What's in a syllabus?

Admission #1: I've never thought much about the tone of my course syllabi past the opening line or two.  

I have always tried to sound warm and inviting, yet scholastic and passionate (successfully, of course) in the opening sentences, but they have all then rapidly deteriorated into a list of texts, grading scales, community rules, and school supplies. 

Admission #2: When reading the syllabus with my students, I have been known to say, "let's just skip this part--you can read that on your own" because I was so bored with it.

So, as I stood in line for the copy machine on Thursday, syllabus in hand, I couldn't pinpoint the uneasy feeling in my stomach. Nerves? Too much sushi during the highly coveted opportunity to go out for lunch like my friends in the corporate world? Nope, something deeper. I felt like a hypocrite. After spending much of last year in the glow of Empowered Learning, in which my students were more engaged, more challenged, and better learners than I had seen in 12 years before, my safe and detailed syllabus just didn't seem to tell my story anymore.
 
Admission #3: I looked up synonyms for syllabus (yes, English nerd alert). 

I find it highly interesting that Merriam-Webster's thesaurus told me there were none and suggested I try again with "splashy" or "sleepless." Maybe it's on to something. Who is the syllabus really for when I write it like I have in the past--the student? or the parent I think might be looking over his or her shoulder that night at home? or me? I guess it begs the question, how do I really want to begin? Thanks to technology, my students (and their parents) can get the lists they need online. 

Since I am apparently very into living life on the edge right now, what with joining Twitter (@jtealio) and starting a blog with my awesome colleagues, I've decided to scrap it and give my students something more like a mission statement. I want my students to know what I value. Now I just have to figure out how to say it.

Admission #4: I've never been as excited to start a school year as I am right now. And I have my colleagues on this blog and at my school to thank for it. This stuff is terrifying, and I love it!