For teachers: On a lighter note...

[Catshrink]

What do you do when a student submits a paper with a penis drawing? This kid has demonstrated a lack of responsibility in several other instances (telling his parents he didn't know there was a test/quiz/etc.). He said a friend of his did the drawing. I actually believe that but maintain that it's his responsibility to see that his paper is free of inappropriate "art." He got a zero and the parents are protesting. This is high school.

Is it too much of a stretch to think that kids who do this and get away with it are those in the corporte world who think it's okay to leer, make snide sexual remarks, or pinch asses?

And the "art" was pretty sad, too.

[Fire1]

1. Giving him a "0" was a bit of a stretch, imo. I would have told

him to do it over and turn it back in minus the "art."

[noamnety]

2. I had a talk with a custodian about this.

We had some penis graffiti in our bathrooms recently. The custodian was angry about it. Her complaint was similar to yours - it wasn't drawn well. And as she pointed out - we're a school for the arts. :)

As for credit, on that sort of thing we normally consult with the principal if we are unsure. Our handbook states that students can be suspended for sexual harassment. I don't know that I'd personally penalize his grade - our behavior punishments are usually separate from grades. But I wouldn't accept it as is. I give a lot of zeros in my class - more than any other teacher I know, but I also give kids the chance to make up work for full credit. If something's in the "unacceptable" category for me, in other words, I don't waste my time further evaluating or grading it.

If I were making the justification for giving the zero, it would be that I wouldn't accept any work submitted with pornographic images. Imagine if a student turned in a paper written in pen across a playboy centerfold, nobody would expect a teacher to accept that.

FWIW, I don't think you'd be doing him any favors by accepting the work with that on it for exactly the reasons you stated: if he gets away with it now and learns it's tolerated behavior with no consequences, he will be more likely to do it in the corporate world. And it could result in an ended career. He's better off learning the lesson now. I'm sure he thinks of this as an extreme punishment, and it sounds like his parents are enablers to some degree. But it likely won't even lower his semester grade a full letter grade, and compared to a career ender, this punishment likely has no impact on his future whatsoever.

[Massacure]

3. I think you should make him resubmit the assignment.

Being a college student I'm not that far removed from high school. I think it would be reasonable for a teacher to expect an assignment to be done over in those circumstances.

[skorpo]

4. Due to the "art work" you did not read the paper.

You should not be forced to look at the paper with this
drawing.  He should get a zero.  When the paper is resubmitted
without the "art work" the student should get a
grade on the merit of the written work with points taken off
because the paper, in the proper format to be read, was not
submitted on time.

[tonysam]

5. Here is what happened to a teacher who failed to destroy inappropriate drawings

I was put on paid administrative leave on March 15, 2007. At the time, and until mid-April, all I knew was that this was related to a situation in which someone went into my school filing cabinet, found some comic like drawings (yes, they were insulting and degrading) made by another staff member years ago and distributed them to the 3 Teacher Aides of whom they were about. I first saw the drawing when they were made, took them away from the person who drew them and stuck them under some other papers in my filing cabinet, with every intention of destroying them. Unfortunately, I forgot about them until they resurfaced in March of 2007. A fourth teacher aide also jumped on their bandwagon, even though she knew about the drawings when they were first made.

I have been a special education teacher for 20 years. I specialize in working with young children on the Autism Spectrum. Up until this point, I was considered an expert in my district and was the go-to person for everything from student observations and evaluations to designing behavior plans. Excellent evaluations every year. Minimal administrative supervision. For the past 4 years I have worked with the same support staff of 8 teacher aides. We were all close up until this situation. In addition to me, three of the 8 teacher aides were also put on paid leave and a speech therapist that serviced the students in my program.

Up until early April, this was being treated as a staff issue only. That is what the parents of the program were told as well. A week later, we were told it was "much more than that." It wasn’t until I was interviewed by the school district’s lawyer that I found out that I was being accused of things that had to do with the children. My union president’s advice during that interview was to "Plead the 5th". A parent had already filed a claim for a lawsuit against the district-before I was even informed of what was really going on! Apparently, the insulted staff began making up things and or twisting true situations. The school district encouraged them to go to the police and make statements against other co-workers and myself in late March. They also freely spoke to parents and other members of the community.

On May 1 and 2, 2007 I spent a total of 16 hours at the police station, making a 22 page report. It was obvious to me then that the detective in charge of the case had already made up his mind that I was guilty of everything I was accused of. On May 2, after my statement was signed, I was promptly arrested. I was charged with 10 counts of endangering the welfare of a child and 1 count of assault in the 3rd degree. That evening the detective met with the parents of the students in the program and told them, straight out, that I was guilty and implicated myself in my statement.

More

[Catshrink]

6. Amazing it went that far!

[radical noodle]

8. Doesn't your union provide free legal service for stuff like this?

My husband's union had free legal assistance for teachers who were falsely accused. If it was me, I would walk away from schools and never look back.

[tonysam]

9. This wasn't me; this was somebody else who wrote a story

to the NAPTA site.

In my own case where I am a defendant (not the case where I am looking to be a plaintiff and I hope to secure a lawyer in the very near future), Horace Mann, the insurance outfit tied with the NEA, keeps sending me mailings about how they will pay up to whatever amount it is for an attorney. Since the school district's lawyers withdrew from representing me as I had contacted the other side (refusing to cooperate at all after what was done to me up to and when I was wrongfully terminated), I am getting these mailings trying to encourage me to find a lawyer. Of course, it is the union's law firm, the law firm which did me a hell of an injustice in the "due process" hearing, which is behind these mailings. They want the money which will be shelled out when the insurance company is forced to pay the mother for a case that has absolutely no merit whatsoever. Instead, I will represent myself. I am not concerned about being deposed, etc.

[proud2BlibKansan]

7. Did you give him a scoring guide?

I doubt you included a penis drawing in the expectations for this assignment. :shrug:

We have to do a scoring guide for everything. Easy way to eliminate crap like this.

[Catshrink]

12. No, I don't have a scoring rubric

but this is covered in my syllabus that parents and students sign off on at the beginning of the year. This is HS -- they know what is appropriate and what isn't.

[Reader Rabbit]

10. Lots of self-control required in responding to that one!

I would have found it hard not to say, "Does this mean you're admitting to being a dick?"

:P

And no, I have never said anything like that to a student. But I've certainly thought it!

[Catshrink]

11. I wanted to comment on the size but restrained myself.

[ihatecharters]

13. The problem is the parents

If his parents are protesting there is no hope for this kid. Pass him and get him out of there.

[Catshrink]

14. He'll pass.

I've stressed all year the importance of preparing for adulthood and accepting responsibility. Guess that's hard to do with your parents think you walk on water.

[femmocrat]

15. I go straight to the Guidance Counselor with inappropriate drawings, etc.

They go into the kid's "file". I also keep a copy for myself and call the parents to see if they would like a copy.

I would give the student a chance to submit a "clean" paper though.