Welcome to the exciting world of 8th Grade Social Studies! This site will take you through the basics of the class and my expectations.

Welcome to the Working Week! Or How to Survive Mr. Lavin's Class!

In order to have a fun, smooth running class in which we can all strive to do our best it is necessary that we understand what is expected of us. What do you expect of me? What do I expect of you? What am I supposed to teach you? How much of it do you have to remember? How are we supposed to treat each other? What are the rules? What happens if you break the rules? How do you get an "A"? Why am I asking so many questions? In short--"What's the job, and how much does it pay?

The main job requirement is to always do the best you can. I am supposed to teach you the history of the United States of America and American settlement from its beginning to the start of the twentieth century. I expect you to remember all that you learn. That's a lot of history! We couldn't possibly cover all that history, reading, writing and current events and all the other things that are part of the daily school grind and still have fun. Fun was an important part of this, wasn't it? Yes, it is. Fun means activities; fun means working together; fun means getting good grades; fun means comfort and freedom. If we each do our job to the best of our ability, then we have FUN.

Doing our best means taking responsibility. My responsibilities are to prepare entertaining, educational lessons, provide and maintain a positive and stable classroom environment, and to give you timely feedback on your work.

You must be responsible for yourself. Remember, the grade you earn in this class is your salary, and you will be "paid" according to your own merit. If you miss class, you miss out. It's your work to be in class, on time and ready to work when class begins. It's your responsibility to keep up with the work and to prepare for quizzes and exams. The job is taking responsibility and the pay is a fun, positive learning experience for us all, AND a good grade for you.

So, welcome to the working week, and your time with Mr. Lavin. I really want each of you to succeed in this class and to find a connection to history and the world around you, but you will have to work. While my expectations are high, I will do all I can to help you do your best.