I had the same experience in 1975 with a descriptive essay assignment in grade 8. I’d worked so hard on it, knew I’d done a great job, and proudly handed it in to my English teacher, Mrs. Mastropasqua. When it was returned, there was a note to see her after class. She was a lovely, likeable teacher which made her words sting all that much deeper.
“I don’t think you wrote this. It’s okay to tell me if you got help.”
Help? Apart from the shock of being wrongly accused, it hit at a deeper level: did she think I wasn’t capable of having written it myself? I was one of her best students!
In any case, perhaps the combination of seeing my reaction and my explanation that I had taken the assignment seriously convinced her it was my work.
But wow...hearing of your experience sure tore off that band-aid!
False accusations from teachers sting for a lifetime. I think this is because, as kids, we think of them as trusted advisors and mentors. When they aren’t, it shakes our understanding of caretakers as a whole.
Touching story Michael. How Uncle Hans became your Godfather sounds like another interesting story. Yeah, I was accused of plagiarism in grad school. I have never been so angry at a professor. It was the only time the ever shown any interest in me or my work. Over the years, rather than see it as a slight, I took it as a compliment that my work was at a level sufficiently high to believe I must have had help ;-)
I had the same experience in 1975 with a descriptive essay assignment in grade 8. I’d worked so hard on it, knew I’d done a great job, and proudly handed it in to my English teacher, Mrs. Mastropasqua. When it was returned, there was a note to see her after class. She was a lovely, likeable teacher which made her words sting all that much deeper.
“I don’t think you wrote this. It’s okay to tell me if you got help.”
Help? Apart from the shock of being wrongly accused, it hit at a deeper level: did she think I wasn’t capable of having written it myself? I was one of her best students!
In any case, perhaps the combination of seeing my reaction and my explanation that I had taken the assignment seriously convinced her it was my work.
But wow...hearing of your experience sure tore off that band-aid!
False accusations from teachers sting for a lifetime. I think this is because, as kids, we think of them as trusted advisors and mentors. When they aren’t, it shakes our understanding of caretakers as a whole.
Touching story Michael. How Uncle Hans became your Godfather sounds like another interesting story. Yeah, I was accused of plagiarism in grad school. I have never been so angry at a professor. It was the only time the ever shown any interest in me or my work. Over the years, rather than see it as a slight, I took it as a compliment that my work was at a level sufficiently high to believe I must have had help ;-)