Accounting is a dirty business

Or, Ms. Hughes' Homework Policy

No student can be successful in my class unless she or he is prepared for every class. Being prepared for class means completing all assignments and bringing all required materials to class--including both completed assigments and all texts and school supplies needed. Failure to prepare for class will directly result in grading penalties; for more information, use the link on the right sidebar to visit the grading policy for your class.

Under the Best Circumstances...

New homework is posted on the board in my classroom during class each day; however, ongoing and long-term assignments are not re-posted daily. There are three places where information about both short- and long-term assignments are kept:

• All students should record deadlines and goals for short- and long-term assignments in their planners
• All students should keep the prepared Assignment Sheets I provide in their binders so specific information about objectives, procedures, and grading standards for long-term and ongoing deadlines will be available (replacement copies are available on my curriculum maps or on my homework pages--to visit those pages, see the links on the right)
• All students should visit my homework pages to view a clear, thorough table-format syllabus displaying all assignments in progress

If you Don't Understand the Assignment...

Confusion is not an excuse. If you don't understand a homework assignment, you are expected to make a good faith attempt to complete that assignment to the best of your ability. Effort is rewarded. Please follow the following procedure if you find that you need help while working on an assignment:

• Visit your class website to review any clarifying information there
• Email me with as much information as possible (click here for examples of useful and less-useful emails)
• Make use of any links available on the website that may be able to help you fill in missing information
• Contact at least one member of our class for clarification
• Ask a family member for help with the assignment

Ideally, you will receive a helpful, timely response from me (and your classmates and your family), but every once in a while, I either can't get to my email or can't understand, for one reason or another, what you need or how to help you best. Therefore, all students must continue working on their homework regardless of whether they are waiting for a response. All deadlines still apply. Students will be penalized for the failure to make a good faith effort at an assignment.

If you Miss the Assignment...

Absence is not an exemption from the responsibility to complete your work. Any classwork or homework missed for an absence must be made up.

• If you miss an assigment for an excused one- to three- day absence (such as a minor illness or a family event about which your parents or guardian notified the school), you are expected to return to class with all assigned reading already completed (unless a new book has been distributed in your absence). You will have one week to complete any organizers; these can be downloaded from the website or found in the "Past Handouts" bin in the classroom. They must be completed and in your binder for our next check.
• If you miss an assignment for an excused absence of more than three days (such as a serious or recurrent illness or a death in the immediate family), you must email me to discuss an appropriate make-up timeline. These make-up timelines are individual, and no other student's make-up plan is relevant to your schedule. However, the burden is on you to contact me, and it is your responsibility to keep me apprised of your progress. If you are unable to fulfill our agreed-upon timeline, you must contact me before your work is due.
• If you miss an assignment for a pre-scheduled, excused field trip or family vacation, you are expected to return to class with all assigned reading already completed, regardless of the length of the absence. Where possible, students will be given handouts and organizers before their absence, and are required to complete them for the next binder check; any additional handouts will be available on the website or in the "Past Handouts" bin in the classroom.