Happy Valentine's Day

Heartfelt, indeed. This young fellow certainly deserves a nice girlfriend. May a lucky young woman discover and appreciate his giving nature!

That's lovely.

Made me smile.

The Rosette Nebula for Valentine Day
The Rosette Nebula for Valentine Day

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Rosette_nebula_s.jpg

Really sweet! Nicely done, too. (Do you teach writing, aidan?)

Aidan
Aidan, sorry to disappoint you in your student, but "his" poem is widely posted all over the internet. See this google page. http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=%22If+kisses+were+raindrops-I%27d+send+you+showers+&btnG=Google+Search

Perhaps a lesson on plagiarism would be a good topic for the class.

BBB

I'm not so sure this plagiarism needs to be turned into a lesson for the class. This lonely kid gave the copied poem only to Aidan. Sure, he made a serious error, compounded by his asking if he were creative--but all his classmates need not be informed of this particular private error. If he were my student, I'd talk with him--and only him--about the issue, making certain that he understood the seriousness of his action. As he already has no girlfriend, why diminish his future chances to zero by using him as an object lesson in front of his entire class? The average kid would likely feel that a person who cribs a valentine is pretty sad. This boy doesn't need to be looked on as a pitiful creature; he needs only to be told privately that plagiarism is a serious infraction of school (and life) rules.

You know, I was kind of afraid that might have been the case. I don't teach him writing - I only teach him math- so unless we happen to talk about something that has to do with writing- I'm never really made aware of what their skills are in that area - aside from how well they can read- because that definitely impacts math performance (word problems, etc.)

I thought about this after I posted this because it reminded me of a poem that a friend of mine told me he had written when we were both about sixteen:

The day before April, alone, alone
I walked in the woods and sat on a stone
(Then something, something about birdsong)
And I remember the last line was:

I made the words but god made the tune or (something like that).

Anyway - I was so damned impressed at this teen-aged boy's sensitivity and come to find out, he didn't write it. So then I thought, well, at least he had the sensitivity to CHOOSE it...you know that says something about a person- it also said something to me that he needed me to think that he did or could write it- I know that's bad - but I also think it's sad.

But, I think Miklos is right that, although he needs to learn about plagiarism and how it can be committed and why it's bad , it needn't be in the spirit of humiliation.

Sorry for any misinformation I have spread - I'm so damned gullible- and I wanted so badly for this kid to have something he could feel he was good at. Sorry...

Happy Valentines Day but if this card and gift doesn't get you naked I'm not so sure the sentiment is heartfelt.

Aidan,

No need to apologize for thinking the best of a person. When I taught English, I quickly realized that, if I were suspicious of every unusually fine paper, I'd be unhappy. Kids are capable of wonderful surprises--and that's really what kept me teaching. In 30 years, I came across less than 10 examples of plagiarism, and I am a very careful reader. If I had worried over every surprisingly good assignment, I might have found 12 or 15 cribs, but the constant hassle would have taken much fun out of my work. Most kids, if they feel trusted, do not plagiarize. They are much more capable and ethical than most adults think they are. I'd bet that your Math student who copied the Valentine poem is unlikely to plagiarize again.

I don't believe that giving children the benefit of the doubt is gullible--I believe it's using common sense and humanity.

He's only 18. 18 year olds do stuff like that.

Maybe you could just make him aware of it in a roundabout way so the other students don't get wind of it.

He obviously thinks the poem is creative which is a positive thing in itself.

BBB
I'm surprised that some of you thought I wanted the kid to be embarrassed publicly. Give me more credit than that---Please?

BBB

I didn't think that.

BBB,

I do admit to thinking that, and I apologize. I assumed that Aidan, or any good teacher these days, would not make a specific kid miserable in front of his class. But, sadly, I ,and others, grew up in a time when even an otherwise reasonable teacher might well consider public humiliation a fitting punishment for a willful error as serious as plagiarism. When I saw you suggest a lesson for the class, I jumped to an old-fashioned and incorrect conclusion. Again, my apologies. I believe that you and I are on the same page when it comes to contemplating with Aidan's student. I don't believe that my classmates of some time ago who were humiliated in front of us all for plagiarism necessarily learned anything remotely positive from the experience.

I didn't think that either BBB- I don't know you well enough to assume that you'd be that cruel. I don't even know that I'll speak to my class given that it is a math class and the subject of plagiarism will call attention to him and this poem...I asked him if I could read it to the class and he said that I could, so I did.
I think what I'll do is talk to the English teacher and have her broach the subject in her class. I think it's a good subject to have a lesson on - I knew that words needed to be cited, but I didn't realize that even other peoples' ideas needed to be cited until I was in college. So it's a good thing for these students to learn.

CJ- what are you talking about? Are you directing that sentiment to me? If you are - I haven't the slightest clue why you would ever say something like that to me - but I find it very odd and pretty disrespectful given that we don't know each other and I've never even spoken to you or you to me and I certainly would not get naked for you or anyone else on this forum. So frigging strange - what do you get out of talking to a perfect stranger like that?

Aidan, to clue you in about cjhsa. He's a pro gun radical who delights in insulting everyone. His intelligence is very limited so my suggestion is ignore him.

BBB

What the heck does that have to do with Valentines Day bumblehead?


Aidan, I just posted something I'd seen on another board. It wasn't directed at you.

Aidan,

Yes, forget about the odd comment.

To change the subject, let me tell you about my wife's and my Valentine's Day present: it was seeing a Bald Eagle in a tree between us and the water. We took his presence as a very positive omen.

I tried to PM you some pictures of our house and view (looking towards summer of 2009), but I am not yet allowed that privilege. If you would like to see some images, simply PM me an e-address, and I'll send them right along.
Alas, the eagle is not among them; I decided to enjoy watching him rather than racing for a camera and coming back late.

BBB- I knew about his love of hunting and guns - but somehow that didn't automatically translate for me into completely innappropriate and offensive familiarity (my brother loves to hunt and fish and treasures his guns - but I can't imagine he would ever address a woman he didn't know in such a manner).

CJ - .....I guess that makes it alright....that you were just repeating what someone else said somewhere else...and you decided to gift me with it, despite how offensive and innappropriate it might be....and despite the fact that you don't even know me-okay....
Even so, I hope you had a nice valentine's day.

Miklos - I'll pm you my e-mail. I'm on lunch right now - I'll do it when I get home tonight and I'll send you some pictures I've taken round about the Wells area. I'll also send you one of the house I'll probably live in, as when I was there at Christmas- I checked, and the house I was in before is still standing vacant, so I assume it's still available. Talk to you later-Rebecca