It’s having a deep-laid plan, or maybe just quickly stealing a glance at the moment or even leaving a bag open with the answers on top. There is always the pressure of getting a good grade, either for the student or for proud parents. And sometimes it seems the only way to cope with that is by cheating.
A lot of teachers have ways to prevent cheating from happening or to know when a student is cheating. Some teachers “…mess with the test where there are two different versions.” Mr. Cory Marshall says. Other teachers use cover sheets or they don’t do anything to prevent cheating.
Not only do teachers have ways to prevent cheating; the student handbook also has examples of what it considers cheating. The handbook considers “… the unauthorized use of electronic devices, the use of unauthorized material or unauthorized communication of any kind during testing, and the aiding and abetting of academic dishonesty of others.” found on page thirty-six of the handbook. With these ways of cheating, there are always consequences.
Along with the pressure of getting a good grade from parents, there is also the pressure of having a good GPA on the students’ transcript, looking good in front of teachers or peers, and even pressure from the student themselves to get that A, all of which contribute to the decision to cheat. Dr. Liza Sejkora says, “I think cheating is a survival tactic. There are a lot of reasons students don’t do their own work.”
It doesn’t matter if it’s a single glance at another students’ paper or blatantly copying answers down, it’s still cheating. “There are different types of cheating,” explains Sejkora, “ trying to share answers on a test or bringing in a cheat sheet.” But overall, there are no gray areas. In the case of cheating, the punishment far outweighs the reward, reaching extremes of having to go to Saturday School or being suspended.
It is in the best interests of the students to avoid resorting to cheating. Sejkora advises that students go to the teachers if they are feeling overwhelmed or swamped with homework, and the teachers will help the student. “Most teachers that I can think of would say if you come to them in a timely fashion… [they] would be accommodating and work with you to adjust a due date,” says Sejkora. Just remember that the next time an opportunity comes up, ask: is cheating the system really worth it?
Some students see cheating happening and do nothing, others tell the teacher, and some may talk to the student about cheating. Sophomore Bailey Brisbois had this to say about cheating, “That just doesn’t teach you anything.” cheating doesn’t help in the long run. It may be a convenient way out but they are just putting off what you need to learn eventually. Even if everything is overwhelming in school, home problems, or other stressors and think cheating is the only way to maintain that GPA; just ask for help from anyone that can help and give advise. Getting help will definitely help in the long run because cheating will not help at all. By cheating, the information doesn’t get learned and then it will be hard to keep up with all the new information being piled up until you can’t handle it. Do not be afraid to ask for help and know that cheating is never the answer.
