Let me just start this by saying I have never cheated in my life, and don't plan on it.
What happened was during our last lab practical I changed my answer to the last question and then flipped my scantron over before the professor called time, then i thought I had smudged my name...I didn't want to flip it over since my time was running out. So I started to write my name on the back K-e-n-d-e-l G-a-r "Time!" -c-i-a I stepped back and went to leave the room and my professor runs over and asks me what I was doing with my scantron. I told him I wrote my name on the back because I thought I smudged my name but didn't want to flip over my scantron so close to time. He let me off with a warning and I left class relieved. I ran into him at the gas station after the exam and told him that I was really sorry and that I didn't cheat and reiterated that I thought my name was smudged. The next day I come into class and after lecture he pulls me aside and says that I will be receiving an F 0% on my lab practical (which is worth 100 out of 1000 points), he says he is not going to take any other disciplinary action, but said he had to give me the zero in order to be fair. He also said he doesn't believe that I only stood there for 2 seconds, he said I changed answers for 10-15 seconds (!) which is totally not true, I even went and asked the girl who was 1 question behind me on the practical if I changed any answers after he called time (just to see if I was going insane) and she said no I just wrote my name down and walked away. But now I'm stuck with this big lousy F which dropped my grade down from a B to an D! What do you guys suggest I do?
I already emailed my professor and apologized again and told him that I would work just as hard in the rest of the class, that I wouldn't cause any trouble (no bashing on rate my professor), that I understood why he gave me an F and there were no hard feelings on my part (I hate a festering bad attitude), and that he should expect the strongest comeback in academia.
So, do you guys think its possible to earn this professor's respect back? I was planning on asking him to write my reference letter for nursing school, but now I'm thinking I should ask a different professor.
Has anyone ever dealt with something like this before? I'm so discouraged, but I know I didn't cheat so I guess that's what really matters. I just want to do well in this class and not have a silly misunderstanding affect my chances of getting into nursing school.
