Expectations
To my students
My most important expectation for you this year is something that you've been working on since you started school: To learn how to learn. This is a big topic, which we will talk about this year.
A few simple things you can start with:
- Keep a spiral notebook. Begin each day's notes on a new right-hand page, with your name and the date in the top-right corner.
- Use scratch paper. Keep it nearby. In my classroom, I have about a hundred pounds (literally) of scratch paper at the beginning of the year.
- Use a pencil and an eraser, along with a ruler or other straightedge.
- Give yourself permission to make mistakes. Our musicians and athletes know they didn't master their craft by doing it right the first time.
- Know what you do and do not know. Name the things you know, and know how you know them. Name the things you do not know, and find ways to move from not knowing to knowing.