Body language is an important factor in how your principal looks at you. Make sure to straighten your clothing, sit up straight, and shake your principal's hand when you meet them. When you talk to the principal, don't mumble and speak as clearly as possible so that you give them a good impression. This may make the entire conversation smoother. Sometimes people get so scared of getting into trouble that they may lie or make things up to get out of it. This can backfire and get you into more trouble than if you just told the truth. When you start talking to the principal, don't make things up and remain honest.  Lying here or there will make the principal question other things in your story. Lying can cause more stress later on because you'll have to stick to your false story and it can be hard to remember made-up details. Tell the principal in detail what happened and don't leave anything out. Explain why you did what you did, and what led to the situation that you're getting in trouble for. Try to include as many details as you can so that the principal gets an accurate picture of the situation.  For instance, you can say, "Joe put his foot out and tripped Mary, but she turned around and thought it was me. Mr Collins didn't see exactly what happened, so he assumed that Mary was right." Or you could say, "Raul started screaming in my face, so I screamed back. He got mad because I called him out for how he treats other students and that's when he started punching me. I was just trying to get him off of me, I didn't really want to fight." Talking over or interrupting the principal is rude. If the principal is annoyed with you, it may mean a harsher punishment. Instead, let the principal talk and answer their questions as they ask them. Talking over someone may also cause them to mirror your behavior, and it could prevent you from telling your side of the story. If you know that you did something wrong, it's best to take responsibility for your actions early on. This will actually make your principal respect you more. Think about what you did, what caused you to do it, and acknowledge the fact that you made a mistake.  You can say something like "I shouldn't have pushed John back, I can admit that. I was just angry that he shoved me, and it was an automatic response. It's not how I usually am, but I was wrong." Or something like, "Honestly, I did skip school that day. I don't really have a good explanation, but now I know it's wrong and I take full responsibility for what I did. I just hope that it doesn't lessen all of the good stuff I've done over the school year."
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One-sentence summary -- Sit up straight and speak clearly. Be truthful. Tell your side of the story. Don't interrupt or talk over the principal. Take personal responsibility for your actions.


Are you playing hide and seek? Are you trying to surprise someone? Are you trying to evade detection altogether? The reason you are trying to hide (and any rules that you may have to follow) should guide you at this point.  If you are required to hide in one place the whole time, you'll want a spot with maximum cover that whoever is looking for you won't think of. If you are trying to surprise someone you don't necessarily need to be well hidden. You just want to be hidden in a place where they can't see you until they are close and you leap out and surprise them. If you are trying to evade detection altogether and are allowed to move, you'll want to take advantage of sight lines and mobility. Maximum cover is less important. Evaluate the area in which you will be hiding from the perspective of the person you are hiding from. If they are actively looking for you, where will they think you are hiding? What will their sight lines and priorities be?  For instance, if playing hide and seek, your "seeker" is going to be actively thinking of hiding places as well. For this reason, try to avoid common hiding places like closets and below beds. If trying to surprise someone you'll want to predict where they are going and position yourself in a blind spot that they'll have on the way to their objective. If trying to move and evade detection think of the sight lines that the other person will have. Ideally you will move in and out of these sight lines as their gaze shifts. Ideally, you'll have time to consider different hiding spots and find the best one. But if the person looking for you is right on your tail or if you are playing hide-and-go-seek and the Seeker is nearing the end of their count, you might not have the luxury of time. If so, you may have to rush. Even if you are in a rush, don't pick the most obvious spot. If it is really obvious, the person looking for you is sure to find it. If you have plenty of time, you'll want to start picking hiding spots after evaluating the territory from both your perspective and the perspective of the person looking for you. Remember the guidelines. Well concealed, non-obvious spots are best for static hiding. Surprising someone is all about taking advantage of blind spots to seize the initiative. Evading detection involves evaluating sight lines and cover, with an emphasis on mobility.  Are there such things as doors, furniture (such as a sofa) or soft furnishings to hide behind? Are there tables, chairs, shelves that you can crawl under? Are there outdoor items to hide behind, such as the dog's kennel, a tree or a fence? Are there things you can hide on top of? For instance, the top of a toilet cover in a bathroom stall or the space between the top of a cabinet and the ceiling. Are there optical illusions you can make use of? For example, hiding behind hanging coats with your feet in snow boots at the base of the coats, making it seem that these are just stored objects. Often, the best spots are up high. Looking up and down is the least natural eye movement for the person searching for you, and if you are directly above them it may be a very long time before they see you. Make sure that your spot won’t fall into their line of sight when they are looking for you. Boxes and laundry baskets make excellent hiding spots, as long as you won't be trying to move or change hiding spots. They are especially good if they aren't big enough to be obvious spots. Which of the hiding spots suit your objectives best? If someone is looking for you they are bound to check the obvious places first, such as behind furniture or in closets. If you are trying to evade detection you may want to consider how easy it is to relocate from one hiding spot to another as the other person moves. Remember your objectives and priorities:  If you can't move, maximum cover and originality. If trying to surprise someone, blind spots and the ability to seize initiative for the surprise. If trying to evade detection, minimal exposure to common sight lines and maximum mobility.
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One-sentence summary --
Evaluate your objective. Think like the person you are hiding from. Find a spot fast if you must. Find your hiding spots. Consider hiding up high. Consider hiding inside something. Rate the hiding spots.