Grace Burke
Associate Editor
Given the competitive nature of the high school, it is easy to understand how some students might be willing to do whatever it takes to get top-notch grades. There is constant pressure from peers, teachers, parents and other students to maintain a respectable average and some students are willing to take risky measures to receive those scores.
Of course one of the simplist ways to achieve such high goals is to study and work hard. However, some turn to shortcuts as an easy way out.
Sophomore Tom* admits to copying a homework assignment here and there. “It’s easy to copy when the teachers don’t check the work and don’t collect it. I would never admit to it, but it’s hard [not to]when it’s so easy to do,” Tom said.“Teachers just check the work by walking around the class and looking for writing on the paper. I’ve never been caught doing that, and it’s not like I cheat on tests or anything.”
Assistant Principal Larry Sullivan has his own point of view on how to address copying work. “For kids to cheat less we need teachers to assign meaningful and creative assignments that require individualism. Of course that’s hard to do on a math test, but we need to kids to feel motivated to do their own work,” he said.
Junior Jack* has developed his own technique to get test answers. “[In one class, the] tests are all multiple choice and open-note. So one kid who usually takes the test before me writes down his answers in his notebook. He lets me copy down the answers he got into my notebook. My teacher would never know because it’s an open-note test,” he said.
Although students may admit to copying, Mr.Sullivan believes it isn’t a big issue at NCHS. “I don’t think there’s a problem at the high school compared to other schools. There is always in interest in succeeding to get the numerical success but nothing more,” he said.
While cheating might not be a huge issue here , there are numerous factors that contribute to the cause. Teachers seem to play a role in whether or not kids are willing to try and copy other’s work on tests. “I don’t cheat in any of my classes except for one, and it’s only because it’s so easy. There is no reason not to,” junior Will* said. “It’s easy to cheat in the class because my teacher is so oblivious, and when I need a couple of answers there’s nothing stopping me. I study for all my classes, but if there is one answer I need and it is so easy to get, I might as well ask my neighbor.”
However, Will sees differences between certain teachers and their habits. “You would have to be an idiot to try and cheat on a test with a strict teacher. But so far, I haven’t had too many teachers that would catch me. I’ve never been in a class where someone got caught either,” Will said.
Another obstacle in preventing cheating is technology. “Technology has changed, and so has the means of cheating. I don’t know if we’ll ever get ahead of technology but its always something we’re competing with,” Mr. Sullivan said.
While some students see cheating as an easy way out, others recognize the moral implications. “It’s hard for me to cheat on anything,” freshman Jill* said. “On worksheets I’m afraid teachers are going to accuse me of plagiarism. On quizzes and tests I get nervous and turn bright red. It would be so obvious. Getting caught isn’t worth it.”
Mr. Sullivan expanded on Jill’s viewpoint. “The saying ‘cheating is only cheating yourself’ is only a cliche because there’s truth to it. For example, when students plagiarize an essay they have to put effort into their cheating. The best way to influence the kids is to educate the students on why it’s wrong,” Mr. Sullivan said.
However, telling on other cheaters is not an option for Jill. “I would never tell on kids who cheat or copy work mainly because I’d be afraid they would find out and say something to me,” she said. “It just gets annoying when they get better grades than me and don’t deserve it.”
For teachers, the repercussions of cheating are not worth the risk. “Cheating doesn’t reflect good judgment,” chemistry teacher Linda Brooks said. “If you get caught you receive a 0, and a 50% is better than a 0. It isn’t worth the risk. [Also], once you find a student cheating you can never trust them to the same degree. Most teachers value integrity in a student, which is then lost. Cheating might be acceptable in the student culture but it is very disappointing to a teacher.”
Ms. Brooks gave an example of this. “A sad cheating experience I had was with a young woman who knew almost everything on a 20 question quiz, except for one answer that she couldn’t remember. She wrote that one answer on her hand, and I caught her. I had to give her the 0. In that case it would have been smarter to just take the grade without that one answer,” Ms. Brooks said.
Jill identifies with the teachers’ perspective on cheating. “A lot of kids cheat in high school. But that doesn’t make it right. If my teachers caught me I would be so embarrassed and wouldn’t know what to say,” she said.
While some aren’t able to cheat due to their moral compass, Jack feels no regret. “If [my teacher] is dumb enough to have an open note test, not change the questions, and give them to four of her classes, why would I feel bad about cheating?” he said.
Addressing the problem and finding creative solutions is key. “In order to reduce the amount of cheating in the high school, we have to change the culture. We need to not only get the teacher’s influence, but the students to not be okay with cheating and giving away answers,”Mr. Sullivan said.
*Names have been changed
