This column is a bit difficult to write. It is not because the topic is too hot to handle but because of its nature and closeness to my avocation.
Out in far-off British Columbia, at Simon Fraser University [SFU], an education professor has seen fit to give 'F' to two students who submitted identical papers. On the surface, that would seem to be the correct thing to do. Upon closer examination, however, heretofore hidden reasons crop up.
The students - one locally based and one off-shore - hired the same writing tutor. Each submitted her paper to the tutor for correcting. Normally, a tutor will correct grammar, spelling and other mechanical things such as punctuation. Rewriting sentences to correct syntax or to remove awkward phrasing created by misplaced modifiers or dangling modifiers tends to change the student's paper into the tutor's paper. This apparently was what happened; the tutor rewrote the students' papers. A further compounding factor was that the tutor inadvertently emailed student 1's rewritten paper to student 2. Student 2, while recognising that the paper was changed, thought little of it and submitted it to the professor. In the meantime, student 1 also submitted the rewritten paper. The professor received identical papers and suspected the students of cheating. Accordingly, the professor assigned an 'F' to both papers.
The local student grieved the mark and a hearing by the university's board on student discipline was held. After listening to the student's tale of woe and the tutor's explanation of the email duplication, the professor was directed to re-evaluate the student's assignment and to recalculate the final grade. The off-shore student had accepted the 'F' received.
The professor in the case is well-qualified with about twenty-five year's experience under her belt. High on her agenda of how to conduct oneself correctly, is what she describes as her 'personal code of ethics.' Cheating is regarded as unethical; and in the professor's mind, the two students cheated, therefore the big, fat 'F.'
Incidentally, the course in question is one in which students learn how to teach an English-as-a-second-language course.
What makes this difficult is that I have several pupils whose work I check for grammar, spelling and punctuation. Also, I often rewrite their sentences - and sometimes complete essays - to show them how better to express their thoughts. I caution each pupil that if the rewritten essay is submitted in toto, the teacher will recognise my writing and know that the student did not write it. I suggest that the pupil use the rewritten paper as a guide and to rework the original. In one case of an off-shore pupil, I rewrote several essays to correct his phrasing and to remove the awkwardness of his syntax. Simply correcting spelling and punctuation would not have been beneficial to the pupil. In light of the SFU situation, I wonder if that pupil submitted his essays in toto and if he, too, received an 'F.' My contact with that Japanese pupil ended a few months ago when our agreed-upon arrangement came to its close.
After years of tutoring to pupils whose mother language is not English, I have learned that this language that we take for granted is a rather difficult one for some to learn. It is particularly difficult for Orientals, who use a pictograph, and who have no 'common denominator' such as our alphabet. People whose mother tongue is French or German or Spanish use the same alphabet as do English speakers. The switch from French or German or Spanish is not as difficult as it is from Chinese or Japanese or Korean.
Clearly, tutors have an important role to play especially when one considers that the reason they exist is to assist others. Assisting others is an honourable avocation and despite the SFU imbroglio, tutors everywhere should continue in their quest to improve others' English language grammar abilities.
Bob Orrick is a private tutor of English grammar, literature, poetry and Canadian history to off-shore youngsters. His pupils hail from such places as Taiwan, China, Japan, Hong Kong, Korea and Venezuela. He was previously in international marketing, was a ministerial assistant to a provincial cabinet minister, spent a few years as a reporter then editor of a community newspaper and enjoyed a career in the Royal Canadian Navy.
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