Honesty is a quality valued and encouraged by society. Dishonesty can cause conflict of varying proportions, from misunderstandings between teachers and students to a violation of the law. In “How I Helped Teacher Cheat” by Dave Tomar, the issue presented is the innate dishonesty of the American education system. The remnant of childish idealism left in me was dismayed by the article, but a more rational part of my brain responded with acceptance. Cheating among students is not only predicted, but considered inevitable as well. Whether it is by collaborating on an individual assignment or by taking pictures of question on cell phones, cheating has gradually become a part of school culture. As teachers were once students as well, I find it completely unremarkable that they cheat as adults.
Before reading the article, I wondered what teachers could cheat on. They do not have standardized tests or daily homework assignments that will be graded. It never occurred to me that they have their own expectations, which might drive them to go as far as tampering with tests and grades. After overcoming my initial shock, I thought about whether teachers would have to correct every test by hand. I was further stupefied when the article mentioned the “wrong-to-right” method, where teachers would “erase their incorrect answers and replace them with the right ones” (Tomar). Similarly to how some of my teachers were astounded by the latest cheating strategies of students, I was dumbfounded by the tactics of teachers. The article exposed me to a new type of cheating, and made me reflect on the similarities between my teachers and me.
When a student does not perform according to set standards, he or she must still attend school. It is law that eve...
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...ccess, even if it means bringing harm to others. The article also described an incident where teachers and principals in Birmingham, Alabama encouraged more than 500 students “to drop out of school before the test” (Tomar) out of fear that they would being the school’s test scores down. The attitudes of educators and students are not conducive to a productive learning environment, making the education system lose its purpose.
Rather than surprise, I empathized with the teachers. I firmly believe that the only way to solve this crisis to redefine the purpose of standardized testing and be more attentive towards the needs of each individual student.
Works Cited
Tomar, Dave. "How I Helped Teachers Cheat." Nytimes.com. The New York Times Company, 9 Nov. 2013. Web. 6 Jan. 2014. .
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.
So, to help students across the country cheat better, saving themselves both from easy detection and from incurring the wrath of insulted faculty, and leading to a much more harmonious school environment, I offer the following tips, based on recent experience:
Summary of the Case: In 2008 public schools in the Atlanta area boasted high gains over previous year’s test scores. These gains, that were significant enough to stand out, were investigated in 2009 by the state of Georgia and found to be the result of cheating in at least 40 schools. During the investigations, it was found that Superintendent Hall and others had created a difficult working environment through either fear and retaliation or pay raises, bonuses and promotions. It was found that cheating, including erasing incorrect answers and instructing students to change answers, was permitted at all levels. These investigations led to the indictment of 35 Atlanta Public School (APS) employees, in March of
Students show bad academic integrity by cheating. but cheating has a wide range of examples. Most people think of cheating to be copying someone’s work, or using a study guide on a test, but it can mean much more than that. Students now have
Cheating can be a common routine in a classroom—from copying work on homework to copying answers on a test. “Cheating by teachers and administrators on standardized tests is rare, and not a reason to stop testing America's children” (Standardized Tests). This statement is proved false by the fact that thirty-seven states have been caught cheating by “encouraging teachers to view upcoming test forms before they are administered” (“FairTest Press Release: Standardized Exam Cheating in 37 States And D.C., New Report Shows Widespread Test Score Corruption”). If teachers can view a test before it is administered, they can teach to the test so that their students’ scores are higher. Teachers who have viewed the test can then “drill students on actual upcoming test items” (“FairTest Press Release: Standardized Exam Cheating in 37 States And D.C., New Report Shows Widespread Test Score Corruption”). This is morally wrong since teachers who do not have the access to an actual test or those who refuse to view it do not know what would be on the test and cover a broad domain of material, not just specifics.
Strauss, Valerie. "How Standardized Tests Are Affecting Public Schools." Washington Post 18 May 2012: n. pag. Print.
A nationwide investigation also reviled school across the nation were involved in changing test scores. In order to stop this cruel and I think criminal intent on our children we must understand different learning habits. Also understand the environment of the child. The environment plays a strong role in how our children learn and are able to grasp what is being taught. Most importantly we must be patient. Every child does not learn one the same level. We are all different in so many ways. The teaching outline should reflect our unique characteristics. Let’s use the universalization test. What would the United States be like if every educator changed test scores? We would be a nation of inadequate uneducated individuals. We have an unwavering responsibility to our children.
Jacob, Brian, and Steven Levitt. "Rotten Apples: An Investigation of the Prevalence and Predictors of Teacher Cheating." Oxford University Press. 118.3 (2003): 843-877. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. .
There is an ever broadening problem spreading throughout colleges all across America: cheating. Is it a serious offence or just a harmless crime? Cheating is on the rise, but schools and colleges are not far behind with ways of dealing with it. Mark Clayton deals with this issue in his essay entitled “A Whole Lot of Cheatin’ Going On.”
Too much time is being devoted to preparing students for standardized tests. Parents should worry about what schools are sacrificing in order to focus on raising test scores. Schools across the country are cutting back on, or even eliminating programs in the arts, recess for young children, field trips, electives for high school students, class meetings, discussions about current events, the use of literature in the elementary grades, and entire subject areas such as science (if the tests cover only language arts and math) (Kohn Standardized Testing and Its Victims 1).
A world that demands perfection is only more likely to create imperfections. In the article “Who’s Cheating Whom?” written by Alfie Kohn, he deconstructs cheating in school from why students cheat to the underlining cause. He sheds light on the fact that cheating could in fact be mainly caused by the environment our culture has created for students. Cheating is most often seen in situations where students find what they’re learning to be boring or something they have no interest in. Many social scientists also believe cheating is a result of both the educational system and society valuing and rewarding the high grades over actual learning and teaching. Due to this competitive environment created in school
Modern students face many pressures for academic success. They are often unwilling to disappoint their parents or spouses. Some fear that not cheating will weaken a student’s ability to compete with their peers. They rationalize their unethical behavior, unwilling to accept a poor grade, consequently justifying cheating as the only means to that end.
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.
Academic knowledge is the basis on which future prosperity, and financial security has been determined. As a consequence, students feel inclined to perform above average in school. Now, as students perform less and less, they sink to obtain good grades by cheating. This method to acquire the desired grades will only harm the student, instead of the imagined result. Prompted by a child’s inability to perform basic tasks throughout his education , academic cheating spawns numerous negative consequences.