Let’s face it – all, or at least, most of us have come across the oh-so-crazy concept of cheating (surprise, surprise) some time in our lives, whether it be ourselves, our friends, or our classmates that have been practising the cunning art. So what exactly is cheating? Many would explain the copying of each other’s answers on homework assignments or on tests as academic “collaboration” of sorts. If it is so, the why not bring Albert Einstein into your next physics test? Why not call up William Shakespeare to write your next English play? According to dictionary.com, cheating is “to practice fraud or deceit; to violate rules or regulations; to take an examination or test in a dishonest way, as by improper access to answers.”
Sure, we have heard funny, amusing stories about people cheating; a particular one told by my previous physical education teacher was ridiculous: his friend, taking a final exam on body muscles, had failed to memorize the locations and names of these muscles the night before. Anxious about failing the exam, he took a Sharpie and wrote all the muscle names on his skin. Of course he was caught during the test – and was failed from the program. I’m sure, if he took that time to properly study instead of tattooing the answers onto his skin, he would have aced the exam. What can I say? People resort to foolish, senseless ideas far too quick in times of need…
Upon entering high school, I have found that teachers and school staff have a growing emphasis on academic integrity, stressing the consequences if we cheat – especially in the form of plagiarism. At first, it was hard to adapt to this environment. In junior high, teachers encouraged us students using (and even copying) internet resources to complete our assignments; they hardly cared about citations on any kind of work. However, I believe it is right for high school teachers to start criticizing us for (often unintentional) plagiarism – it gets us prepared for the real world out there. Authors get sued all the time for stealing one another’s ideas, and you don’t want to get involved with those situations.
Recently, an article on cheating has been brought to my attention. The article illustrates cheating on a global scale, not just in local schools. Here is a passage about the issue:
The path to US college acceptance, however, increasingly compels students to sacrifice their integrity. For the right price, unscrupulous college prep agencies offer ghostwritten essays in flawless English, fake awards, manipulated transcripts and even whiz kids for hire who’ll pose as the applicant for SAT exams.
To say the truth, it really surprises me how far people will go for marks, for a better university, a better life. Several questions that baffled me about this was: why would anyone fake their own knowledge just to get a supposedly “better” post-secondary experience? Would they not think that rejection from a certain university or college is a perfectly reasonable outcome – because they’re not well-suited enough for the programs at that particular education facility? (Not doubting anyone’s ability of course; everyone has the potential to fulfill their goals if one really tries.) Just the idea of how willing people are to lie to themselves about their own abilities is preposterous…
One response from my other teacher to this issue that I really admire is his use of trust. When having a test, he wouldn’t walk around the classroom or watch us from every angle like we were threatening prisoners, suspecting us of dishonesty. Instead, he told our class that he has faith in us, that we wouldn’t cheat even if he walked right out of the classroom – which he did do. He said that if we really were pressured to have good academics, he would give us any mark we wanted – if we dared to accept the mark we did not deserve, the mark that we did not achieve; after all, learning isn’t the teacher’s business. It’s the student’s responsibility. And tests – partly – are just evaluations of how well the students are understanding the material taught in class.
Fortunately, there are many ways of discouraging acts of cheating. One is to encourage positive attitude – toward pressure, towards ourselves – and be content with whatever the outcome may be. Be a role model! Refuse opportunities for cheating and encourage others to do the same. Another is talking to your peers and look down upon the use of cheating to get good marks. You can always talk to your teachers and find out the expectations for their class, what plagiarism is, et cetera. The internet is also a good resource for rules and regulations. Finally, embrace any upcoming challenges with integrity and self-honesty. This way you can enter the world prepared, feeling good about yourself, and ready to face any problem head-on!
