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?
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