Today, two students submitted the same responses to a homework assignment. This is the second time this semester that this has happened. When I busted the first set of students, you would think that word would spread that Professor Seeking Solace doesn't play.
Apparently, a couple of them did not get the memo.
I often ask myself: Is the cheating/plagiarism intentional, meaning, do student try to see if I am paying attention? Do they really not understand that if you are working with another student on an assignment, each must write a differently worded response?
Or, do they just not give a shit?
When stuff like this happens, it infuriates me. I take it personally as an insult. I probably shouldn't take it personally, but I feel like it mocks everything that I value. Honesty and integrity mean a great deal to me. On the one hand, I can appreciate an honest mistake, in which someone truly does not know what they did was wrong. Those situations don't infuriate me; I see it as a teachable moment. But, in this situation, I can't understand how someone does not know that writing the same answers as another student and submits them as their own is somehow OK. What's ironic is that in my syllabus, it states in bold red "All students must submit their own original work, even if they are working with another student."
Perhaps, I need to give examples?
Also, I have a hard time letting go of my anger Although both students apologized, I feel as if the dynamic of my relationship with these students has changed. I cannot trust anything that they say or do. That is not to say that I trusted them completely in the beginning; my level of trust is indifferent, leaning toward not. I suppose this has to do, in part, with my years of being a lawyer and learning early on that one does not trust their client's version of the truth 100%. The other part is my own issues with trust.
Anyway, I am emotional drained right now. I decided that I would step away from grading and my students for the rest of the day. I am just not in the mood to be Professor Seeking Solace right now.
About Me
- Seeking Solace
- I am a college professor who is fumbling through the chaos of academia, rheumatoid arthritis, working on my PhD and just being a 40 something woman. I used to be a lawyer, which made me a snarky little person. I have a wonderful Husband and a German Shepherd named Junior. They help keep me sane.
Paws to Consider
My Sister's Keeper
1 comments:
You don't need to know why people cheat. We know some people cheat in all walks of life, and that is the way it has always been and always will be. These students are not a threat to you. You are very hard on your "self" and torment yourself with concepts like "I have trouble letting go of anger," etc. All these black/white statements about your "self" imprison you in concepts, which are only thoughts that arise. You can't stifle emotions with mere concepts (words, thoughts), and as long as you repeat the concepts, you reinforce them. Anger arises, persists a while, and fades away (no anger has ever lasted forever). It's nothing special. sadness arises, persists, and fades. Joy arises, persists, and fades. We are not robots, we are embedded in Nature. And nothing in Nature ever stays the same for very long. Everything is always changing all the time. Let yourself off the hook. Anger, sadness, happiness, and fear will always arise, and pass, according to their own schedule. This has some purpose in Nature we can't understand, let alone control. BTW good move getting out of Law, I used to work with Attorneys a lot as an expert witness. Lawyers suffer a great deal…
Post a Comment