Assignment 13: Changes!--Amir Abou-Jaoude

Collaboration is the mother of innovation. Collaboration is what drove Borromini and Bernini to create artistic masterpieces, Strauss and Hofmannsthal to develop some of the greatest operas of all time, and Wilder and Brackett to make some of the most memorable movies of the 20th-century. In fact, the ability to work with others and the skill to build on someone's else's ideas are talents essential to success.

It is imperative that this group spirit be encouraged. Some educators have been exemplary in fostering collaboration. Recently, I heard tell of a student in the 8th grade. Apparently, he was to write a paper analyzing the allegories in Leo Tolstoy's novella The Forged Coupon. In writing the paper, the student copied Tolstoy's exact text directly into the body of his essay. This is an example of collaboration, for, in this case, a pact existed between Tolstoy and the student. Tolstoy, though dead, worked together with the student on the paper. Needless to say, the final result received an A plus.

I bring to your attention to yet another example--a senior in an American high school proved unable to finish his algebra homework on his own. Yet, the assignment needed to be done--what would this befuddled youth do? The solution was simple, as a trusted friend provided him with his finished calculus homework. The student then rushed to his seat, and rapidly began transcribing the completed assignment. He was only doing what Egyptian scribes and medieval ascetics had done--he was creating a carbon copy. Collaboration--between the student and his friend--ultimately led to a result beneficial to both parties. The student passed the homework check, while his friend did as well.

There are those that call into question the morality of this practice. There are those that, confronted with the Tolstoy paper or the calculus homework, would decry it as a forged piece of work, and immediately discard yet. While I fully understand their concerns, there is only so much an individual can do on his own. The other half of the collaborative pair is necessary for full success. As the poet John Donne said "no man is an island," and indeed, people, especially students, need to be supported by their fellow comrades.

Brave educators have already taken steps to eradicate the somewhat arcane mentality. The presence of constant collaboration in the classroom need not disrupt an educational environment--rather, the activity can simply be condoned. Exemplary professionals, such as she who accepted the Tolstoy paper and he who approved of the algebra homework, have shown a deep understanding of the value of collaboration.

There are those who would call this type of collaboration cheating or plagiarism, but these terms raise an interesting dilemma. Isn't everything based on a precedent? Isn't dishonesty common in our society? After all, as the old adage goes, isn't the best form of flattery imitation?