Thursday, October 27, 2011

The Good, the Bad, and the Very, Very Ugly


The day started out lovely yesterday as we made out way in the sunshine to the Utah Museum of Fine Arts to study the exhibits from Ancient Rome and Greece. We learned many interesting facts and saw quite a few pieces of art that were directly related to our study of Rome, Greece, and Mythology. It was a worthwhile trip.

We returned to school just in time for lunch, which made all of us very happy. During the lunch break the pile of grading on my desk demanded attention....that's when things turned ugly......

I had suspected a student's paper of plagiarism the night before, but had to be 100% sure that that's what I was dealing with. Upon confirmation I found two students committing plagiarism on book reports. We spent the afternoon, that was previously dedicated to an engaging and exciting science lesson, learning about plagiarism and how it will destroy the future of a scholar.

The scholars who are guilty will be dealt with soon, but all scholars are aware that it is AGAINST THE LAW to commit plagiarism, and they are very aware of what exactly it is. They may not EVER copy and paste information off the web for a piece of writing that they claim is their own. They may not EVER steal ideas from other writers and claim that they are their own. This not only disheartens me, but I take it as a personal insult to my intelligence. After nearly 30 years in the classroom, it is an insult to think that students perceive my professionalism as that shallow. Now that students are aware of the crime and the consequences, I hope to NEVER see plagiarism in this suite again. It is not scholarly, nor does it fit with our foundation stones. It will not be tolerated.

Please have a discussion with your individual scholars at home about the fact that if a student is caught plagiarizing in high school, and college they are immediately expelled. An expelled college student guilty of this crime has a hard time getting accepted at any other school. That notorious mark will follow them for their entire future.

Thank you,
Mrs. G.

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