Every year, every student gets a Student handbook from the school, the B-book as most call it. A vast majority of the students, however, don’t read through it or use it at all after they. But, maybe it should see the light of day a little more.
From their first day at Blackburn, students never hear the end of the rules and guidelines outlined in the B-book, particularly those about misconduct. The B-book has a love-hate relationship with the students of Blackburn. But, there are useful guides and charts contained in the last 24 pages of the book. Maybe this will prompt more students to keep it within easy access to quickly reference one of these pages.
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- Language Arts, page 152-157: these pages cover things like punctuation, making a useful outline, how to write in and cite sources for Modern Language Association (MLA) and American Psychological Association (APA). When students need to quickly reference how to cite a source, or if they need to use a semicolon or a colon, these pages are here to the rescue.
- Science, page 158: this page includes English and metric weight systems, as well as a list of formulas for a quick reference. This page can come in handy for anyone taking a science or math class, as it provides all the basic elements that a student might need to know.
- Healthy Living, page 160-165: On these pages, the B-book outlines facts and fiction about alcohol, tobacco and drugs and what they do to the human body. Page 164 contains a list of hotline numbers that can be called and websites that can be visited if a student, or anyone with access to the B-book, can call if they are having a hard time. Some notable numbers and websites are Alcoholics Anonymous (212-870-3400 or www.aa.org), Mental Health America (800-969-6642 or www.mentahealthamerica.org) and The Trevor Project Lifeline, LGBTQ ages 13-24 (866-488-7386 or www.thetrevorproject.org). Lastly, page 165 is a banned drug list provided by the NCAA, which can come in use for athletes and coaches.
- Success Skills, page 166-171: the last six pages contain information for successful tips and skill sets ranging from studying techniques, notetaking and planning for the future. Page 171 is a monthly budget outline that students can use to keep track of their expenses and income.
Overall, the B-book isn’t all boring and a waste of trees. It does provide useful information that can come in handy during a student’s college years. So, maybe dig out your B-book from the dark abyss of your desk or book bag and give the pages a quick skim. Who knows, maybe students will actually start using this book.