What to do When Dealing with a Cheating Conspiracy

So this past week some of the best and the brightest of my students have been punished for participating in a cheating scandal. Some of the punishments are so severe that I began to wonder what I would do if it were MY own classroom.

Here’s how it all went down…

My CT was absent  this past week and as many teachers do, she left a folder containing sub notes. The “lesson” for the day was a test over the book they just finished reading and conveniently enough the answer key for the test was also in the folder. Before class started as we (the sub, myself, and neighboring teachers) stood outside the class,  one of the students, who we will call Frank for confidentiality reasons, was caught by THE DEPARTMENT CHAIR taking a picture of the “class roster” (so he said).  After checking and failing to find picture evidence on his phone there was not much we could do at that point, except to report it.

Consequences, at first, was a simple phone call  home to parents and a meeting with the principle, but after the initial class and another AP English class took the scheduled test, evidence of the cheating became completely apparent.  Students who had never scored higher than a ‘C’ (70%) suddenly and miraculously scored a 100%. And worst of all, the students involved were not careful (or ironically smart) enough to NOT talk about sending and/or receiving the picture message with all of the answers. My CT and I had no clue who all was involved but after students were interrogated and threatened the names became to come out. The class president, the Valedictorian, athletes, and many other students who had received college scholarships were all involved in the “scandal.”

Punishments go as follows:

Re-take the exam

Membership to the NHS (National Honors Society) revoked

No prom

No speeches made at graduation

Scholarships revoked

No walking at graduation (if they did not confess to being a part of the cheating ring)

And because this is an AP class and it counts for a dual (college) credit, which they pay for, they are determining if they should withdraw any credit obtained for the course.\

Some of these punishments seem fittingly enough (no prom & Re-taking the test), but others such as eliminating scholarships and walking at graduation is too severe and harsh a punishment.

One bad apple spoiled the bunch and now everyone else must pay while Frank’s detective mother tries to fight the consequences, and he acts nonchalantly. I care about these students, they are all so sweet and always smiling, and all I can think is how unfortunate this situation is. Am I disappointed? Yes. But are they good kids? Absolutely! They just made a bad decision.

What would you guys do? Do you think these punishments are too extreme? Do you guys think Frank’s punishment should be worse?

Happy Blogging!

Des

"This is the Class that Isn't College Bound"

College Bound:  intending to go to college  ⇒ a talented college-bound artist.

When I was younger I had aspirations of being anything and everything from a pediatrician, an astronaut, cheer coach, zoo keeper, and a famous singer. My dreams and interests were entirely capricious and no matter what they were for that brief moment, I had the full support of my parents. As a parent now, I feel the exact same way about my son. Parents, natural protectors and defenders, always want the best for their children, and I’m sure l am not one in a million when I say that I believe my son can be anything he wants to be as long as he puts his mind to it.

During my experience in the Educational program, I have learned the importance of classroom management, inclusion for a variety of students (gifted and delayed/disabled learners), strategies for cross curricular instruction and an extensive list of other things. I’ve always believed that the overall goal for ALL teachers is, or at least should be to provide students with an education that is completely invaluable. We should be helping them in a way so they can succeed inside the classroom and as functioning members of society.

A part of being a functioning or contributing individual is working or having a career. And what is it that is preached every day to our children and students? That they must get an education and go to college. So what is the purpose of this blog post? Well for some time now I have been completely frustrated with the teachers around me. Now that I am student-teaching many teachers will ask how it is going, if I am enjoying it, and what classes I am teaching. My frustration does not come from the questions; it comes from the responses I have received from at LEAST 3 teachers once I tell them that I am currently teaching an English 4 class.  Responses that have varied from “Oh they are so hard to handle,” “I like AP/Honors better,” and the most disgusting comment of them all “Oh those are the students who are not going to college.” And then my immediate thought is “--UM, Excuse me?!” YES! Teachers have really told me this and they say it without any remorse (way to instill confidence in a future educator huh?).

What If I told you that I was once a student in an English 4 class, even though college was always on the agenda? I never believed that I was not going to college just because I was not in an AP course and I’ll admit that I did not always take my education as seriously as I should have, but I had my parents there to get me back on track. Unfortunately, not all students are lucky enough to have this kind of support and need their teachers (or just someone) to help believe in them when they don’t believe in themselves. How can we preach the importance of education, but in the same breath doubt their ability to do so?

As a mother of a child who is delayed in his speech and language skills this scares me. The possibility of my son’s future in the hands of a teacher who doubts his ability to do or be something truly saddens me. We have to remember that students are people first and they are someone’s child, so let’s treat them like that.

College Bound:  ANYONE who intends to go to college because they want to or believe they can...despite the doubters around them. 


"My mother said I must always be intolerant of ignorance but understanding of illiteracy. That some people, unable to go to school, were more educated and more intelligent than college professors."--Maya Angelou



Happy Blogging, Ms. Manns 

Progression

Enter your  Core 1 placement.

You will be observing a Gifted class.

You are at a middle school and yet you will still be confused with the other 7th grade students.

Sit awkwardly in the back of the classroom.

For a couple of weeks…do nothing. Absolutely nothing…except be awkward.

Teach only 2 lessons the entire semester. 3 at most.

BUT, in order to do so you must ask your cooperating teacher to show you to the copier room…and how to use the massive machine in front of you.  

In one ear and out of the other…. And because of this, you will make weekly errands to your local Fedex to get things printed out. Spending money that could have been saved if you didn’t feel like such a burden to your cooperating teacher.

For some reason this semester (in your classes) you are anxious. and nervous. and can’t talk. Or think. Or breathe… it’s.. really.. hard. To.

B R E A T H E E E E.

A Duck. YOU ARE A FRIGGIN’ DUCK! Ya’ know? Really CALM, COOL, and COLLECTED on the surface, but your little itty bitty flippers are paddling their asses off.

Learn the names of your students. Forget the names of your students. Bond. The ones you do remember will be the sweetest little humans ever. They will miss you when you leave and you will miss them.

Enter your new placement school.  

You have start over.

The rapport you had with the staff at the local middle school is no longer useful at your new school.

The “kids” are bigger here. They were already bigger than you at your first placement school, but here.. even the faculty will get you confused with other students.

Again, sit awkwardly in the back of the classroom… but ooooo you get a desk this time.

And your cooperating teacher will bring you tamales and guacamole’ for lunch and then invite you to eat with the other teachers.

You won’t feel like such a burden here.

But oh my! The words that come flying out of their mouths at this age. Cringe because you were once JUST. LIKE. THEM.

Walk around the class. Help a student in need.

Teach your lessons to the class…and again waste more money at FedEx.

Question your CT’s classroom management… they were so sweet in middle school.

Next semester: Core 3

WOOOHOOOOO!  You have the same CT! No more awkward introductions.

Except with the students you did not already work with.

An Advanced Placement class… AKA the Students who NEVER need your help.

You only know the names of 4 students.

Feel self-conscious in your ability to “discipline”

Teach  lessons that have been created by your CT.

She plans so far ahead and on top of everything.

Now feel awkward because you feel bad for even thinking about changing the lesson even though she said she would be cool with it.

Your CT is watching you teach HER lesson. DON’T. MESS. UP… “ would she do this?”

Christmas Break FINALLY.

It is your last semester in the Core program.

Introduce yourself to the students.

Walk around the classroom and help several students with their essays.

Learn Names.

Sign passes.

Have students request for your assistance.

Grade quizzes and papers.

Know WHERE and HOW to use the copier machine.

Get confused with other students.

Start teaching your unit after only ONE week of being a student-teacher.

Receive gifts from other faculty members.

Take full responsibility for all classes because of the week-long absence of your CT.

Discipline students and feel like you have every right to.

Be awesome. Be comfortable. Feel like you are making a difference. You are making a difference.