Teaching High School

Cheating --- Update

I was entering some homework marks yesterday afternoon and came across the assignment from the young man in my last post. Would you believe that not only did he try to turn someone else's work in as his on Tuesday, but he also copied his homework from a young lady in class and turned it in? Unfortunately, I am beginning to believe such things can and do go on much more than I would like to believe. So disappointing. Well, I do have the meeting with him and his mother to look forward to today. Although with all the coughing I did earlier this morning, I'm almost positive I should've called in today too. Perhaps tomorrow.

Cheating? Or Plagiarism?

Not that either one is an acceptable thing to do, but the following situation presented itself yesterday and I am having a difficult time deciding which it is.

Yesterday, after receiving current progress reports, a young man in my last hour class presented me with a completed and graded major writing assignment and said, "Miss G, you forgot to record my 30 points for my writing assignment." I looked at it, looked at him, and said, "That is not yours. You just erased someone else's name and wrote yours over it." It was pretty obvious: The pencil was darker and there were parts of the other name still visible despite erasing.

It went on. "No, Miss G, this is mine. You forgot it. You gave this back to me yesterday and forgot to record mine. And it shows on my progress report that I didn't do it. And I did. It is right here." I shook my head and told him no yet again and said, "I can tell you erased someone else's name and wrote yours on. I won't accept it." I even gave him the name of the kid whose paper it likely had been since the student in front of me told me I should check with that other student of mine the other day to verify that the student in front of me had done and does do notes on short stories. He emphatically said, "No, it isn't [that kid's] work. It's mine." He remained insistent that I take the assignment a few more minutes until finally sitting down. But I could hear him right behind me complaining to his friend that I wouldn't take "his" paper.

So I turned around and told him, "Fine. I'll take it and think about it. But I don't want to hear any more about it." His response, " ... ... ... . " I put it directly in my bag and put the bag under the desk. His non-response said volumes, really.

Once class, and therefore school, was over, I compared handwriting. Unwittingly, he had just given me a new sample via a comprehension quiz they had just taken, as had my other classes. So I pulled his out and the kid whose paper I thought it was, and amazingly, his didn't match... but the kid whose paper I thought it was was a definite match. I asked some other teachers as they walked by. They agreed.

I made copies of all three papers on the copier and made a copy of the page in the student handbook where it talks about plagiarism and cheating, and wrote up a discipline referal. When I saw the associate principal and gave her the run down, her response was so disheartening, "Call the parents and tell them and him that if it happens again, disciplinary action will be taken." Oh, and I could still give the student a zero on it. Thanks for small favors.

I called the young man's home. His father answered. I explained the reason for my call. He said to me, in a thick eastern European accent, "This is a very serious matter. Here is my wife's cell phone number. Please call her. She is a teacher too." Putting the receiver down and getting ready to make the next call, I thought to myself that this young man is in big trouble.

His mother was shocked, embarrassed, and sad. She told me he was going to have dire consequences, including no Halloween party this weekend. By her request, she, her son, and I are meeting tomorrow after school. I was ever so glad she understood. She asked if I had already told him I knew with certainty about the handwriting samples, and I had not, so she was greatful to be able to ask him, "So, what happened in last hour today, son?" The nice mom sneak attack.

From the other teachers I talked with, cheating/plagiarism is rampant at this high school. In the junior high I had caught a few kids copying research info from the Internet and turned them in. They each got three days suspension and F's on the research reports. Apparently, things are not like that at the high school. Other high schools in the district are, though, as one teacher who was at a different high school informed me. And she was sad to hear the response from this administrative office.

Parting Gifts

When I left the building last June, they gave me a parting gift. I'd seen such practice done previously with other folks who took positions in other buildings of the district and always thought it kind of strange. (This does not include gifts for those folks who retired.) Over the years, people have received nice platters from Williams-Sonoma, crystal vases, and earrings. The gift I received is not worth mentioning.

So I find out another teacher is leaving my previous building this Friday, of her own volition, to do something she wants to do outside of school. I was asked, very casually, not in any way to suggest I must or that I should, but mentioned in a reply email to a querry I sent, whether I wanted to contribute to the gift certificate to a day spa. I know I do not and will not.

I'm wondering from those of you who read this site: Are such practices done in your work environment? Whether you work in a school or not is irrevelant.

What’s New in High School?

It’s been a while since I’ve been a high school student myself, buy I must say it never would have occurred to me even now to have sex in the boy’s bathroom. Yes, that’s right: Sex at school. During the school day. In the gross (sorry guys, but it is) boy’s bathroom.

These two youngsters apparently had it arranged for someone to distract the teacher on duty so the young lady could sneak in and then they were able to get their freak on. And apparently it didn’t matter if a few people saw.

From what I heard from the staff, all who know her are shocked. Not much has been said about the boy, which goes along with our society’s double standard of it’s ok for the gents to score.

I’m disgusted. Mostly because the district I instruct in does not have a safe sex program or a sex program at all. The word ‘masturbation’ is not to be uttered. It’s a ridiculous policy. I imagine we’re getting close to only teaching the creationist theory of how humans got on this Earth. But I digress.

As a staff we were forbidden to talk about “The Incident”, almost to the point of not even discussing it amongst ourselves. Don’t talk about it with students, direct any media contact to the board office, and don’t discuss it with any parent of any student.

Suspensions are already being served and it may be decided that they should both be expelled. Although, I imagine the young lady, who by all of her teachers’ accounts is a soft spoken, all A student, will be hard pressed to show her face there again. But maybe I’m wrong; I’m not now 15. Maybe it’ll be seen as an act of courage.

The Truth Comes Out

Or: How I Got This Gig at the High School

Last May my then principal informed me (the day before such things can be told contractually, naturally) (oh, please do sense bitterness and irritation in this post) that I would be teaching at the high school. Thankfully it wasnt to be the high school to which my then current students would be attending (thats another story for another day), it would be a different high school within the district. They needed me to teach German at this high school (one of two majors; my other is in English) since the woman who had been teaching German there wanted to expand her other language program. I was under the impression that she didnt have a major nor a minor in German. I was also under the impression that at the other junior highs in the district there would be a German class in the fall, and since mine wouldnt, I was the best candidate.

My union rep informed me that nothing could be done. I lamented that I had been the yearbook advisor for the last five years and the department chair for the last two years at the junior high, and shouldnt that count for something? Not so. I was needed elsewhere, and I would go. I wrote a well received memo to my current colleagues about it the following day and distributed it to them the next day. Many were perplexed; many more were saddened to see this happen. As often happens on a staff of 35 when you have been there for eight years, you become close with each other.

At the end of the year union party, I came to learn that another teacher, with less seniority than myself and the same degree, would not be teaching German in the fall either. And AND!!!-- she had put in for a transfer request in the spring. She knew nothing of the position that I would have in the fall. I was enraged. I had my life turned upside down without my permission, and this other teacher wanted, actually wanted, to have hers turned upside down.

Than came the kicker from my former principal: In the end of the year newsletter, she wrote about staff changes. Here is a summary of what she wrote:

Mrs. Y. will be retiring this year. She has worked (blahblahblah) for (blahblahblah). Also retiring is Mrs. C. She has worked (blahblahblah) for (blahblahblah). Mrs. S. will be working at (blank) High School next year. Mrs. H. will be taking a position at (blank) Elementary next year. Miss Gemini is being transferred to (blank) High School next fall.

I had many, many staff members approach me on that subtle English language difference, from fellow English colleagues to folks in the Math and Science departments to staff who were on leave due to various reasons. (Note: Not that teachers of Math or Science cant tell the difference, its just that they have some history in that building of putting out typos and such in memos and emails. Not that thats a crime, but I think you understand. Or at least I hope.)

Fast forward to this school year in the high school. I came to find out the woman who didnt want to teach German is actually a native speaker of German but just didnt want to teach it anymore. I was also told that another teacher went to the principal of the high school and told him that a teacher shouldnt be forced to teach something s/he really doesnt want to teach. She did not realize, of course, the disruption this could make to someone elses life. The staff at the high school had been led to believe this was a transfer I requested. When they realize differently, it comes as a shock and they are apologetic, but they also know the ways of the district.

So here I am, a month in at the high school, and its fine. Not great, not terrible, but fine. I do have more time built into the school day in which to work than I did at junior high, and almost twice as much time to eat lunch. But I miss my friends at junior high. Ive seen two of the three really great friends already and been on the phone with the other and sent email, but its not the same. Seeing them every day, having time between classes to talk, figuring out what to do on pay day Friday I miss all of that. Moving from room to room to room to room to room all day does not give me time in which to make those connections. So thank goodness for email and phones.

Privacy Issues and Student Blog Use

In this entry at Jeremy Hiebert's site, he makes mention of privacy issues and how that might relate to using weblogs in the classroom. Since this is akin to my need to remain anonomous, I thought I'd comment.

First, as mentioned in my "About" page, I found the offending student's weblog at LiveJournal. I set up a LiveJournal account last year for a project I was working on. Around that same time, I heard students talking about thier LiveJournals in class and asked them why they did it. They said it was a fun way to communicate and share with friends.

So on a whim one evening, I searched for the city in which those students resided. It was not that difficult to ascertain to whom a number of the journals belonged, despite their entire full name not appearing on their Info pages. Oftentimes, though, they would do some survey and write in their full name.

The biggest surprise and scare though was the one entry which glared at me when I scrolled down to read the life-threatening comment with my name clearly mentioned. I immediately printed it and made a few calls to friends in order to calm down. With the help of them then, I had a plan to take to school in order to resolve this surprise.

Well, the surprise was on me when I was finally told some three days later that the district could do nothing. I was asked some ridiculous questions: "Did you tell your students to go to this site?" "Did you assign your students to write a journal?" "Did you inform your students you use that site?" "Did you let the student know you found the offending entry?" And so the student remained in the school district, in my same building, and in my class. It was quite uncomfortable for the remaing three quarters of the school year.

Second, I've thought plenty about using weblogs with students and have read about plenty of people who do. (See some examples in the side bar here.) I know though that it is not for me nor for the district with which I am currently employed. Too many rules and regulations and guidelines and acceptable use policies would hinder any real learning, inquiry, and sharing.

I do indeed see weblogs as a wonderful tool and I personally am enjoying using it as a tool as I am doing. There are many things in my district which do not really promote learning nor innovation (though it is espoused as a district which does do so, along with declaring they are a technologically advanced district) and I am seeing the hypocrisy even more clearly in this larger venue in the district.

I hope someday to be in a district where such advanced and engaging technology use is acceptable and the norm.