My teacher subtly suggested that I might have used AI for my recent work. I submitted a project last month, and during a meeting today, he mentioned that my vocabulary and syntax were too advanced to be my own. We had another group project in class that didn’t turn out well, which seemed to reinforce his doubts. I want to clarify that I didn’t plagiarize; every sophisticated term came from my cited sources. My mistake was not saving my work in increments while I was writing it in Word. I typically create a new document for each session, only saving when I send it to my teammates—definitely not the best approach in hindsight.
I was the primary contributor to the group project, so naturally, I felt anxious during our conversation. Being accused of plagiarism is new territory for me, and I poured hours over those two days into that project. I even offered to show samples from previous years to demonstrate my abilities, but he implied that he couldn’t be sure I hadn’t used AI for them either. I shared a couple of outlines with him to help support my case.
Now, I’m feeling a bit hurt because he said, “I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt. Let this be a lesson.” Should I offer to redo a part of my work while demonstrating the changes I made, or just leave it? The rest of our session is bound to be pretty awkward.
Edit: I didn’t completely drop the subject but didn’t challenge him either. I asked him to point out any suspicious sections after he finishes grading, and I made it clear that I’m open to discussing my paper further. I also committed to saving my work for future assignments and offered to share them upon request. I just finished another paper for a different class and noticed they have a similar structure too.
It sounds like you had a really tough experience, and it’s understandable that you’re feeling hurt and anxious. It’s frustrating to have your hard work questioned, especially when you put so much time and effort into it.
Offering to redo a part of the project while showing changes could demonstrate your willingness to be transparent and your commitment to your work. It might help clear up any doubts your teacher has and show that you take the situation seriously. Just be prepared for the possibility that it may not completely alleviate his concerns.
Additionally, it seems like you’ve done a good job of maintaining open communication with your teacher. That’s important! Continue to express your willingness to discuss and clarify your work. Maybe you could suggest a more formal meeting where you can both go through your project together.
Ultimately, it’s up to you how you want to proceed, but being proactive in addressing his concerns might help ease the awkwardness moving forward. Remember, you know your work best, and being honest about your process is always a good approach. Good luck!