Cheating

[disney junky]

Apparently blatant plagiarism isn't grounds to dismiss a student from National Honor Society, according to administration.

 

[OceanAnnie]

That is wrong and weird. Did an administrator actually say that?!

 

[agnes!]

Want more details but probably not appropriate to know. And sorry that sounds awful. My sympathies to knowing about the situation and not being able to do anything about it.

I could post some of my feelings about a certain local chapter of the National Honor Society but will refrain.

agnes!

 

[LuvOrlando]

Was an idea copied or text?

 

[disney junky]

Was an idea copied or text?

Text.

 

[LuvOrlando]

Was it plagiarism from reference material or from another student's work? Plagiarism from reference material can be excused as an oversight, but plagiarism from someone's work, as in trying to present someone's paper as your own, is something else entirely.

 

[disney junky]

Was it plagiarism from reference material or from another student's work? Plagiarism from reference material can be excused as an oversight, but plagiarism from someone's work, as in trying to present someone's paper as your own, is something else entirely.

Referenced work. Essentially, a Cliff's Notes answer to the assignment, word for word.

 

[LuvOrlando]

Uggggh, that is unacceptable. Not only is it sad but it's not even creative. Unless there is some incredible story to explain the desperation, like severe illness or trauma in the home the kid should be bounced from the program.

 

[disney junky]

Uggggh, that is unacceptable. Not only is it sad but it's not even creative. Unless there is some incredible story to explain the desperation, like severe illness or trauma in the home the kid should be bounced from the program.

Laziness, and what I consider an insult to my intelligence.

 

[LuvOrlando]

So I guess you are the teacher. Weren't you invited to participate in the disciplinary proceedings?

 

[Toad_Passenger]

I'm not surprised to hear this. Public Schools have become nothing more than a place kids can "clock in, clock out" and still matriculate. In our area the Teachers' hands are tied because the Districts have lost the will to fight against parents who will battle to the bitter end, no matter if their child is in the right or the wrong.

ETA: Between this and the Unions the entire system is cracked, and becoming more broken each year.

 

[agnes!]

I hope the student was at least given a 0 on the assignment., but if the admins say no consequences not much can be done.

It's interesting to me to compare the students that were allowed into the local NHS chapter (how they have behaved + what their grades have been since then) and then the ones who didn't get in and their subsequent school-careers.

agnes!

 

[rie'smom]

We would have been kicked to the curb and I was in public school. At the local private school a few years ago there was a cheating scandal. The boys involved had to sit out 1 baseball championship game and that was it- they were able to retain membership in all of the clubs, NHS, etc and it did not go onto their school records. Really if you have to cheat, it would say to me that you're not smart enough to be in the Honor Society.

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

That type of behavior wouldn't fly here.

 

[disney junky]

So I guess you are the teacher. Weren't you invited to participate in the disciplinary proceedings?

My role as a teacher is to punish the academic dishonesty which I have done. However, I am not an adviser to the National Honor Society, so I have no authority there. My academic punishment isn't in question, but it is stated in my syllabus. Were it not, I could possibly have a fight on my hands. My opinion is that in any case involving academics or behavioral misconduct, a student should be removed from NHS. The national charter allows it. I think schools/administrations need to take a tough stance, but fear of parental repercussions have created an environment where we tend not to take that stance. Kids get to the next level and are shocked to find that in institutions of higher learning, plagiarism or academic dishonesty is the most serious offense you can commit.

 

[castleview]

I feel for you. Second chances are the story of some administrators' lives and we wonder why some kids have no concept of real consequences when they are either out of school or get into deep trouble.

 

[LisaR]

My daughter's girlfriend had to give a presentation this week in one of her community college classes. The girl's aunt happened to write a paper on the same subject two years ago so the girl just read her aunt's paper in class. It was a debate topic so the rest of the class was suppose to take the opposing view and the girl was to defend her position. My DD said it really showed that she didn't know her topic well because she couldn't defend herself. Her mother is a college professor and didn't have any problem with her daughters blatant plagiarism.

 

[WDSearcher]

My role as a teacher is to punish the academic dishonesty which I have done. However, I am not an adviser to the National Honor Society, so I have no authority there. My academic punishment isn't in question, but it is stated in my syllabus. Were it not, I could possibly have a fight on my hands. My opinion is that in any case involving academics or behavioral misconduct, a student should be removed from NHS. The national charter allows it. I think schools/administrations need to take a tough stance, but fear of parental repercussions have created an environment where we tend not to take that stance. Kids get to the next level and are shocked to find that in institutions of higher learning, plagiarism or academic dishonesty is the most serious offense you can commit.

So you don't have any authority there. Did you contact the national NHS office? Did you talk to anyone about any further avenues you may have?

If you've taken it as far as you possibly can and pursued every avenue you possibly can, then you need to either get the kid out of your class or move on. Otherwise the bitterness you have here is going to permeate everything else and this kid could feel as though you have a vendetta against him, which makes him the victim and you the bad guy.

If the kid makes it into college, he'll learn that he can't get away with it. And the fact that he was disciplined in HS will be on his record.

 

[disney junky]

So you don't have any authority there. Did you contact the national NHS office? Did you talk to anyone about any further avenues you may have?

If you've taken it as far as you possibly can and pursued every avenue you possibly can, then you need to either get the kid out of your class or move on. Otherwise the bitterness you have here is going to permeate everything else and this kid could feel as though you have a vendetta against him, which makes him the victim and you the bad guy.

If the kid makes it into college, he'll learn that he can't get away with it. And the fact that he was disciplined in HS will be on his record.

The kid is out of my class and has been punished academically. My frustration isn't with the kid. It's with the administration's inability to take a firm stand on an issue as clear cut as academic dishonesty as it relates to an organization which is based on the qualities of scholarship, service, leadership and character. I appreciate your concern. If bitterness seems to permeate my posts, I didn't intend it that way. I am frustrated. It happens. I vent on an anonymous discussion board, and it's over. I wish this student no harm, no ill will. I struggled with having to take action because as happens in small communities, I am friends with his parents. And that's the unfortunate side issue. My struggle at this point is the integrity of National Honor Society. It shouldn't be a lifelong appointment, rather, membership should be something that you exemplify throughout your high school career. Someone who is guilty of academic dishonesty has no place in NHS. Sure, there are kids who cheat and get away with it. "Everybody does it." His transcript will not show he cheated. But his college applications will still reflect membership in NHS. To me, something is wrong.

 

[Toad_Passenger]

The kid is out of my class and has been punished academically. My frustration isn't with the kid. It's with the administration's inability to take a firm stand on an issue as clear cut as academic dishonesty as it relates to an organization which is based on the qualities of scholarship, service, leadership and character. I appreciate your concern. If bitterness seems to permeate my posts, I didn't intend it that way. I am frustrated. It happens. I vent on an anonymous discussion board, and it's over. I wish this student no harm, no ill will. I struggled with having to take action because as happens in small communities, I am friends with his parents. And that's the unfortunate side issue. My struggle at this point is the integrity of National Honor Society. It shouldn't be a lifelong appointment, rather, membership should be something that you exemplify throughout your high school career. Someone who is guilty of academic dishonesty has no place in NHS. Sure, there are kids who cheat and get away with it. "Everybody does it." His transcript will not show he cheated. But his college applications will still reflect membership in NHS. To me, something is wrong.

Perhaps you are placing too much importance on NHS membership. If you do some Googling you will find out that most Universities don't place any sort of weight on NHS membership. The reason is that every School District seems to have different standards (some political, some social, some even racial) behind how they create their memberships. This has left some students gain membership in some Districts, but not in others. With such, seemingly arbitrary rules governing membership, the NHS does not have the clout that it may have once held.

In fact, from my quick research (Google, not at all scientific), none of the Top 25 schools seem to even care if you mention it on your applications.