Notes on Common Courtesy

Here are some basic things to keep in mind while the council is in session. Some of these may seem fairly elementary, and I apologize if their simplicity offends anybody. I do feel, however, that these things need to be written down and respected

1.ÝÝ Listen to other people when they are talking. If you need to communicate with

someone else, write that person a note.

2.ÝÝ Be considerate of the feelings of everyone else in the room and the school at

large. Think before you speak.

3.ÝÝ Be respectful. These meetings can and will be enjoyable and there will certainly

be funny moments. The council by no means outlaws humor. Please, however,

keep your comments within the boundaries of good taste and maintain decorum.

4.ÝÝ We are at a high school. We follow proper procedure to a certain extent. There is

a certain level of informality at our meetings. We are here to help each other and

the school. No issue in student government is worth getting into a serious fight

over. What we do is important, and to disagree with one another is 0K but

remember that in the end we are all on the same side.

5.ÝÝ No dialoging, When you make a comment and the next person to speak rebuts

your argument, you are not permitted to respond to that person without being

acknowledged by the chair. Occasionally some dialogue may be beneficial to the

discussion of the legislation at hand. The chair reserves the right to rule those

involved in a dialogue out of order.

6.ÝÝ When someone else has the floor, put your hand down. Once he or she has

finished speaking, you may then raise your hand again and wait to be

acknowledged.

7. If you are unsure about the need to obtain the floor in a situation, raise your hand. It is always OK to wait until being formally recognized, even if you technically did not need to be.

8. When a non or even a new or young GC member is talking or presenting, be considerate. Do not take it easy on them by allowing something to happen which perhaps should not happen, but be gentle in disagreeing with them. Try to help make them feel comfortable.

9. A note on redundancy. If you have something to say, and somebody else says it first, put down your hand. Time is an issue at GC meetings. If your point has been made, there is no need to repeat it, even if you want to word it differently.

10. Take what we do seriously. If you want to win the respect of the school, you need to respect the council yourself

Thank you,

Jared Parker