I'm absent for 2 days for a conference in mid-May. The sub gives my test to my junior biology students. Students A and B tell me when I get back that Students C and D cheated, by signalling across the room. I approach Student C (D's absent) and ask her what happened. I tell her that someone has accused her of cheating and she breaks down crying and says "it was only on one question..." I tell her to go report herself to the principal and then later she tells me, "oh, I just wanted to clarify my story now that I'm not upset. I didn't cheat and I'm VERY upset that someone accused me." She told the principal her second story. I talk to the principal and he says there is not much we can do, as it is a she says/he says case (even if she kind of confessed to me). Student D denies any cheating went on.
So, either they cheated and student C confessed then lied, or they didn't cheat and Student C lied when she confessed to something she didn't do... ??
The pickle I'm in: I previously told student C I would write her a college recommendation next fall. Now what do I do? I decided to wait and see if she brought it up again.
Now in June, she emailed me, asking for confirmation that I'm writing a recommendation. I emailed her back, asking to talk to her and her parents about it. I'm hoping to tell her parents the story and I hope that she wakes up and learns a lesson from this.
I just got a panicked email from her asking why I need to talk to her parents.
What would you do? Do you think I'm doing the right thing? Should I tell her parents?
1 comment:
That is a tough one. I would say if you haven't had any other incidents with this student in the past or since then, I would still write her a recommendation. Perhaps I wouldn't write her as glowing a recommendation as I would originally have. It is difficult to know if she really cheated or not.
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