2019-10-07 Writing: cheating and punishment

Greg Malivuk
gmalivuk@staffordhouse.com
http://www.pastebin.com/u/gmalivuk - Notes from all classes
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cheating = intentionally breaking rules in order to get an advantage
plagiarism = when someone uses another person’s words as their own (e.g. copying text from the Internet instead of writing your own words)
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What are some typical consequences for cheating at school?
suspend = officially stop a student from attending school for a period of time
expel = officially and permanently make a student leave a school
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Read the blog post about cheating.
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What did the student do? - He copied a classmate’s homework.
What was his punishment? - He had to withdraw from that class.

What do you think about the punishment? Was it appropriate or was it too harsh?
With your partner, try to think of three reasons for both answers.

Appropriate:
- It could have been more severe. He’s only been removed from one single class.
- They need to preserve the reputation of the school.
- They need to send a message to other students who might cheat.
- He and his parents signed an agreement that described this punishment.
- Removing him from the class may open a space for another student who won’t cheat.
- He had the same opportunities that the other students had, and they didn’t cheat.
	- It would be unfair to non-cheaters if he doesn’t get punished.
Too Harsh:
- The teacher’s punishment is more severe than the school’s policy.
- It affects his chances of getting into a good university.
- Everyone makes mistakes and he should get a second chance.
- There are less severe punishments, such as receiving a 0 for only that assignment.
- This was “just” homework, not an exam or final project.
- It may ignore all the other positive things about the student.
- He admitted to cheating. He didn’t try to cover it up.
- It’s not fair to punish him and not the student who let him copy.
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Homework: p. 168-169 - Read about video games and violence and then answer the questions about the paragraph on p. 169.