1) Do I have to bring my stuff every day?
Yes. How can you work without it?
2) Can I use the hall pass?
Yes, if you have a hall pass ticket.
3) Can I sleep in your class?
No.
4) Can we have a free day?
What's a free day?
5) How often do we have homework?
Usually 3-5 times per week.
6) I was sick yesterday, can I have my homework?
Do you have an excused absence slip?
No.
Sorry, you need one to get your makeup work.
7) I was suspended yesterday, can I get my work?
Talk to me privately.
8) Can I see my grade?
Yes! Come in at lunch and I'll be more than happy to discuss it with you.
9) Why do you give us so much work, Mr. Hayes?
I give you so much work because I know you can do it and do it well.
10) Can I eat or drink in class?
No.
But-
No.
11) Can I use the hall pass to go to my counselor, administrator or use the
phone?
Sure you can-- on your own time, not in my class or on my pass. The hall pass is only good to go to the bathroom or your locker for up to five minutes.
12) Mr. Hayes why are your jokes so corny?
What are you talking about? They're great!
13) Mr. Hayes, why did you name your staplers Bob and Al?
I was tired of asking 'Hey, who has the staplers?', so I thought it would be funny to name them names. Also, I've never had a student named either Bob or Al, so I won't get them confused with a real person.
14) Mr.Hayes, why are you such a pain in the halls, picking on me for
a pass?
I'm not just picking on you, I'm picking on everyone in the hall who doesn't have a hall pass. I take that duty very seriously. Teachers at Brookhaven have a right to teach with their doors open if they want to. They can't do that if there are a whole bunch of people in the hall that shouldn't be.
15) What happened to Al Sr.?
Al Sr. got the dreaded "spring is broken and the stapler won't close" disease. He was retired by me in Spring of 2000.
16) Why won't you tell me my grade in class? I won't tell anyone, I swear-- I just want my grade!
I do tell you your grade in class at the beginning of the week, usually on a Monday or Tuesday, along with everyone else. If you want your grade on a day we're not doing that, then you've got to come in at lunch. It may not seem fair, but think of my problem; I've got a limited amount of time that will be quickly eaten up if more than one student wants me to explain their grade to them. I can't just tell you yours, I've got to do everyone's or no one's during class-- it's the only fair thing to do. I choose to do no one's, that way when you come in to me at lunch we can talk about your grade, what your have, don't have etc. If your grade is that important to you, you'll come in at lunch.
17) Why do you count up the seconds it takes us to quiet down and get things together and then make us "pay them off" after the bell rings on Friday?
Simple. The time we have together is VERY limited. While 82 minutes a day over 90 days seems like a lot of time, we actually LOSE time by being on the block scheduling system-- something like a week over the span of an entire school year. THEREFORE, class time becomes even more important, and I won't tolerate people wasting it. Time is not unlimited; if you waste class time, I take your time to "balance the books".
NOTE: As I write this in the summer of 2003, we've switched from blocks to a period/ year-round bell schedule. I'll still use the "balancing the books" system. I like it.
18) Why do you count us tardy if we're not sitting in our seats when the bell rings? What if our butts are just a few inches above the seat-- technically we ARE in our seats, you know?
I count you tardy for the same reason that I have students "pay off" seconds. I can't teach you if you're not ready to learn. If you're not in your seat then you're not ready to go. To me, technically, you're only in your seats if your butt is in the seat at or before the bell ring.
19) Why does everyone call you Hater Hayes, anyway? Where does that come from?
Well, I guess everyone calls me Hater Hayes because I'm a hater. Just what is a hater, anyway? Maybe because I expect everyone to follow the rules and will call people out on it if you don't. Perhaps because I have high expectations of students and do not accept it when they fall short of those expectations. The name doesn't bother me. If you've had me as a teacher you know how I truly am in the classroom. As for where it came from, that's a good question. I don't know who actually started it or when exactly. People have been calling me that in earnest for the past several years now. Since the beginning of the 2000-2001 school year I guess is the starting point.
