So I was grading some lab reports last week when I came across one that sounded familiar. In the lab reports, the students were supposed to mention possible sources for error in their lab - reasons for not getting 100% perfect results. One student mentioned that the hot plate they were using could have broken and blown a circuit. Okay...I guess that's possible, but didn't really happen and it certainly didn't affect her results. I made a comment on it and moved on.
Several reports later, in a different class, I came across another person suggesting the hot plate could have blown a circuit. That's funny. I was curious, so I flipped back to the previous one to take a second look. Throughout the whole document, they make the same mistakes (and I make the same comments) and have the same results, despite being in different classes. They are nearly word-for-word identical, aside from a few word changes here and there. I set them aside for later.
I showed them to Megan and she confirmed that this had to be confronted. When passing back the reports at the beginning of the period, I keep the copycat's. She asks me where hers is, and I just tell her that she'll have to talk to me after class. Class ends and she comes up to the front. I stand there awkwardly silent until everyone leaves the room. I want to build the tension. I want her to hate this experience without being mean. I give her an opportunity to spill her guts: "Is there anything you want to tell me about your lab report?" She plays dumb. "Did you work on it with anyone else?" She admits that her and a friend (the other copycat) were texting while they worked. I explain that the two reports are too similar for me to even know who wrote what. They are too similar for someone to get through a text. I can't tell if its her thoughts or her friends, so I can't grade it the way it is. She offers to redo it, which I tell her is a good idea. By the end of the conversation, she seems to be on the verge of tears. Its difficult to intentionally make a girl cry, but I remind myself that she brought it on herself and that I don't want her to feel as if she gets off easy.
Now I go to the other classroom for the next period, where the other copycat is. She walks into class and immediately begins answering texts on her phone and starts to look a bit uneasy. I do the same thing - pass back all but hers and catch her after class. "Is there anything you want to tell me about your lab report?" She plays dumb, too, but has a little more attitude. "Did you work on it with anyone one else?" "Well, [the first copycat] came over to my house and we worked on it together." Huh. I think what she means is, "I asked my friend to let me copy and paste her lab report," but I didn't push her on the misaligned stories. Maybe I should have. I gave her a similar spiel and she also offered to redo it. I graded them both and gave them half the points they earned.
This episode brought on a conversation with Megan and other teachers about the teacher-student relationship. We're not here to be their friends. There needs to always be a level of distance between teacher and student. I certainly want to be friendly. I made sure to say hi to each copycat the next day. I want to be approachable and inviting to create a classroom culture of cooperation and free exploration, but there are times when I need to bring the hammer down, such as when students cheat. Students need to know that my friendliness does not mean there are low expectations.
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