Class Rules and Expectations: You Must Follow These Guidelines in Order to Be a Successful Student in this Class.

• You are required to check this website twice daily (morning and evening).
• Follow uniform, ID badge, and safety rules.
• Do not be late for class. You are not allowed to come late to class with a pass from another teacher. A teacher cannot hold you without calling me and asking for my permission first. If you allow a teacher to hold you without their calling me, unfortunately, you will have to go to Portable 14 for an unexcused late pass. The teacher's pass is not valid unless they call me first.
• When you enter the classroom, copy the Agenda and do the Word-of-the-Day activity. If any work is to be collected, place it neatly on the table at the front of the class (only if asked by the teacher or if you see that directive in the Agenda). 
• Please refrain from asking the teacher questions until the above is done.
• The time to see your teacher with questions about individual assignments or class concerns is before or after school; not between classes and not during class.
• All assignments should have an MLA heading and header, as well as a proper title. Points will be detracted from day one if these requirements are not met. See the tab on this website for questions about MLA format. There is a link to a sample paper. (Although the formal MLA format does not require your period number to be listed in the heading, please add your period in the line after the course name. For example: ENC1102, Period 1. Thank you.)
• When an assignment is returned, you must review/read all comments. Otherwise, you will continue to make the same mistakes. In addition, use a page in your binder to record titles of all assignments and grades. Sometimes computer errors happen and grades could be lost.
  
• Go to the restroom before class, unless it is an emergency. In that case, you must sign out.
• Whenever you leave the classroom, you must sign out--with the date, the destination, and the time. Do not be out of the classroom for a long time. I will have to contact Security (as a safety issue).
• If you are given a book to take home, you must bring that book back to class every day. If you leave the book in the classroom, your teacher is not responsible if the book is lost or stolen. You will have to pay for that book at the end of the year.
• Do not use a cell phone or earplugs unless the teacher gives you permission or tells you to use your cell phone as a vehicle for learning.
• Never email your work to your teacher, unless the teacher tells you to do so.
• Late work (from day one) is never accepted unless your absence was excused. You receive a grade of zero if you do not turn in the assignment on the day it is due.
• There is no extra credit in this class.
• There are no "free days" in this class. You will have independent work time when you should work on academic assignments.
• Be mindful of the number of field trip forms you ask me to sign. I do understand that field trips are an important part of high school life, but going on too many field trips hurts your learning as well as the learning culture of the class. With too many students absent, the curriculum is difficult to complete. I am asking you to be selective in your choices and respect that you are in an important high school or college class. In addition, please know that I do not record field trips. It is your responsibility to get in touch with a trusted classmate and find out all work that you missed, including assignments, handouts, and notes. You must also copy the agendas and complete the Word-of-the-Day activities for days you are absent. Thank you.
• If you watch a movie in this class, it is curriculum-related and you must pay attention. You may have a follow-up activity or test.
• Your teacher is a mandated reporter. Consider the appropriateness of what you write or say in a classroom setting. Your communication among yourselves or with me should be "school appropriate." If I hear or read something concerning, I am mandated to report it to the appropriate administrators. If you have a personal problem, you should talk with your Guidance Counselor. Always ask for help if needed. We have wonderful guidance counselors who care about you. Do not hesitate to talk with them. Everyone, at times, needs a good listener and advice.
• I suggest you get a peer's phone number and email address in case you are absent so that you can keep up with classwork.
• You are responsible for all work on days that you are absent, including the Agenda, the Word-of-the-Day activity, asking for any handouts that were given out. (It is a good idea to record on the agenda when a particular handout was distributed). Also, find out any assessments that were missed. For missing assessments, you should approach the teacher before school or during an independent work time in class and ask to make up the assessment. Know the specific title of the assessment. (All work should be made up within two days of your absence or you receive a grade of zero.) 
• Ask your fellow students what you missed before you approach the teacher. You are responsible for making up all work without the teacher having to tell you about missing assignments or assessments. Ask for handouts that were distributed when you were absent. Know the specific title of the handout.
• Your binder may be checked at any time for a grade--notes, handouts, homework assignments, agendas, in-class activities, Word-of-the-Day activities, etc.
• Ongoing, permanent homework assignment: Always review readings, study for the PSAT/SAT/ACT (many links to good resources on my website), vocabulary, all notes, new terms, etc. Also--For any readings in the electronic textbook, you are always responsible for memorizing the five or six selected vocabulary words that the editors highlight before the texts. You could be quizzed on these vocabulary words at any time.
• There could be pop quizzes at any time on the readings.
• You need to have the appropriate supplies--a three-ring binder, paper, pens, pencils, highlighters, erasers, a flash drive, a three-hole puncher, a stapler, 
  and whatever other supplies you like to use.
• If you are a student in an ENC class, know that you are enrolled in a college class and that you are held to college expectations. Also know that the term for Broward College ends earlier than the high school term, and the class converts to a study period. You are still expected to attend class and you are expected to study/work on assignments for other courses or read a good book.
• Never film, photograph, or record in class. It is against the law.
• Do not eat or drink in class.
• The number one rule in this class is Respect. Respect others, respect the readings, respect the authors, respect your teachers, respect the classroom environment--books, desks, and supplies. And most importantly, respect yourself.
• In your binder, record each and every grade. Computer applications sometimes have glitches or lose data. By recording your grades, you will always know your current average. Simply divide points earned by the total points possible at that point in the semester. The percentage from your division is your current grade. As an extra precaution, take screenshots of Canvas, Focus (high school classes), and Broward College D2L (college classes). Remember that grades are not final until they are entered into Focus or D2L. 
• Grades for ENC students are recorded in the Broward College D2L application. A student cannot always see the percentage, but it is easy to figure out your current average. Simply divide points earned by the total points possible (as displayed in D2L). This percentage will be your current grade. Remember also to record all grades in your binder.
• Download all submission comments (comments on assignments uploaded to Canvas). Paste those comments into a Word document, so you have useful recommendations to review for future assignments. I could ask to see this Word document of my comments for a grade. Also be sure to keep a copy of every Word file.
• You must print out all assignments/notes when specified within the post (MLA-formatted Word documents) and place them in your binder. I could collect or check them for a grade at any time during the semester (from the beginning of the class on the date it is due onward). Even if I do not ask you to upload an assignment to Canvas, you are required to complete the assignment. Every assignment is not graded. You must keep a copy of all work on your laptop (using the proper format to name your file) and as a printout in your binder (for the entirety of the semester). Remember, I could ask for an assignment one day that was due the month prior. You get a zero if the printed-out assignment is not in your binder.
  
• Assignments are sometimes collected by your professor or teacher but not graded. This enables the professor to ensure that students are doing their work. Knowing that work could be collected at any time also motivates students to complete it. The overarching principle in education is that students are required to do all their work, whether graded or not.
• The format for naming every Word file is: LastNameFirstName__Assignment Title__Name of Course__Period #.
• Whenever you are asked to upload a document to Canvas, that is the Word document you will receive a grade on. If it is blank or unreadable, you will earn a grade of zero. You must check the document once it is uploaded. Be sure that the uploaded document is what you want me to grade.
• Do not approach me at the end of a term to ask for added points so that your class average reaches a higher grade. You earn your grade.
• Do not come to me at the end of the term and ask to make up work. The answer will be no.
• Have a good attitude. You will not like everything you have to read or write in this course, but approach each assignment with the knowledge that sometimes you need to do certain work, even if you do not like that work. This is a great life lesson. I do not expect you to like English class. I expect you to have a good work ethic and a mature outlook.
• Please know that not every assignment will be listed on the website; I will give you the information about some assignments orally in class. Be sure to write the assignment directions down in your binder. When you return from an absence, ask others if I gave an assignment orally when you were not present.
• Because of Covid, you cannot change seats. You also should be aware of everyone you are near during a given day. Contact tracing may be necessary at some point in the future. The current Omicron variant is extremely contagious. I highly encourage the wearing of masks for your own health and the health of peers, friends, and family. Use hand sanitizer often; wipe off your desks. 
• You must keep all returned graded work in your binder.
  
• If you need to email me, use the school's email (not Canvas): james.mulhern@browardschools.com. Include within the Subject line, your course and your period. Please remember that teachers are off at the end of the day and are not required to check their emails when not working. You may not hear back from me until the workday begins. Thank you.