Prostitution: English major styles

[The Comedian]

I couldn't do it -- it completely undermines educational legitimacy. I mean, one of my jobs as a teacher is to know (as best I can) what it is that students know. This basic premise is the bedrock of grade assessment and value.

[Ecurb]

If we think the “grade assessment and value” system a worthy one, you are correct. However, as I pointed out, not all students DO think that the teacher’s “grade assessment” is a legitimate method of rating, categorizing, and placing them in tracts. I have sympathy for these opinions.

That being the case, qimissung I’m not sure the “sheer laziness” of copying merits your objections. If Mozart copied a Physics Lab report, because he was too busy writing symphonies to bother with writing boring physics lab reports, but needed to pass the class or get punished, we can hardly think him “lazy”. Rather than laziness, it’s simply a matter of the student having different priorities from the teachers. I’ll grant that in most cases the priority might be playing baseball, or watching movies, or making out with one’s girlfriend rather than writing symphonies – but I sympathize with someone who would rather play baseball than write an English essay. There was a time – long before my participation at Lit Forum – where that would have been true of me.

[cyberbob]

Do it. Writing essays is pretty much the only skill college gives us English majors so if there's an opportunity to make money doing it, take it.

You're officially only writing it so they can use it as a model, so on its face it's legit. If they turn it in as their own then you shouldn't be responsible.

Don't do it, though, if you're still in school too because you might get in trouble for that.

[qimissung]

If we think the “grade assessment and value” system a worthy one, you are correct. However, as I pointed out, not all students DO think that the teacher’s “grade assessment” is a legitimate method of rating, categorizing, and placing them in tracts. I have sympathy for these opinions.

That being the case, qimissung I’m not sure the “sheer laziness” of copying merits your objections. If Mozart copied a Physics Lab report, because he was too busy writing symphonies to bother with writing boring physics lab reports, but needed to pass the class or get punished, we can hardly think him “lazy”. Rather than laziness, it’s simply a matter of the student having different priorities from the teachers. I’ll grant that in most cases the priority might be playing baseball, or watching movies, or making out with one’s girlfriend rather than writing symphonies – but I sympathize with someone who would rather play baseball than write an English essay. There was a time – long before my participation at Lit Forum – where that would have been true of me.

Hey, I took classes where I skated by, but I never cheated or passed off someone else's work as my own, so yes, they are lazy.

I was lazy, too, or not talented or interested, but mine at least was an honest laziness (if there is such a thing).