Plagiarism…

Robin Williams once told a joke in which he claimed that he cheated on his metaphysics exam by looking into the soul of the student next to him.  I found this outrageously funny on the surface, but as a teacher and a parent it is a chilling perspective – that your own self worth could be so low that you would think that a classmate has a more valuable opinion.

Let’s start by making it clearly understood that in my classes each student's own opinion will always be more honored than any opinion that you may have bought or borrowed from another source.  Because I want you to know that you are respected, I have an ironclad policy opposing cheating in general and plagiarism in particular. This includes submission of anyone else's work, in whole or in part (include rephrasing), as your own or also in allowing your own work to be provided to others.

We will be doing a great deal of writing together in class.  In this way I can try and help you find confidence in your own voice.  This voice will have its own intonation, its own resonance.  I guarantee that it will stand apart from the writing of your classmates and from writing that you may find at any outside source.

Condensed Formats…

If you are in my class, you are going to be exposed to a great deal of literature.  It is important that you understand that literature is about the whole book – not about notes or film adaptations or other condensed synopses.  Trust me, the difference WILL stand out in your literary analysis.

You are going to have to read (a lot).  It will require more time from you than what might be required of other classes.  That’s not to say that it will be more difficult than other classes, but you will absolutely have to budget additional time in order to keep up.

Maximize your time by finding a quiet place to read away from TV or interruption.  Turn off you IM and your cell phone when you sit down to read in order to avoid distractions.  Believe it or not, social order has survived for some 5000 years before these inventions and missing one call will not lead to the end of civilization as we know it.

Consider too taking your book wherever you might be able to sneak an extra ten minutes or more – at the movie where you want to arrive early to get a better seat, in the car when you let your dad drive you to practice, or during even innings of the World Series.