t is one thirty in the afternoon, your shirts sticking to your back because there is no air conditioning in the room and you live in Jacksonville, Florida. Your legs are crammed under another desk because there are thirty kids packed in a trailer trying to learn algebra two. These are realistic issues students face everyday in our school system. Every nine seconds a student drops out of school (Lehr, Johnson, Bremer, Cosio & Thompson, 2004). As educators we cannot change surroundings but we can use our interpersonal skills to make the environment worthwhile for the students. In my case that would be the STEM program teacher at Hampton High School. Mr. Ervin D. Myrick, while I had no real interest in the subject his lessons always stuck with me. They were engaging and always tested my knowledge. These three lessons are inspired by him.

The power of a Classroom Constitution.