Amanda had moved to her desk, working on a copy of the syllabus to outline how she was going to address the students about it as they began to trickle in.  She heard the warning bell and bit her lower lip, reviewing her notes on her copy of the syllabus quickly.  Then the starting bell for class rang.  She looked up to see her classroom seats were full, save two seats in the very back of the classroom.  Not absent students, she knew, from reviewing her roster.  Just the average size of the classes allowed for a few spare seats every now and again.  She stood, softly pushing back the rolling desk chair as she did so, looking over the chattering student.  She squared her shoulders and lifted her head, speaking up.  "Everyone, please quiet down!" she spoke.  The students more toward the front, and most of them toward the middle immediately quieted and turned to face her.  She almost smiled, happy they had listened.  ...But there were still plenty of students, not in their seat and talking and laughing the back of the class.  "Please get to your seats and quiet down!" she spoke again.<br/>When the teens continued to ignore her, a flicker of annoyance came to her eyes, though she kept it from her features.  She opened the top middle drawer of the desk, mostly for pencils, pens, and markers, and extracted a wooden ruler.  Without turning, she struck it hard against the whiteboard, a resounding crack filling the room.  The students all stopped and stared and she smiled gently.  "Please, sit down in your seats and quiet down," she ordered in a firm voice.  Slowly, they all took on their seats, some looking disgruntled for the interruption to their conversation.  Giving a nod as the last one was seated, Amanda tucked the ruler back it the desk drawer and closed it.<br/>"On your desks, you all will find a copy of the syllabus for the school year, broken down by semester and then week.  Today, we are going to spend the majority of the class time reviewing the syllabus, and toward the end of class, I will take role call.  After that, you will be able to use the rest of class time to ask me any questions you feel have been left unanswered, or, if there are none, you may talk<strong>quietly</strong>amongst yourselves," she said.<br/>"Let us start with the class rules.  Firstly, arrive to class on time.  It is disruptive if you stumble in here late, especially if it is excessively so.  I'm not saying not to come to class if you wake up late; you may miss something important if you do.  But I am saying to please avoid such a scenario.  It is best to be on time, or even early, to ensure that you don't miss out on something that could potentially be on a quiz.<br/>Second, class participation is a requirement, and counts toward your grade.  If you sleep during class, I will take off your participation grade for it.  Likewise, if I notice you not even attempting to answer questions for more than two weeks in a row, I will take off on your participation grade for it.<br/>Next, no food or open containers in the classroom.  I will allow bottles of soda or water, but they must be kept closed when you are not drinking from them.  I'm sorry if you woke late and missed breakfast, but you will just have to tough it out until lunch.<br/>...I will allow gum in the classroom.  But the first time I hear it popping during a lecture, or find it stuck to the floor, wall, or on any surface it does not belong on, I will revoke this option.  I am not here to clean up after all of you...I am here to educate you," Amanda spoke, a stern look moving about the classroom.  She then glanced down at the syllabus, before looking back up.<br/>"Music devices are also allowed.  However!" she started, as some students murmured excitedly, waiting for it to die back down, "They are only to be used during quiet reading times, and not loudly enough to disrupt another student.  If I receive a complaint, you will have to put it up.  I will also permit music devices to be used during essay writing, though not during tests," she stated.<br/>Glancing back down, she then looked back up.  "No passing notes in class.  It's disruptive, especially if the note is going from the front of the class to the back, or vice versa.  If I catch a note being passed, I will take it and read it to the entirety of the class."<br/><br/>She looked back down.  That looked like it was all for the rules.  She looked up.  "Any questions?" she spoke, giving a chance before she moved on with the syllabus and detailed the lesson plan for the semester for students to offer their input.