Before you go back to school...

...try to find out if you're allergic...
Poor Alex! He had an allergy that no one could explain...


Alex had an allergy
that no one could explain.
It made him wheeze and cough and sneeze
and moan and groan in pain.

A single slight exposure,
and he’d start to squawk and squeal.
A second time ensured
that he’d be barking like a seal.

He’d salivate and slobber
as his nose began to twitch.
He’d squirm and say his body felt
like one gigantic itch.

At last they found the cause,
which Alex thought was pretty cool.
So now he stays at home;
he is allergic to his school.
A poem by Kenn Nesbitt

Some theory to start with...

Class Rules
Talk about class rules. Students need to know what the absence and homework policies are. If you don't allow cell phones or eating in class, it's easier to deal with it on the first day, rather than address it when it occurs. You may have to address it then, as well, but you laid the ground work on day one.
(Well... Theory is always a good way to start something. But I believe that we can't avoid the surprise of reality itself. So,I'll take this tip only as a tip!)
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