Tomorrow is my least favorite day of the teaching quarter: the day the grade books close for the quarter.
And then, there's always the last exam of the quarter. Someone panics about their grade and cheats. Today was no different. Prior to today, the girl in question had gotten no better than a D on any exam. Today she got 95%. Hooray! I even called in her UC Berkeley mentor to let her know how proud I was of their work together. The mentor mentioned that they actually have done very little math together. Hmmm...I took a closer look. Not only was her work identical to the girl sitting next to her who got 100%, but even the DOODLES which the 100% girl made in the corner of one problem were identical to the cheater.
Although they've known this date for weeks, there will inevitably be 10-20 students in my room tomorrow after school, scrambling to get in late assignments. They will beg for another day. I will say no. They will keep begging. They will drive me crazy. I wish they would take responsibility for their quarter grades EARLIER. My urgings don't seem to help.
And then, there's always the last exam of the quarter. Someone panics about their grade and cheats. Today was no different. Prior to today, the girl in question had gotten no better than a D on any exam. Today she got 95%. Hooray! I even called in her UC Berkeley mentor to let her know how proud I was of their work together. The mentor mentioned that they actually have done very little math together. Hmmm...I took a closer look. Not only was her work identical to the girl sitting next to her who got 100%, but even the DOODLES which the 100% girl made in the corner of one problem were identical to the cheater. I hate the heart to heart which must now ensue tomorrow. Too many tears and disappointed parents. And then, there's the subsequent conversation with each of my classes where I try to instill the fear of god (or the fear of me, which can be far worse) in all of them if anyone ever attempts to cheat again.
Ay! The 7th grade drama never ends.
6 comments:
copying the doodles?
that gets you a D in cheating, too
Reminds me of a joke my Grandma told us for St. Pat's...remind me next time we're together!
we don't get to hear the panda humor?
i (sort of) taught (sort of) school for a time...long enough that I can empathize about 7th grade drama....hang in there, summer isn't that far off!
and thanks for the cool cookies and minty water on Sunday! And great job in your cat2 debut!!
So a horse walks into a bar...no, wait, that wasn't it...
An Irish engineer & a British engineer were applying for the same position within a Dublin-based firm. After they both earned exactly the same score on their aptitude test, the interviewer called the Irishman into his office.
"You both did very well on your test; each of you only missed question number 5. However, I'm afraid that we are offering the job to the other applicant."
The Irishman was shocked. "That's ridiculous! This is an Irish company -- as an Irishman I should be given priority! Why would you choose him over me?"
"Well," said the interviewer, "on question 5, the other applicant wrote 'I don't know.'"
"Yeah, so?"
"You wrote 'Me neither.'"
Wah wah wah...
i might have to tell that to my class.
or maybe not. then they'd learn to get an A for cheating.
Cheating for youngsters is a funny thing. I don't think they get the whole moral issue with cheating at that age. I remember cheating at that age for no other reason than it was just the easier way out.
Post a Comment