General Plagiarism Policy

Plagiarism:

When a student uses information (words, paper organization, and/or central ideas) from another source without proper citation it is called plagiarism. “You are therefore cautioned (1) against using, word for word, without acknowledgment, phrases, sentences, paragraphs, etc., from the printed [or online material] of others; (2) against using with only slight changes the materials of another; and (3) against using the general plan, the main headings, or a rewritten form of someone else's material. These cautions apply to the work of other students as well as to the published work of professional writers [either in print or online].” If it is discovered that students “borrow” text from other book reviews, essays, papers, or classmates, it will be considered direct plagiarism and intellectual theft. Such action is in violation of the MMSD Student Code of Conduct and basic guidelines of this course. Students who choose to take such inappropriate action will be required to conference with Denise (and possibly with Aric and parents) to determine consequences of the infraction. Students may receive a No Credit grade/evaluation in the course. If the infraction occurs at the end of the year, there may not be adequate time for a conference before the close of the grading year. In that case, the student will receive a No Credit evaluation.

Policy Definition Source: Weiser, Irwin. “Academic Honesty Statement.” Purdue OWL: Avoiding Plagiarism. Online. http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource

Teaching Philosophy

Sex Education

It seems so simple. Why can't we just put the moralizing aside and do what's right and best for our children and teenagers? We need to take a good, honest look at the lousy sex education infrastructure we have in our nation's school system. It's not working folks....

“International evidence suggests that high-quality sex and relationship education that puts sex in its proper context, that starts early enough to make a difference and that gives youngsters the confidence and ability to make well-informed decisions helps young people delay their first sexual experience and leads to lower teenage pregnancy levels.”

quoted in recent NYTimes Op-Ed piece.

Writing Instruction Resource

The Write Genre: Classroom Activities and Mini-Lessons that Promote Writing with Clarity, Style, and Flashes of Brilliance. Lori Jamison Rog and Paul Kropp

This is a great reference for the instructor developing a genre-based writing course. It relies heavily on the Six Traits of Writing system. It contains useful writing examples, rubrics, and graphic organizers. While focusing on a later elementary and middle school classroom, the activities are easily adaptable to high school.

Introduction

This page will host short entries focusing on public education and the teaching process. It is a professional page, so opinion will be kept to an appropriate minimum. If you visit, you will find questions, the facts (as they are known), and (hopefully) the resources to find the answers.