Article: Body language is an important factor in how your principal looks at you. Make sure to straighten your clothing, sit up straight, and shake your principal's hand when you meet them. When you talk to the principal, don't mumble and speak as clearly as possible so that you give them a good impression. This may make the entire conversation smoother. Sometimes people get so scared of getting into trouble that they may lie or make things up to get out of it. This can backfire and get you into more trouble than if you just told the truth. When you start talking to the principal, don't make things up and remain honest.  Lying here or there will make the principal question other things in your story. Lying can cause more stress later on because you'll have to stick to your false story and it can be hard to remember made-up details. Tell the principal in detail what happened and don't leave anything out. Explain why you did what you did, and what led to the situation that you're getting in trouble for. Try to include as many details as you can so that the principal gets an accurate picture of the situation.  For instance, you can say, "Joe put his foot out and tripped Mary, but she turned around and thought it was me. Mr Collins didn't see exactly what happened, so he assumed that Mary was right." Or you could say, "Raul started screaming in my face, so I screamed back. He got mad because I called him out for how he treats other students and that's when he started punching me. I was just trying to get him off of me, I didn't really want to fight." Talking over or interrupting the principal is rude. If the principal is annoyed with you, it may mean a harsher punishment. Instead, let the principal talk and answer their questions as they ask them. Talking over someone may also cause them to mirror your behavior, and it could prevent you from telling your side of the story. If you know that you did something wrong, it's best to take responsibility for your actions early on. This will actually make your principal respect you more. Think about what you did, what caused you to do it, and acknowledge the fact that you made a mistake.  You can say something like "I shouldn't have pushed John back, I can admit that. I was just angry that he shoved me, and it was an automatic response. It's not how I usually am, but I was wrong." Or something like, "Honestly, I did skip school that day. I don't really have a good explanation, but now I know it's wrong and I take full responsibility for what I did. I just hope that it doesn't lessen all of the good stuff I've done over the school year."
What is a summary of what this article is about?
Sit up straight and speak clearly. Be truthful. Tell your side of the story. Don't interrupt or talk over the principal. Take personal responsibility for your actions.