Week 5 - 3rd Six Weeks

Congratulations to both the Frost Polar Bears and Lady Bears for a 2nd place finish at the Frost Basketball Tournament.

The boys team won against Bynum and Rice and then lost in a close nail biter final game to Red Oak Life.

The girls beat Bynum on Thursday with a buzzer beater shot by Dakota Lassetter.

Then on Friday the Lady Bears beat Rice in an intense and physical Triple Overtime game with a crucial free throw rebound shot by Page Calvin. Patricia Garcia also had 12 points before she fouled out in the first overtime period.

All-tournament medals were awarded to Philip Page, Jacob Stroder, Page Calvin and Patricia Garcia.



Good Job Coach Hargadine, Coach Blenden, Coach Woods and Coach Revill.

The Frost tournament takes a team effort by faculty, staff, administration, coaching staff and of course the students. Thanks to everyone for a good tournament. We are known all over the county for our hospitality room, our clean facility, our expert score keepers, and our concession stand. I was checking out at Wal-Mart and the clerk asked me where I was from and why was I buying so many hot dogs. I told her and she said that the Frost Tournament is known to be the best in the area and she was from Blooming Grove. So it must be true.



Thanks to the Junior Class for a successful concession stand. I appreciate your help in covering the shifts. I especially thank Judy Thornton, Joe Perryman, Emily Coker, and Jesse Vickery for giving up their Saturday to work the concession stand. Thanks to Erica Anaya for working after her game.



Congrats to Junior High Boys and Girls for their wins over Avalon on Monday and to Varsity for their win over Abbott on Tues.



Week at Glance

Monday - Junior High Basketball @ Covington - 6:00

Elementary Christmas Program @ 6:30

Angel Tree gifts due

Tuesday - Varsity Basketball - Here - 5:00

PTO Christmas Store opens

Wednesday - PTO Christmas Store

Thursday - Semester Exams Schedule - Early Release at 1:00

Friday - Semester Exams Schedule - Early Release at 1:00



Christmas break from 12/18/2010 - 01/04/2011

Kiwanis Basketball Tournament - Monday 12/27 - Wednesday 12/29



Classroom Week At A Glance

Monday - Review for Semester Exam

Tuesday - Continue Review for Semester Exam

Wednesday - Semester Exam Essay

Thursday - Semester Exam Periods 4, 3, 2, 1

Friday - Semester Exam Periods 8, 7, 6, 5

Lunch at 12:30 both days - 12:30 - Early Release at 1:00

Vickery's Vit & Visdom

When I was a kid, Christmas was my favorite time of year. Summer vacation was fun too, but Christmas was special. I was the youngest of five children and we never had much money. During the year we only got two pairs of shoes, one for school and one for play. We got one school outfit and one Easter outfit at the store and Mom made the rest of our clothes. I wore a lot of "hand-me-downs". We rarely went out to eat and we got one present and a cake for our birthdays. We didn't have much money but I didn't know it. Our parents saved all year for Christmas. They always made it so special for all of us. They made sure it was equal and we each had our own corner of the room where Santa (Mom) placed our gifts. Under the tree was a special gift from Mom and Dad. The kinds of gifts we got were things like books, records, gowns, houseshoes, bathrobes, sweaters, coats, charm bracelets and when I was really young, I got dolls. One special year, I think I was nine, I got my first & only bicycle. It was a blue Schwinn. I rode it everywhere. One year, my brother made me a doll house. Another year I got a musical jewelry box. There was always something handmade by my mother. My brothers and sisters were much older than me, so they helped Mom with my surprises. I remember my sister found Mom's Christmas list in a little notebook in her bedstand and every year we would sneak a peek at her lists. I loved Christmas time.

At our school, we did a musical program about the first Christmas from the Bible. This was when we could have religion in schools. We had a couple of Jewish kids in school, but they didn't mind participating. Our teachers taught us songs, traditions, and different celebrations around the world. We made chains for the tree and construction paper Santas with cotton beards.

Our family traditions included a real tree, watching Peanuts Christmas, Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer, listening to Christmas records and decorating the tree together. We included our grandparents on Christmas Day and truly enjoyed our gifts. My sister and I always walked to the drugstore and bought Mom and Dad a gift that I'm sure they never used or needed, but we couldn't wait for them to open the gift, so we could see their faces. This was Christmas in our family. We didn't have much money, but Mom and Dad made it special. They worked hard all year to make sure that we had a great Christmas Day and a memorable Christmas tradition to pass down to our families.

When I think about Christmas these days, I get pretty stressed out. So much hype and materialistic marketing on television and in stores gives me a headache. I am glad my kids are older now and I don't have to compete for popular toys anymore. Although I still love Christmas, it is not what it use to be in my mind. Everything costs so much and the more you have, the more you want. I long for simplicity and the days of handmade gifts that I still cherish. Now we have plastic trees, plastic wreaths, Martha Stewart decorations, crowded stores, Black Friday, long lines, tired parents, spoiled children and school progams that cannot mention Christmas. Board games turned into expensive gaming equipment and games. Transister radios haveturned into laptops or HD televisons. Records have turned into Ipods and CDs. Books have turned into Vampire tales instead of happy tales or classic books. I wonder if kids still get excited on Christmas morning or does it just end up being a big disappointment because the gift they wanted is not under the tree. I have used many of the traditions that my Mom and Dad passed down, but I don't have a lot of time to put into Christmas anymore. Every day life gets in the way. My checking account won't allow for much these days as far as big gifts go. I am not a seamstress like my Mom but I may end up making some gifts this year. Maybe they will be cherished one day.

Now the Vit

When I was four, I remember Mom coming in from outside on Christmas morning after we had finished opening our gifts.She had taken the trash out to the curb. She had in her hand a toy ( a bubble gum dispenser). I still remember her yelling as she came in the door, "Look what Santa dropped outside." I totally fell for it. In reality, Dad probably dropped it while unloading the car in the middle of the night. I will never forget the surprise and joy I felt when I realized that Santa could make a mistake and drop something without knowing it. It opened up a a whole new adventure each year. I always looked outside every year after that to see if Santa dropped anything that year. It got to be a game with my family. My parents kept the Santa thing going as long as they could and I appreciate that now. I hope you can look back on your Christmases fondly as I do. Keep the spirit of the holiday in your heart and you will never stop believing in Santa.

HAVE A WONDERFUL HOLIDAY AND I WILL SEE YOU NEXT YEAR.

Week 3 - 3rd Six Weeks

Congrats to Polar Bears Basketball for their win over Rice on Tuesday. They also defeated Mildred in the Italy tournament and finished fourth in the tournament.

Lady Bears lost to Rice on Tuesday but won 3rd in the Avalon Tournament

Junior High Action on Monday resulted in a win against Trinidad

Great Job Junior High One Act Play - We all enjoyed the Dress Rehearsal on Friday.
One Act Play placed 4th on Saturday at Abbott.


Week at a Glance:

Monday - Junior High Basketball vs Avalon - Here - 6:00
Tuesday- Varsity Basketball at Abbott - 4:00
Wednesday
Thursday - Frost Basketball Tournament begins
Friday - Frost Basketball Tournament 2nd round
Saturday - Final round - Frost Basketball Tournament

Remember that this six weeks is shortened by a couple of days. Progress Reports will go out this week. Next week is the last week of the six weeks. Finals will be on Thursday and Friday of next week with early release on those days. Your final for me will be similar to a benchmark over the elements and vocab we have learned over the semester. Remember to study all chapter vocab sheets and words in your spiral along with all returned tests. We will review on Wednesday of next week. Your final is 1/5 of your semester grade, so it is important to do your best and study effectively for the test.

See Exam Schedule in Pages Section of Blog

Classroom Week At A Glance

Monday: Review Open Book Test - Pardoner's Tale
Tuesday: Review for Selection Test - Pardoner's Tale
Wednesday: Selection Test - Begin reading "Wife of Bath"
Thursday: Vocab Wksht Packet - Wife of Bath
Friday: Literary Wksht Pkt - Wife of Bath

Vickery's Vit & Visdom

WATCH or READ THE NEWS
When I was growing up my parents always insisted that we watch the network news shows and the local newscasts. We also watched new specials and read the newspaper frequently. Sometimes at school, I found that I was only kid in class that knew what was going on in the news and the world. I felt like an oddball but still continued to gather information through the news. I liked being in the know. I thank my parents now for this discipline and see its importance now that I teach. Learning the events and state of our nation, state and city give us the power that we need to make good decisions in our daily lives. We learn what is expected by society. We learn right from wrong. We learn that we are not the only culture and that as a nation, we are pretty lucky. We learn that there is not a ceiling to our dreams or goals. In class, we are able to learn more from our knowledge foundation of information. I am amazed sometimes when I ask a simple question about some recent world or national event and no one in my classes knows anything about it. It is important to know current events. It is important to learn about our world. It is important to arm ourselves with knowledge. We are free to be educated, yet we don't take the inititive to use that freedom to learn. Other countries are governed and ruled by an educated few and its power depends on the ignorance of the masses. Ignorance takes away your power to decide and think for ourselves. It takes away the ability to decipher truth from a lie. Ignorance will result in following leaders that depend on ignorance to be able to lead. Using public education, learning on our own, questioning others will result in a self reliant population that will be able to think independently. WATCH or READ the NEWS.

Now for the Vit:
I have found that the more I know, the more I want to know.

Week of November 29 - December 3

I must apologize for the absence of my blog for the past two weeks. Unfortunately, the blog is the first thing to go when I am overwhelmed or busy. I hope to keep it current for the the rest of the semester.

Basketball season is in full swing for the Polar Bears and Lady Polar Bears. Varsity Boys beat Troy on Nov. 19 and then beat Waco Rapoport on the 23rd. Lady Polar Bears beat Waco Rapoport as well. Both teams play Rice here on Tues. beginning at 5:00. The Lady Bears will then compete in the Avalon tournament on Dec. 2-4 and the Varsity Boys will compete in the Italy Tournament on the same days. Junior High will play on Monday at Trinidad beginning at 6:00. All times are tentative, so check with the coach if you have a question about the correct time.

I trust we all got our fill of turkey and dressing and I hope we all rested and relaxed over the long weekend. The first semester ends on Dec. 17, so we all must buckle down and get back to work, so that we can continue our pursuit of excellence in the classroom.

Classroom Week at a Glance:

Monday: Create a Sermon on Greed - One Page - Outline Worksheet
Tuesday: Continue working on Sermon - Voluntary Presentation in class
Wednesday: Pardoner's Tale - Reading Strategy - Rereading for Clarification
Thursday: Literary Analysis: Allegory/Archetypal Narrative Elements
Friday: Pardoner's Tale, Enrichment - Plague pg 104


Vickery's Vit & Wisdom
"Home is where the heart is."

I found myself at home most of the long weekend by choice. I enjoyed being in my home, cooking, organizing and relaxing with my family. I traveled a little for a family Thanksgiving dinner but for the most part, I just stayed home. There is a lot to be said for the "comforts of home." The familiar is always easier and more comfortable. The routine, the smells of cooking, being around people that we love is so comfortable this time of year. I just prefer it to being in a crowded mall, or on a busy highway. There was a time when I would hit the stores on Black Friday or fight the crowds at the mall to get that great bargain. I just don't feel compelled to be in those crowds this year. The economy is preventing most of us from impulse buying this year and it is probably a good thing. By the way, do you know why it is called "Black Friday?" If anyone can tell me, I will give extra-credit on your next test. Anyway, back to the "comforts of home," I hope that you experienced a little time to yourself this weekend to reflect, relax and refuel. The next few weeks will be busy with holiday activities, but don't forget that the semester ends on Dec. 17. This is a time to buckle down and work hard to finish out the semester positively.

2nd Six Weeks - Week 6

Congratulations to the Junior High Football team for their victory over Wortham on Thursday.
It was a great way to end the season!

Varsity Polar Bears ended their football season with a tough loss to Wortham on Friday, but we didn't go down without a fight. Again, our boys showed character and class, even though they faced a loss. I see the behavior of some of the other teams, and realize that we have more to be proud of, than a win-loss record. We are all proud of you Polar Bears and Lady Polar Bears.

Basketball is gearing up so ready yourself for some"hoops" at the Tundra.

Be sure urge your parents to accompany you to the Rachael's Challenge program on Monday evening from 7-8. You will be attending the program for students from 10:15-11:15 am.
If you are selected for the training, you will attend the training session from 1:00 - 2:15.
We have heard great things about this program and I urge you to take its messages seriously.

This is the last week of the 2nd Six Weeks. Report cards will go out next week on Friday.

I encourage each of you to take this last week to organize yourself and take inventory of your locker contents, as well as your backpack. I cannot stress to you enough, the importance of taking your school work seriously. Don't let up now. Keep working to achieve your best potential in your classes.

A BIG CONGRATULATIONS TO FROST JUNIOR HIGH FOR WINNING UIL COMPETITION ON WEDNESDAY AND SATURDAY. You all competed admirably and your hard work paid off. Mrs. Moore worked very hard to put on the contest and we all owe her a big THANK YOU. Thanks also to Mrs. Jackson and the Beta Club for their assistance and for having the concession stand. All of the visiting teachers were quite impressed with the general organization of the contest and especially the hospitality room. (Thanks Mrs. Revill and Mrs. Melton and everyone who brought goodies).

Don't forget that our annual Turkey Dinner is this Thursday. This is a great opportunity for your parents to eat with you and enjoy a delicious holiday dinner.

Mrs. Montgomery's elementary music classes will be performing in a Veteran's Day Program on Thursday at 6:00 in the FPAC (Frost Performing Arts Center).

Week at a Glance

Monday: Assembly at 10:15 - 11:15, Rachael's Challenge - Community Program at 7:00 pm
Tuesday:
Wednesday: Voice 9-12
Thursday: Voice 7-8, Turkey Dinner, Veteran's Day Program at 6:00 (FPAC)
Friday: End of 2nd Six Weeks, Voice 9-12

Classroom Week at a Glance:

Monday: Student groups will present their Canterbury Tales translations - Vocab Warm-up & Builder --Homework: Grammar pg 47-48
Tuesday: Reading Strategy pg 83 - Analyzing Difficult Sentences
Homework: Grammar pg 49-50
Wednesday: Open Book Test Review
Homework: Grammar pg 51-52
Thursday: Test Review - The Canterbury Tales
Homework: Grammar pg 53-54
Friday: Selection Test Canterbury Tales
Homework: Grammar pg 61-64


Vickery's Vit & Visdom

Frost is hosting Rachael's Challenge on Monday and I urge you to participate and listen with your mind and your heart to the message that will be given to you.
Bullying has become the new buzz word of our time. It is an age old problem that has just recently come to the attention of schools and is considered as a major problem. If you have never been bullied at school, then consider yourself lucky. Bullying doesn't have to be someone stealing your lunch money, or threatening to beat you up after school, although that is certainly the picture we all have in mind when we hear the word "bully". Bullying can take many forms and each form is used to intentionally hurt someone else, physically or emotionally. It can be a disapproving look, or a whisper, or being left out of a group. It can be ugly comments or rumors passed around about another person. It can be a push in the hallway or someone laughing at your misfortune. It can be by one person or by a group. Whatever bullying is, we are all guilty at one time or another of participating in it. The only way to rise above "bullying" is to become more tolerant of each other and our differences. Civility (look it up), has taken a back seat to seeing how much of a jerk we can be. I see it every day. It doesn't matter who the person is or what they have or don't have. For some students, it is fun to make fun. We don't take into consideration anything before we decide that a person is not worthy of our attention, our friendship or our approval. And once we decide this fact, there is no going back. We must let them know that they are unworthy with a push, or a look or a harsh word.
And we must tell our friends that the person is unworthy as well, so they can get in on the action of making someone feel worthless. Have you ever felt worthless? It is the worst feeling one can imagine.
When you attend the program on Monday, please take it seriously and think about your actions past and future. How will they change? How will you change? Will you change?

"No one can make you feel bad about yourself without your permission".

Week 5 - 2nd Six Weeks

Senior Night Class of 2011

Our Polar Bears had a rough time on Senior Night, with a very physical Chilton team. Varsity lost a hard-fought and costly game on Friday 44-13. It was costly, because we lost our running back, Daniel Steels, to a collar bone injury. Our boys are pretty beaten up after a very physical game, but are gearing up for their last district game against Wortham on Friday.


Lady Bears finished their season last Saturday against Cayuga. Junior High Girls finished their season last Monday with a winning season.


The cheerleaders gave us a memorable Pep Rally dedicated to the Class of 2011 Seniors. I'm sure a few tears were shed from parents and seniors on the last home football game of the season. This is the beginning of a long list of "lasts" for our seniors.



Week at a Glance


Monday - Faculty meeting at 3:30.

Tuesday - Election Day - Auditorium Foyer

Wednesday - UIL - Junior High - Early Release at 12:00 pm

Voice Grades 9-12

Thursday - Elementary UIL - Early Release at 12:00 pm - Junior High Football - vs Wortham -6:00 (here) Cici's Pizza Night

Friday - Voice - Grades 9-12 - Jostens to meet with seniors -Varsity Football at Wortham - 7:30

Saturday - Jr. High & Elementary UIL

This week is abbreviated for the high school students. You have early release on Wednesday and Thursday with school dismissing at 12:00 for Elementary and Junior High UIL. YAY!! for you.

Classroom Week At a Glance

Monday: Begin Canterbury Tales Prologue (Read)

Tuesday: Vocab Warm-up & Builder

Wednesday: Discussion & Literary Analysis

Thursday: Discussion and Review (Open Book Test)

Friday: Tentative scheduled Selection Test (Canterbury Tales)

Vickery's Vit & Visdom

Hope you enjoyed the Senior Night festivities on Friday. The pep rally brought a few tears to us all, especially those of us that remember you as pre-k students. I consider your class special because my son started with you. Jesse also considers you special people in his life. I still remember those days in elementary school when I taught you in P.E. and constantly had to correct Page for getting out of the lines in Pacman. I remember when Heather came; when Gary left and came back; when David was too shy to speak; when I had to have my "Luke Hug" every day; when Kyle would get so upset if I corrected him; and when Joseph would make the rest of us look pretty shabby with his wardrobe. I remember the field day events, the fieldtrips to the zoo and how you always kept Jesse in your circle. The class of 2011 is a very special class. You have welcomed new students into your fold and have stayed close. I have a great picture of you from homecoming that I will post when I figure out how to get more than one picture on this blog. Cherish these days. They will be over before you know it. Take it all in. Don't miss a moment to remember. Take lots of pictures and enjoy each other. And always remember, that there is life after high school.

Week 10

How 'bout them Polar Bears and Lady Polar Bears.

On Tuesday, Lady Bears knocked the Rice Bulldogs out of the playoffs in four games. Although we didn't make the playoffs this year, being a spoiler to a rival team adds to the excitement of the season's end. Congratulations to Coach Woods and Coach Hargadine and the Lady Bears for an exciting season. The Lady Bears season ended on Saturday with a loss to Cayuga, the undefeated district champion.


Friday night ended the Bear's losing streak with a "sweet revenge" win over Hubbard. The final score was 15-8 and if you missed it, you missed an exciting defensive battle. The difference was a game changing, heads up interception on Hubbard's 15 yard line. The Bears played their hearts out and their team spirit showed throughout the game. Congratulations to the Bears on this important win.

Congrats to the Junior High Volleyball team and Coach Hargadine for their winning season. Basketball is right around the corner.

Week at a Glance
Monday - Red Ribbon Week - Progress Notes to be sent home this week
Tuesday - High School field trip to Navarro Council of the Arts program at CHS at 1:15 - Leave at 12:40. Lunch will be served 10 min. earlier to high school students.
Wednesday- Junior High field trip to CHS - Navarro Council of the Arts program at 1:15. Students will leave at 12:35.
Thursday - Jostens will meet with seniors @1:00 p.m. Junior High Football at
Chilton @ 6:00pm.
Friday - Pep Rally @ 2:40 pm. Senior Parent Night during the football game
Varsity football vs Chilton at 7:30pm.

Classroom Week At a Glance:
Monday - Review for Selection Test - Complete Essay on Board
Tuesday- Selection Test - History of the English Church and People
Wednesday -Review objectives for Benchmark and C-scope tests
Thursday - Benchmark Test
Friday - Benchmark Test continued

Vickery's Vit & Visdom
“In order to keep a true perspective of one's importance, everyone should have a dog that will worship him and a cat that will ignore him.” ~ Author Unknown~

When I listen to the fans during games, I hear loud complaints about missed calls by the referees, about the play calling by the coaches, or the unsportmanlike conduct of the other team. I rarely hear a loud complaint against one of our players. Those are more "under the breath" complaints. It really is funny, because I wonder sometimes if we are all watching the same game. I have missed every one of my son's big plays, because I was distracted by the different perspectives in the stands. During one play, I heard, "He's holding", "Facemask!", and "Block in the Back," so I missed my son's interception. I am constantly looking for whatever I hear from the crowd. My perspective is usually from one of the bottom rows. It is through a camera lens, since I am trying to get good action shots. It is the perspective of a woman, so I don't see all of the actual football tactics going on. My perspective is that of a mother's, so I am also just watching my son to make sure no one hurts him. (I pity the fool...). It is a perspective of a Polar Bear fan, so everything the other team does is unfair, unsportsmanlike and just plain rotten in my eyes. The perspective of other people in the stands is always a little different and so we compare perspectives and adjust. My perspective is also one of a parent of a player that is not a star player, so we are constantly looking for good things that he does. Right or wrong, my perspective is mine, the way I see things. In the classroom, I look at things from a teacher and adult point of view. Student's look at things from a different point of view and often do not agree with mine. So where is the truth in all of this perspective and point of view mess. The truth is that we all believe so much in our own perspective that we sometimes do not ever find the truth because of our bias. There are always three sides to every story, his side, your side and the truth. If we can balance truth and perspective, then we will come closer to the truth.

Have you ever heard the expression "Putting it in perspective"? This means that sometimes, events will happen that make us realize how unimportant our problems are when we see someone with bigger problems.
On Friday, I took my 83 year old mother to get her license at the DPS office in Athens. I was worried that she would not pass the eye test. I was worrying how I would be able to get her to where she needed to go every week if she was unable to get her license. Then at the DPS office while getting her picture made, she fell backwards and hit her back and head on the floor. My perspective suddenly changed. I thought I had lost my mother. The ambulance was called and we spent the entire day at the emergency room wondering if she was severely injured. I then started worrying whether she would recover, or whether she would be able to live by herself again, or what would happen to her if the head injury was severe. I didn't care about driving her around or if she could pass the eye test. I was looking at things differently, in a different perspective.
If we can just remember that we each have our own unique perspective, and be mindful that we each see things in a different light, we can come closer to seeing things truthfully. If we have to suddenly change our perspective to something more important, we realize that sometimes our biased thinking is petty. Perspective kicks us in the pants on a daily basis.

Congratulations to the Lady Bears for sweeping Trinidad on Saturday in three games.
They play at Rice on Tuesday and then the Lady Bears will end their season here on Saturday against Cayuga.

Congrats to Junior High Volleyball for their win over Trinidad on Monday.

Junior High has one more game on Monday, Oct. 18 at Rice.
Come out and support our volleyball teams.

The Polar Bears fell at the hands of the Dawson Bulldogs this week. It is always tough to lose to Dawson, but again, the boys never gave up and fought to the end.
Junior High didn't have a game this week.
It's hard to believe that there are only three more games left in the season with Friday night's game at Hubbard, then Chilton (Parent's Night), and our final game at Wortham on Nov. 3. Come out and support our Junior High and Varsity Polar Bears in these tough district match-ups.

Week At A Glance:
Monday: Junior High Volleyball @ Rice - 5:00
Tuesday: JV and Varsity Volleyball @ Rice - 5:00
TAKS RETESTS - High School
Wednesday: TAKS RETESTS - High School
Thursday: TAKS RETESTS
Junior High Football - 6:00 vs Hubbard (Here)
Friday: Varsity Football at Hubbard - 7:30
Saturday: JV and Varsity Volleyball vs Cayuga (Here) 10:00am

Classroom Week At a Glance
Monday: Vocab Warm-up pg 52 from History ofthe English Church & People
Tuesday: Read "History of the English Church and Its People pg 82
Wednesday: Continue Discussion of Bede's History of English Church
Thursday: Reading Warm-ups for understanding pg 54-55
Friday: Reading Strategy - Clarity of Meaning pg 57

This week we will each cover a text book, so that I can check them out to you when needed.
Mr. Lockett may visit our class sometime this week, so your best behavior would be appreciated.

Vickery's Vit & Visdom
"Great Opportunities to help others seldom come, but small ones come daily." ~ Ivy Baker Priest - 1905-1975 ~
The other day in class, I noticed two different students helping other students who were struggling with the assignments. I allowed this because, they were not giving answers, but telling the other students how to find their own answers. It was a small opportunity to help others that was appreciated by the other students. Sometimes, students can explain things in a way that is more easily understood by their peers and I welcome this type of collaboration. What I don't welcome is a student asking for answers or copying another's paper. This is called cheating. The Aggies have a motto that says "Aggies do not lie, steal or cheat and do not tolerate those who do" Of course there is a t-shirt that also adds, "Aggies do not steal, lie or cheat, but have been known to borrow, elaborate, and collaborate. There is a fine line here that we cross far too often. The desire to understand an assignment or to make a good grade is sometimes so strong that we will cheat to achieve it. Sometimes we don't even realize that we are cheating. Sometimes we are too accomodating to our friends when we give answers or allow them to copy. Here are some do's and don'ts when it comes to assignments and homework.

Cheating
Copying someone else's work is cheating.
Making cheat notes for tests is cheating.
Copying text from a book and passing it as your own writing is cheating and illegal.
Comparing each other's work is cheating.
Taking someone's idea for a project or essay is cheating.

Collaboration
Asking another student for help in understanding an assignment is collaboration.
Getting help from a parent or teacher is collaboration.
Discussing an assignment to brainstorm for ideas is collaboration.
Showing someone where to find information is collaboration.
Showing a student shortcuts and easier ways to learn is collaboration.
Assisting another student in completing a project by giving your ideas is collaboration.