A friend comes to you and says, “Mr. Johnson gave me an F on my paper and says I copied it, but I didn’t! I showed him the bibliography and the sources, but he doesn’t believe me! I’m going to drop the class.” Write a response that reflects the characteristics of effective responses.

Answer:

“You feel frustrated and hurt because you believe you did the work yourself, but Mr. Johnson thinks you copied it. I can see why that would be upsetting, especially after you showed him your sources. What would you like to happen next? If you want, we can think through how to explain your work and ask to talk with him again before you decide about dropping the class.”