Headmaster's Rules for Hogwarts Staff [REQUIRED READING]

Dear Hogwarts Professors and Staff,

This year, we will be hosting classes differently. Professors marked with an asterisk (*) on the claims list must host lessons at twice for each of the following:
First and Second Years.
Third, Fourth and Fifth Years.
Sixth Years.
Seventh Years.

These should begin in the fall (October) and the spring (January). They're separated into groups because of the number of active students in each year.

Professors running asterisk (*) marked classes who are inactive for over a month - either because they have not logged in or because they have not posted IC with students - will be put on probation and a substitute professor will take over the position for two weeks. If, at that point, the original professor has not returned and become active IC, they will lose their position to the substitute in question.

Professors running classes that are not taught in IC threads (those below the ---- line in the claims thread, such as Astronomy, History of Magic, etc) can be inactive for two months before their spot is temporarily taken over, and after those two weeks they'll lose that spot.

If there is not a current substitute, the professor slot will simply open up after that two week probation if activity does not pick up again.

In addition to the classes that are opened by Professors, all Professors and Staff are required to post IC with students within Hogwarts throughout the semesters. This will help keep your characters active and thus kept off of probation, even if the class threads lull. These threads can be a tutoring session, office hours, catching students doing something wrong, etc. Remember that Heads of Houses will determine punishment but any professor can take away house points (typically between five and fifteen, based on how severe the rule breaking is).

Classes should also include student personal plotting, such as students hating each other or trying to work with someone because they think they're cute or whatever excuse they come up with. You'll be expected to check the thread we'll open for Professor-Assisted Plotting regularly.

Try to make your classes action-based and points-based. Students should either accomplish tasks or answer questions to earn points (usually around 5 points). Transfiguration, for example, will involve Keiran giving them a list of tasks to complete. You'll want to post an OOC reminder that students can and SHOULD fail sometimes, and probably at least once or twice before they accomplish the tasks or find the answer they're told to look for.

This can also involve "looking through the book" or "answering a question for house points," but needs to involve either teamwork or a chance for the members to use the information they put in their apps. For example, Susie might be great at Potions but terrible at Charms, so she should do really badly in Charms but have a better chance at success in Potions. Almost no-one should get it exactly right on their first try. Feel free to word this however you want and put it as an OOC note under your first post in each class thread.

Professors should ask students before interfering in threads, but the Headmaster, Deputy Headmaster and Heads of Houses may choose to intervene in closed threads and stop students from breaking the rules if they have a legitimate reason to do so. Try not to do this to every single thread as, sometimes, students will get away with things. But if it's something that makes the student seem over-powered or like there's no way they could ever get away with it, those positions have the authority to go in anyway.

Questions can be posed either in response to this thread or can be brought up to any Admin. A copy of this was also sent via PM, just in case. If you have a plot idea that you are unsure would be acceptable, also shoot us a PM so we can help you make it work for your staff member and the students involved.


NEW NOTE: The Headmaster is the only person who can apparate two, from, or within Hogwarts. The exception for this comes during an apparition class, when a certain part of Hogwarts is designated for such uses.