Students are often lectured about the importance of acting in an ethical matter yet most of the time those around them, such as, parents, teachers, and administrators do not follow their own advice. There is someone who will look up to their teacher; students learn from the adults that surround them. This leads to students believing that it is okay to act in an unethical manner. Everyone is guilty of not doing the right thing; everyone has flaws and it is somewhat naïve to believe that we can have a perfect society where everyone is righteous. Yet, it is still extremely important that students receive the necessary education to prepare them for the world out there, and teaching the students good ethics and character is a great way to start. There are two major problems in the classroom that affects how students perform academically. Cheating which is extremely unethical, and pessimism, a bad characteristic, are two major problems that are often present in the classroom.
Who is not guilty of cheating at least once in their life? It is extremely shocking to think about all the cheating that goes around schools. In today’s world cheating has become so common and almost acceptable. There are people who believe that it is okay to cheat as long as they don’t get caught and others who see it so much around them that it begins to seem normal. Whether is for a better grade or just because it has become a habit students are harming themselves and they are cheating themselves out of an education. Truth is that cheating is widespread throughout all levels of education; in one survey of high school students, 78 percent confessed that they had cheated (Lee). Unfortunately, in occasions students are forced into cheating. They are so worried abo...
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...y that an educator has to portray their message to their students. Students need that role model that will lead them into becoming good people. There are some students who have the necessary education at home to become citizens with good character and ethics, but unfortunately, there are those who do not, and that is when a teacher’s role comes into play. In occasions, it is necessary for teachers to become that parent students need, as a teacher one should be prepared for that and many other challenges. Ethics and character are the best legacy that a teacher can leave behind.
Works Cited
Lee, D. E. (2009). Cheating in the Classroom: Beyond Policing. Clearing House, 82(4), 171-176.
Sheppard, J. W. (2004). Reducing Pessimism's Sway in The Environmental Ethics Classroom. Worldviews: Global Religions, Culture & Ecology, 8(2/3), 213-226. doi:10.1163/1568535042690826
Strom, P., & Strom, R. (2007). Cheating in middle school and high school. Educational …..Forum,71(2), 104-116. doi:10.1080/00131720708984924
That stomach churning feeling of guilt for many seems to appear as a small price to pay when completing an act of academic dishonesty. Colleen Wenke wrote an essay on cheating eighteen years ago called “Too Much Pressure”. In the past fifty years, the number of students who admit to cheating has increased fifty to seventy percent(Gaffe). Many people wonder what leads the students to make this unjust decision. Today, the reason for a rise in cheaters is because of how easy it has become, leading many students to the false conclusion that they aren’t breaking any rules; It is simply viewed as a shortcut to success in the classroom and beyond.
How bad has cheating become over the years, the numbers in some cases are mind-boggling. In today’s day and age the amount of college students cheating is numbered to have maintain a steady figure of about 75 percent. (Lang, 2013) Cheating has been around since the beginning of time, some of the reasons behind most of the prolific cheaters are centered on what seems to be three main issues plaguing our society. Cheaters be it young or old, all seem to have what I call the “Big Three” in common. In my research on cheating, there were three things that continued to stick out, such as; procrastinating, the pressure to make the grade and it is easier to cheat rather then to do your own work. To the answer the question why college students cheat, we must first understand why, in order to find a solution on how to help avoid this continuing going forward. After reading this paper you will see that cheating has become prevalent in college, caused by a need to get better grades with less original work being done eventually the ends don't justify the means.
While this may be difficult for students to practice at first, depending on how terrible an area they live in, it should be stressed that ethical judgment is important to their becoming mature, capable adults.
A fundamental element that brings society together can be summarized in one term: ethics. This concept is deep-rooted in each individual’s interaction with others, and themes such as conscience and righteousness are often taught to children from a young age. In order to promote the proper, humane growth of a person, parents and guardians instill moral guidelines into children and students in their beginning years of education. While discipline and judgemental education continue on through one’s youthful years, the notion tapers off during the adolescent age where most assume that ethical judgement becomes common sense. As adults and supervisors no longer preach the importance of doing the right thing, teens in the high school age may become
Many students justify their behavior, because of the many examples of unethical behavior in society. For example, in May of 2003, readers of the New York Times were shocked to discover that a reporter, Jayson Blair, was fabricating details and plagiarizing in his articles. The media attention attributed to the Blair affair included a front-page article in the New York Times on Mother’s Day, May 11, 2003 (Barry, 2003).
Cheating is a big issue that has reached the most competitive campuses around the United States. It is increasing more and more with the new technology that we have in the 21st century because students have easy access to many sources of information. Cheating is something all students have done at some point in their lives, but as they reach a higher academic level, they are faced with more rigorous consequences that can affect their futures in many different ways. Cheating might be seen as an easy way to obtain a good grade, get into a good college, or maintain scholarships or financial aid, but the consequences could affect the life and the future of the student.
...Almost every student nowadays can admit to cheating at some point in their educational career, but motives as to why they cheat vary and can’t be narrowed down to one reason. There are many excuses as to why all levels of students chose to cheat no matter how wrong or unexpected it is. Cheating is a large problem, but members of universities and schools can discourage it and try to prevent it as much as possible. Not only should it be frowned upon, but it also should be a priority to make it next to impossible to do. Advisers can reduce the temptation of cheating by significantly decreasing the amount of true and false and multiple choice questions on exams and quizzes. Also by understanding the students social and parental pressures in a person at that age’s life is important and contributes to decreasing the amount of students cheating in schools and universities.
"I’m preparing for the real world. Business is unethical. Cheating is just good training. I’ll be better able to handle what’s put at me when I get out." "‘Oh, it’ll only be this once’ or ‘Everyone else does it, so why shouldn’t I?’" Sly glances at a neighbor’s work, an open book on the lap, or even high-technology methods—the resources of the cheater are many and varied. Whatever the methods, there are many statements like those above to justify cheating. For example, in the United States, surveys show that more than half of all students cheat, or have cheated, during their school years.
Measured by recent surveys, cheating has reached epidemic proportions in high schools and colleges. In a survey of 21,000 students by the Josephson Institute of Ethics, 70 percent of high school students and 54 percent of middle schoolers admitted that they had cheated on an exam. That is up sharply from a study cited in "The State of Americans: This Generation and the Next," edited by Urie Bronfenbrenner and others.. That study found that 33.8 percent of high school students used a "cheat sheet" on a test in 1969. By 1989 the percentage had risen to 67.8. Furthermore, 58.3 percent of high school students let someone else copy their work in 1969, and 97.5 percent did so in 1989.
From a young age we are taught the differences between right and wrong, but as we get older the line between moral and immoral is often blurred. Things that were once thought of as unacceptable are now perfectly fine in our minds. Have you ever seen anyone cheat on an assignment or exam? Do you know anyone that’s been expelled from school for cheating? What if it was discovered that a U.S. senator plagiarized his college thesis paper? Imagine if it got out that one of the most respected universities in the U.S. was involved in a huge fraud scandal that involved thousands of students. Academic cheating is a terrible offense because it is unethical, self-degrading, and can be detrimental to the learning environment.
The basis of good character involves being respectful, honest, hardworking, responsible, caring, and understanding. Parents and teachers alike wish for their students to possess good character; but what does “character” mean in the realm of education; and whose responsibility is it to ensure that students do in fact develop good character? The Character Education Partnership (2003, pg. 1), defines good character as involving “understanding, caring about, and acting upon core ethical values”, and thus takes a holistic approach to the development of character in students by developing the “cognitive, emotional, and behavioral aspects of moral life.” Through character education, students can grow to understand core values, learn to develop caring relationships, and grow in self-motivation; thus students grow in character as their understanding and subsequent commitment deepens through varied opportunities to apply values through everyday interactions (CEP, 2003). In theory, a student who possesses good character is a more productive, responsible, respectful, and caring student; yet the question as to whether a student with good character is a better student academically remains.
sure that one's child does not hurt him or her self or others, and that
Moreover, I believe every child in a classroom has something to offer. Every child entering the classroom has potential, the potential to bring something extraordinary and unique to the world. The classroom environment and the teachers need to be role models for students who allow them to grow morally, individually, spiritually and socially. Like Aristotle has said, teacher’s need to ingrain morals in students, and it is with education and learning we develop such values.
Good teachers set high expectations and motivate the students to meet those expectations. As students strive for excellence, teachers assist students in meeting their highest potential through daily lessons. Teachers also serve as role models. Teachers make a contribution to society by preparing students for their real world endeavors. They teach students through example to be kind, respectful, humble, patient and determined.”