When making a list, be sure to check it twice!

I was thinking today about a pretty embarrassing situation I put myself in last fall, just about a month after teaching in a brand new BIG school.

I had assigned a major assignment to all of our Intermediate students and was up to my eyeballs in marking. (Note to self, don't assign a major project to 120 students with the exact same due date). I thought I was starting to see double when I picked up a second assignment in the same class that looked and sounded pretty similar to another I had already read. I dug through the growing pile and found the other one. Not only was it a similar assignment, it was EXACTLY THE SAME. Same font, same format, same spelling mistakes, word for word, except for the name on the top of it.

I've come across plagiarism before, even minor cheating ... but never full out ripping off of somebody's work. I talked to both of the girls in question and they fully admitted to cheating, one doing all of the work, the other convincing her 'friend' to let her full out copy her. Both of the girls had to each do a separate and new assignment and knew that I would be calling home.

I wrote a note to remind myself to call their parents that evening. Another matter came up after school which led me putting off calling home until the following morning. I called the first set of parents, told them the story (was surprised how they weren't really put off by the whole thing and didn't seem fazed that their daughter cheated....more about parents in another posting). I called (who I thought was the other girl) and got her father on the phone. I went through the whole story again and he was totally and utteruly shocked. He was appalled and started screaming for his daughter to come to him (while still on the phone with me). She started denying the whole thing to him and he and she were yelling back and forth. It wasn't until she screamed out that she didn't copy off the girls project, that it was 'Sally' that did, did I realize that I called the WRONG STUDENT'S HOUSE!

You see, the girl that I had just called had a VERY similar name to the cheater that confessed the day before. Being new to the school, and teaching 17 different classes a week, was a bad combo and made for an easy mix up.

I started stuttering and apologizing profusely to the VERY upset father on the phone. Although he couldn't see me, I was definitely the colour 'Embarrased' from the crayon box. I couldn't believe I wrote down and contacted the wrong student's parents.

As this all happened before school, I went to meet the girl outside before the morning bell went and apologized again and again, and followed up with an apology letter home to her parents. I have never felt so badly and was kicking myself for making such a dumb mistake.

Moral of the story: Like Santa, I've definitely learned to check all of my names twice, after making a list!