Expert Testimony: Everybody's Got Their Something

I always visit several Student Success classes each school year to tell them about -gasp- plagiarism*. I tell them about the consequences, about how it happens unintentionally most of the time, about how I've really not seen it or heard about it from other teachers because most of the people who choose to come here are honest, hard-working folks who know they are here for a very good reason.

This time around, I thought I would add an element to my short presentation: I brought notecards and asked them to write a) their name and b) something, anything, they consider themselves an expert in. In the big scheme of things, the biggest benefit most of those brand-new college students in those classes receive from hearing from me is the fact that they begin to build a relationship** with someone in The Learning Center. I thought asking them about their expertise would help that along a bit, as well as show them that I do, in fact care about what they care about.

Here are the results of my little survey (in no particular order):

Tennis (2)
A Role Model {because of his older brothers being his role model}
Kids
Cooking (2)
Being a Student
Computers (3) {this often related to teaching parents what to do}
Math
Sports (3)
Writing {I asked her what she wrote: stories}
Giving Advice {but she doesn't take her own, she said...hmmm}
Shopping {she immediately began to defend herself}
Eating {written as she was ingesting a bagel}
Softball
Basketball (4)
Volleyball (2)
Being on Time for Appointments
Riding Quads
Texting (4) {one even spelled it "txting" because we just don't need that e}
Being Serious {intriguing, really}
Organizing
Driving {yes, he had tickets}
Doing Laundry
Reading
Video Games
Drawing
Digital Cameras/Accessories {a Best Buy employee, not a photographer}
Sleeping

I enjoyed going around and talking to them about their expertise. They were honest, and I think it helped them understand that the people they would be using as sources in their papers were experts in a similar way. It brought them a little closer to the position of the writer of articles in newspapers and magazines and scholarly journals.

*from the Latin plagiarus, or kidnapping

**Oh, did it work. This time, two wonderful students--sisters, even--brought me a small bag of homemade, delicious oatmeal raisin cookies with a handwritten thank you note. Fantastic.