Mooney's Class
Edward Mooney, Jr.
Antelope Valley Press
August 22, 2005

Title: School Bill of Rights

Today almost 200 students will walk into my classroom for the first time. Do you remember what it was like on the first day of school? The anxiety is high; the unknown factors of the school year are at their peak. The first week is tough; the first day is the most brutal – for the child and for the teacher. I try to deal with this up front on the first day – I bring up the relationship and academic issues that make everything unknown. I call them “Our Rights”.

Our Rights

You the student have the right to this respect - this is not negotiable. But never forget that I have the same right. I do not believe that you must respect me first, and that I will only respect you over time. That’s wrong – it’s a two way street. You have 100% of my belief in you on day one. The question of the year is: can you keep that trust and respect? Once broken, trust is difficult to rebuild. Respect is the only rule of my classroom. All others are “procedures”.

You the student have the right to learn. Please respect my associated entitlement, the right to teach. When one of you interrupts the teaching, you interrupt the learning for all others in class.

You the student have the right to be interested in subject matter outside of what I teach. I respect the fact that you are taking 6 classes, not just mine. Please respect the same right for me – I live a life, too.

You the student will always have choices when it comes to discipline and procedures. I will always try to offer options, not dictates.

You the student have the right to have family issues from time to time, as I do - not that we want them. I can be flexible about homework, but don’t forget what I need to make this work – honesty and following through with your word.

You the student have the right to a different opinion. In my department, social studies, we try to build American citizens. Speaking and hearing different opinions will not affect your grade. That’s what America is all about – freedom of speech. Again, don’t forget something: insulting someone is not a different opinion. It’s just plain meanness. As my mother used to say, insult the idea, but not the person.

You the student have the right to bring in supplemental materials (as long as they don’t break school rules!). I want what I teach to mean something to you. If I refer to some battle or military unit your grandfather was in during World War II, please bring it up. It’s a treat for me to see their pictures or mementoes.

Finally, you the student have the right to keep the fire inside called the “joy of learning”, and the right to have and build dreams. Like medical doctors, I take a personal pledge, and I want you to see it. Each year, on the first day of school, I make it my practice to say something like the following adaptation of the famous “Hippocratic Oath”.

“I SWEAR by all that is sacred to me that, according to my ability and judgment, I will keep this Oath. I will follow that system of regimen, which, according to my ability and judgment, I consider for the benefit of my students, and abstain from whatever is deleterious. I will do no harm. You walk into my class excited about learning – I wish for you to leave that way in June. That is real education – I wish to light a lifetime fire in the heart and mind.”

One thing I ask of my students is that they realize that I am just as human as they are. I am not perfect – only God can claim that in all humility. I see you that way. See me this way as well. What that means is that I will respect you because you are valuable – because you are human. Do the same for me. Remember the “golden rule” – treat others as you would have them treat you. That advice goes a long way in my room. Never forget that I know you are still “growing up” and make mistakes. We can correct mistakes along the way.

But today, let’s smile and enjoy meeting each other. Let’s take this journey together!

Thought for the Week:   "Few are those who see with their own eyes and feel with their own hearts.” - Albert Einstein

Edward Mooney, Jr., of Palmdale, is a teacher at Quartz Hill High School and the author of the novels "The Pearls of the Stone Man" and "The Journey of the Stone Man".