Imagine you’re giving a grand party; you invite everyone you know. Your family, friends, and even perhaps a crush or two. You will be wearing amazing clothes – you look beautiful/handsome, the food is fresh and delicious, there’s a live band, and everyone has RSVP’s. (respondez-vous, s’il vous plait = French for Respond, Please).

Everyone is there, all eyes on you. You’ve worked for weeks to plan for every last detail, to make sure the guests have a good time, and it’s a night to remember.

Now, imagine all of your guests going nuts – they start a food fight, they spill and spray soda pop everywhere, they even give your grandma a black eye!

That’s how I feel every time I read guest teacher notes. The day starts off fine, because most of the students know how to behave, and then it deteriorates from there. Those of you in my 7th period class would say, or rationalize, “Well, it’s because they’re HONORSkids and they are know-it-alls.” Well, let me set you straight, once again: There is no magic formula to being successful. The honors students here at Mill Creek have one thing that distinguishes them from the other classes: It’s CHOICE. Their test scores aren’t necessarily higher, their grades aren’t better, it’s CHOICE.

The behaviors that get reported to me usually go like this:

*Called security

*Disrespectful

*Sarcastic

*Not on task

So, what this means is, you think it’s perfectly fine to act like a jerk. I’m not saying you ARE a jerk, I’m saying your behavior is.

I can’t throw a party for just 30 kids who know how to behave – you’re all invited. You’re invited to join the conversation, to be a part of something bigger than yourself. If you choose to ignore the festivities and celebration, then just be aware and awake in your decisions.

That’s a shame, too. Because you would have been the life of the party.