inside classroom and then we send students home to learn more on their own time. But if students are interested in learning inside the classroom what makes us so sure they will be willing to learn on their free time. What I'm saying is that we should find a way to motivate our students to get them passionate about learning.
 With that being said I do believe schools should be 7 hours long. If students are really passionate about their learning there will be no distractions or unnecessary interruptions. This means that students can learn a lot in a couple of hours. This way they can have more time to learn about the world around them or further learn about their passions.
 A way to measure students understanding or performance of a subject you could use a assessment of a test. But I feel like you could measure this by having them write about it. This way they get to have freedom to write about what they got out of the lesson. I believe that to we need to get students to want to learn on their own free will by motivating them.