Yesterday, my developmental writing students took their second crack at passing the exit test that will allow them to move out of developmental (i.e., remedial, non-credit-earning) classes and into freshman English composition. The ones who had to take this second round were those who missed passing on the first attempt, and several of my students missed by a very narrow margin.
What happened is still a mystery to me, but one of my hardest working students and another student (from another teacher) turned in nearly identical essays. I saw them today, and there were literally entire sentences that were identical. Clearly, something was afoot, although it was very difficult for the outsiders who discovered this evidence of cheating to know who was to blame. Consequently, the first — and natural — step they took was to throw out both essays.
Unfortunately, this particular student of mine missed passing on the last round by no more than two grammar questions, and so this was really an awful thing for her to have happen. I was convinced the cheating did not occur on her end, as she is a very hard working student who has been extremely conscientious all semester in coming to class, really trying to improve, and in general being the kind of student every instructor dreams of happening. I didn’t want to defensively point fingers at the other student, but I ardently supported my own student.
In the end, it was my persistent efforts to clear her from fault that resulted in just that happening. I took in one of her old essays to the two people in charge, and once they read it, it was unmistakeable that the essay she wrote at the exit test was, in its entirety, written by her. The other student’s professor, as of 24 hours after the incident was reported, had not yet bothered to call or e-mail in response to the charge. Eeps.
My bosses said to me, flat out, “She is lucky to have you as her instructor,” and I got a very heartwarming e-mail from the student tonight saying essentially the same thing. The whole incident just reaffirmed to me the power to do good that my teaching job(s) afford me… it made me feel *SO GOOD* to be able to whip out evidence to support a girl who might have otherwise been assumed at fault. She wrote, “I have NEVER had any teacher do what you did to help me,” and I believe her; many of the kids in my writing classes have been overlooked by dozens of teachers before, and I take great pride in the fact that I try to get to know each of them. I see my role as one of coach, not lecturer, and to the extent they want to get better, I’m all too happy to do what I can to help out.
In the end, my results this semester are my best ever; 80 percent of my students who bothered to take the exit test passed, a very good rate overall and a huge improvement over semesters past. It’s true that teaching developmental writing is not my life’s goal, but it is a challenging, mostly enjoyable, and ultimately gratifying experience to watch these tentative college students find their way through writing. I just couldn’t be more proud.