Shattered Glass
I have never seen nor heard of this movie before tonight. The movie is about young journalist who will do anything to get a story. Being a true story made it disturbing to me. The opening of the movie sets the stage, “Journalism is the Art of Capturing Behavior.” However the same can be said about creative writing, psychology and teaching.
In journalism you have the competitive world of writers, all trying for the top news story. This journalist, Stephen Glass was so desperate to be on top of his game he resorted to cheating. He fabricates stories, made up sources, meetings and even created a fake web site.
This year I had a student who plagiarized an entire paper, when I approached him with my evidence, he just shrugged his shoulders. He knew he did not write it and earned a failing grade for the assignment. I could sense his desperation in trying to keep up with all his work and his schedule being a high school athlete. He didn’t have the coping skills or maturity level to ask for help. He resorted to cheating.
In the news business responsibility is on the shoulders of the journalist and their editors. The movie did not quiet answer the question of “why” did Stephen Glass did what he did. But with teaching I know why my student did it. He could not handle the pressure and did the easy thing-cheat.
Teaching Journalism comes with the enormous task of teaching responsibility. Being responsible for what you write, what we publish, and the responsibility of the written word. This job comes with enormous accountability. Hopefully my student learned from his mistake and won’t do it again. I am not condoning his decision to plagiarize. But, he is a 17 year old kid. He could not handle all the pressures.
In the movie, the flash back scenes of Stephen Glass talking to a room of teenagers was just a daydream for him. But in reality it made me realize how much the profession of teaching young journalist really comes with some intense pressure itself. Teaching is instilling responsibility and values to our students in all forms.
Shelley Job
Hanover-Horton High School
Horton, MI
Shelley,
ReplyDeleteOne of my take-aways from today is how much I need to teach ethics and responsibility to my students. I had a student plagiarize an entire research paper this semester. I knew immediately when I read her rough draft that the paper was not of her originality. After speaking with her about it, she admitted to me she copied it from the internet. I gave suggestions on how to work her paper and where to look for resources. However, when she submitted it to turnitin.com, it had a 50% originality rate. Long story short, I allowed her to re-do, but gave her half credit from the grade she earned.
I will definitely be using turnitin.com in my journalism class as well. It is just too tempting for students to cheat, even students who have the goods.
Becca Hargis
I agree. I find myself encountering students who can't cope with the pressure and perform less than their ability or resort to making irresponsible choices before they ask for help. It can become a tough situation for both the student and teacher.
ReplyDeleteHow do we teach responsibility and originality within a deadline if they don't know how to balance it with pressures from home and other teachers?
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteWhat a great question! Teaching responsibility, never mind originality, is a continually frustrating topic. I think it's one of those hidden curriculum items, things we model and teach, without having a lesson to base it on. Magic? That's my best guess.
DeleteDavid Tow
Terra Linda High School
San Rafael, Calif.