Between schoolwork, extra curricular activities, friends and household and job responsibilities, teens may become overstressed. Somehow, with all their different obligations, they may neglect to study for a chemistry test. They may have only a few hours to prepare. What can they do?
Unfortunately, a certain number of teens may conclude that there is really no alternative. They decide that they must cheat. After all, wouldn’t sitting next to a friend who is a good chemistry student solve the problem? No one is hurt. Right? Rationalizing these actions if relatively easy. After all, the subject is difficult. Only this one course in chemistry is required. Never again will it be necessary to take a class in chemistry. There seems no reason not a cheat on the test. Bad grades will lower the students’ overall averages, and cheating will have no impact on their futures.
This form of thinking is regrettable. When teens or anyone else cheats, people are hurt. They harm themselves as well as others; they undermine their honor and damage the educational process.
But cheating on tests is only one form of cheating. There are actually many different types. Viewing a test before it is administered is also cheating, as is citing a research source without giving the proper credit. Writing notes on little cards or on the skin and referring to them during a test is cheating. It is cheating to purchase a research paper from a commercial source or to hire someone else to write one. Using a downloaded research paper from the Internet is cheating. Some students have pretended to miss a test because of illness. Then, before taking the test, they obtain questions from classmates. Students have used sign language—generally reserved for the deaf—to share answers. Even electronic devises have been employed during tests to give information that was supposed to be memorized. Thus, some people have programmed their calculators to indicate formulas or used other electronic devices to assist themselves. In one particularly insidious means of cheating, students hide a tiny video camera in a watch or shirt pocket. The camera photographs the test, which is quickly transmitted to an outside person who must locate the answers. These are sent back via silent pager.
Regrettably, cheating seems to be more popular than ever. One poll of top honor students found that eighty percent of them admitted to cheating at least once. About ninety-five percent said that they were not caught. Over fifty percent of the students didn’t think there was any real problem with such actions. These are astonishing, shocking figures.
Though children and teens of any age may cheat, cheating is thought to begin in earnest between the ages of ten and fourteen. That is why a number of local and national efforts have targeted that age group. Emphasizing that cheating is wrong, these efforts encourage students to take pride in their work and their accomplishments. A love of learning rather than good grades is stressed.
Some school districts have implemented programs that require students to sign non-cheating pledges. Anyone who breaks the pledge automatically fails. Teachers are asked to watch more closely for cheating. In some cases, students are required to prepare research papers during the school day. Then, teachers can monitor their writing and Internet use. Drafts of their work are submitted directly to the teachers.
Teens should realize that cheating might exact terrible tolls. Who would want to visit a physician who cheated his way through medical school? Or, who would want to fly with a pilot who cheated during his training? People don’t want to put their health, well being or safety into the hands of someone who cheats. It may be argued that cheating on a high school test is certainly not the same as cheating in professional training. Nevertheless, if people begin to cheat in their teen years, they may well become regular cheaters. Cheating is able to become a comfortable pattern of behavior. Then, as an adult, it has the potential to become second nature.
Sometimes, it is hard to distinguish between teamwork and cheating. Many students prefer to do their homework with other students. Are they sharing information or is one student essentially doing the work for everyone? It is not always easy to tell. Some teens receive homework assistance from their parents. Are the parents simply answering questions or are they completing the assignments? Again, it may not be clear. But it is true that when parents assume too much control over the work, teens lose the opportunity, and perhaps the incentive, to learn.
While it may be hard to believe, getting into a top college is not the most important goal in life. Of course, it is necessary to strive to do the best that one can in all areas of life, including schoolwork. And, working hard to gain acceptance into an excellent school is important. However, those who cheat to earn this acceptance, compromise their integrity and morals. In doing so, the accomplishments are devalued. They are no longer the result of intelligence and hard earned efforts. Rather, they are the demonstration of a teen’s ability to cheat effectively. What a hallow victory that must be.
When discussing cheating, another issue should be noted. Cheating may also take place in another form. Teens who are in a “committed” relationship who see another person on the side are cheating. Teens are young, and there is nothing wrong with wanting to date a number of different people. In fact, during the teen years, that is quite normal. But, teens need to be clear and direct with their intentions. They should not promise themselves to one person if that is not what they plan to do. Not surprisingly, like academic cheating, social cheating is fairly common. When teens cheat, they are not satisfied with their relationship. They realize that it has no future. Something has gone stale. Though it happens all the time, it is fairer to end one relationship before beginning a new relationship with another person.
Related topics:
Academics, dating, homework, peer pressure
