Re: OT - editing scholastic papers

**Horticulture Ventures hortventures@cox.net>**

Doug,

More thoughts on the subject:

I should have inquired as to the age of the student.

My background is college level and I expected all of my students to do 
their own work.

My wife is an elementary school teacher and the involvement of parents 
with their child's homework varies from none to actually researching and 
writing papers for their children. California mandates specific grade 
level testing which is another subject which relates to teaching to the 
test, student's who are poor test takers, and language comprehension 
difficulties of standardized tests. A test for graduation from high 
school is also planned for 2004 graduates.

The question is not of a third party receiving of funds, but the teacher 
assuming the assignment is their work of the student.

Some college level course instructors stress a paper's content and 
provide one grade for that and a second grade for the paper's 
composition - research, english language, and writing skills. Obviously 
the writing instructor will look at the paper differently than a 
horticulture teacher. Most of my assignments also required an oral 
presentation followed by a question and answer session by class members. 
The student's grasp of the information should reflect the written paper.

Even while the student's principle language is English, effective oral 
communication skills need to be practiced and should be, in my opinion, 
on a par with written communication skills.

To me, there is no distinction between copying a paper off the internet 
or having anyone else edit the work which bears the students name. It is 
one thing to pay someone to type a paper, but I have a problem when the 
typist corrects spelling and grammar mistakes.

The student who doesn't acquire the critical skills in the course 
outline, is not prepared to take more advanced classes. Social promotion 
serves to postpone educational failure.

Claude

Doug Green wrote:

>>If so, the ethics of the student and the editor are questionable as the
>>grade will not reflect the educational goals and objectives of the course.
>>
>
>Claude - damn interesting point - and not one I had considered. Thanks :-) -
>I'll have to think about this some more and check it out with the school in
>question.
>
>Doug -ethics are my middle name - Green :-)
>
>

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