This article is taken from Faith Magazine in the September/October 2014 issue. The question posed to Fr. Joe is this:
A lot of my friends cheat on their exams and don't see anything wrong with it. They feel they are just helping each other out. I really believe this is wrong, but do I have an obligation to turn them in?
Read the article and then make your response to Fr. Joe's answer. After, write your own attitude about cheating and plagiarizing in school work. What is the main reason why students cheat or plagiarize, especially when so much has been said about it?
Father Joe makes some good points about cheating. It is true that nobody wants to be a "tattle-tail" when it comes to others getting out of their work. Helping a friend for real would be a much better solution. If someone wants another's answers, even if it is on a worksheet or exercise before a test, they should give them the answers by helping them figure it out for themselves. Simply giving out the answers will only teach a person one thing: cheating is okay. They will keep coming back for more if it is that easy to get the answers.
ReplyDeleteI agree with his thoughts because we have all heard that cheating is bad, plagiarism is bad, and we should not do it. He understands that we have heard this so many times and if we are not listening to it now, than it is obviously not working. Father Joe approaches this by telling people to help motivate the cheater. After approaching the person or group of people, ask what you can do to help. They might need tutored on a subject that you understand. It is important to keep patience and help, even if it is difficult.
I think that people still cheat today because grades are more important to people today than actually acquiring knowledge. If you can apply a formula on a math test, great! If you cannot, that is okay too! As long as concepts are memorized and able to be applied, students can get good grades. Some people do not learn like this, however. Getting good grades on tests is difficult for some people. They feel as if they cannot succeed if they cannot pass a test.
The process of learning is only possible if you fall. If you get a bad grade, you know what you need to study for the next time. For example, if a cowboy falls off of his bull faster than everyone else, he knows that practice is needed to do better next time. The more he falls, the more frustrated he becomes. People deal with their struggles in different ways. At this point, one cowboy might take his frustration and quit. Another would turn it into momentum and motivation and keep going. This type of practice will help with improvement. The same thing happens with students. A cheater might get a bad grade and quit, but another will keep trying to do it by himself. Someone will always be there to help a struggling person and nobody should give up!
Students today cheat for good grades. We must learn that it does not matter what grade you get, as long as you pick yourself back up after you fall. They also cheat for time management and laziness. Priorities must be chosen. Schoolwork should come before sports and extracurricular activities, even though they are good too! If a student really pays attention during class, they should be fine. Time management is very hard for some teenagers and it is easier for them to plagiarize and cheat so they can do other things and go to sleep at a reasonable hour. This goes hand in hand with laziness. A person is lazy when they cheat because they are taking the easy way out. There is no challenge involved.
Cheating is a problem that needs to be fixed, but not by policies and speeches that we have already heard a thousand times in our lives. Cheating needs to be fixed hands on by teaching a student time management and skills for the class. If we can do this, students will be able to express their own ideas instead of those of their friends. School will be a better environment altogether.
I liked what you said about how relaying your answers to another - even just once - will cause them to believe that cheating is okay, leaving them to keep coming back for more answers. By giving someone the satisfaction of not having to do their own work, they are led to believe that you are a vulnerable source of answers, someone to come to when they do not feel like completing their own work. I have personally witnessed this. When students see that I have completed the assignment thoroughly, they soon ask if I would spare a few answers as they "do not understand" or "did not have time." When I really think about it, and how much work I put into the assignment, it would feel like a slap in the face to have someone turn in the answers that they contracted in a matter of minutes, when it took me hours to do the same work. After coming to this conclusion, I realize that by giving someone else the answers that I worked so hard to attain, I would really be cheating myself. At this point, it is important to not rudely refuse and walk away. Instead, it would be better for one to nudge the student to attempt it on their own, nudging them in the direction of the correct answer. This way, they would obtain the answer to the questions on their own, causing them to work harder to achieve what they were perfectly capable of in the first place.
DeleteExactly Grace. You help someone, and they keep coming back for more. I don't mind if they need help, but if they are just fishing for answers, they should go somewhere else. At a place like ECC, where teachers are incredibly accessible (a lot more than public!) I feel that there should be no reason to cheat except because of laziness. I mean, you can call or email a teacher for help! There is no reason not to have your work done. At public, you could never email/ talk to a teacher outside of school. You had to find them during the day and get help. Couldn't find them? Too bad. A student should talk to the teacher and study with them to get a good grade instead of relying on someone else. Maybe if they did this, there would be a lot less cheating! I agree that is better to nudge the student to attempt things on their own too. Cheaters lack motivation. Someone has got to get them motivated to do their own work! I think once they realize this, school will be a lot more fulfilling for them too! It is much better to do something on your own than have someone do it for you. You can say "I did this. I can do this. I will do this!"
DeleteIn cheating situations, I tend to be more like Fr. Joe: Stay out of it. If someone wants to cheat on a test, it is their choice. We are given free will, and if that is how a person wants to use it, so be it. That doesn't mean I support cheating though. It's wrong. I am the type of person that likes to do and learn things for myself. A test is a challenge. I like challenges, and I want to face them myself.
ReplyDeleteBut, then there is the other side of it. What if you are the person who people cheat off of? Don't you get tired of them taking your hard earned work? Do you tell them your tired of it? Do you tell the teacher? I have been in that situation. From experience, I have found that refusing to be people's constant source of answers does not gain you popularity. You fall out of favor very quickly. At public, there was a girl who was in my Spanish class who constantly needed help in Spanish. I always helped her with her homework. Never a test. I would not take part in those things, although others would. Anytime she had a question, I would get back to her and help her. Later I realized that not only did she not know how to do her homework, but really did not care to know. Even though I always helped her, when I saw her in public or with her friends, she acted like she did not know me. I got tired of it. I said, "Why is that I am good enough to you give answers, yet not good enough to hang out with or even talk to?" She did not like this, and once some of the other kids knew I figured it out....Let's just say I dropped out of favor very quickly. I did not care. At least I had my self respect.
Not long after that, I was talking with a girl in my Chemlab class. That week, we had a very hard test. Before the test, a popular boy in that classed offered her $40 to cheat off of her test. She declined the offer. After she told me that story, I lost all respect I had for that boy. I still have none for him. Like me, she had gotten tired of the cheating game. But what could we do? Its not like the teachers didn't know. None of them wanted to do anything about it.
I was not going to report these kids to the teachers because they already knew. They probably figured the same thing we did: "So what, you get caught cheating and you get suspended for the day. Big deal." Maybe if the punishment was more serious, kids would have taken it seriously, but its not like anyone ever got expelled or reported. But, if a teacher came up to me and asked me if I knew about the cheating, I would always tell them the truth. If they wanted to instate a more serious punishment, I was all for it. Kids do it because it is easy and has little consequence. If more emphasis was put on it, and teachers actually enforced what they said, I think that the cheating would go down. When it is really risky to cheat, I find that attitudes can change really quickly from "its no big deal" to "it is actually a big deal." Another thing that goes hand and hand in cheating is this: Don't take a class if you can't handle it. It doesn't matter if your friend can handle it and you want to be with them. Do not put yourself in a position that could make you tempted to cheat.
I think Fr. Joe has some awesome ideas on approaching cheating. It definitely is not a good idea to accuse someone, because they get very defensive. If the person is open to getting help or tutored then I believe that you should help them as much as you can! But if a person is not open to improvement, or does not want help but an easy way out, then you have to let them go. If they want to cheat, and are fully aware of the risks that they could cheat off the wrong person and actually get in serious trouble, then let them. Sometimes, people have to learn on their own. Nobody, even a catholic, can save everybody. You can try to explain that cheating is more than "helping each other out", but many people will continue to try and justify it. The best you can do is just to try to lead them to do what's right. Hopefully, they will realize that what they are doing isn't right. In my opinion, this is one of the most frustrating parts of school, and is part of one of my many reasons why I left public. A friend isn't a friend just when you are giving them an answer; they should be one all the time.
ReplyDeleteI find it incredibly sad to see the lengths that some students are willing to go to cheat on a test. You mentioned that a student had offered to pay $40 to cheat off of another student. Sadly, there are even more extensive prices that some students are willing to pay. At some point, I believe a student needs to look at themself and decide if it is truly worth it. It has been said that in the end, a student is only cheating themself. Unfortunately, most students who are accustomed to cheating disregard this piece of advice, choosing instead to continue on with their dishonesty. But what are they truly gaining? At a ridiculous cost, students are receiving grades that they did not earn, and at the same time risking the fact that they could caught. When it comes time for these students to relay the information that they have leaned, they will be so far in a hole that they will fail in all attempts to escape. Aside from cheating being an incredibly dishonest act, I believe wholeheartedly that it is also an incredibly foolish thing to do. Would it really cause that much harm to at least attempt the assignment, regardless of its difficulty? If a student finds that an assignment is entirely too difficult, he or she is probably not alone. In this case, it would be far safer to confront a teacher, asking for guidance in completing the assignment. This would prevent a students from needing to copy another student, and would ultimately allow them to obtain knowledge of the subject at hand.
DeleteIsn't it sad that a person basically has to take the test two times. Once for themselves and once for the person who is cheating off of them. I think it is to the point in the world where cheating as become the norm for the poeple that do cheat. It isn't fair for anyone and the person is only cheating out themselves. It isn't right in any circumstances. I like how you went sight with the person they are cheating off of two. It gives us a better perspective on things.
DeleteThe victim of cheating is placed in a terrible situation by those who use them to cheat. They feel outraged, upset, and more than a little helpless. Their feelings result from the theft of their time and work by someone that they would have helped to understand if they had just asked. Most students want one another to succeed, and help each other positively. Cheating results in a break in this order, and students are forced to take sides on an issue that should never have happened.
DeleteCheaters are willing to do anything, or pay any price so that they can achieve the same results as successful students. Often the victim has spent hours studying, sacrificing time with their friends and family so that they can do well. The more successful the student, the more time they put into their work. For someone to come and steal their results is frustrating to the extreme. Knowing that someone else has their grade can rob a student of their pride in their achievements. The cheater is also robbed of a feeling of accomplishment. They often feel as though a great weight has been lifted from them, resulting from the release of the burden they carried. The stress of wondering whether or not they will be caught takes a heavy toll on them. While both students may not have committed the act, they are both hurt. These feelings are easily prevented. If students who are struggling just asked for help, they would not place others and themselves in detrimental situations.
From copying a math paper to peeking on a test, cheating is a real issue. The phycological damage to both the cheater and the victim are real problems that need to be addressed. The self esteem of each individual is twisted by the theft. Each is given feelings that are not associated with their actions. Why should doing well make a victim anything but happy? Why should success make a cheater feel good about themselves?
I do agree cheating is a problem, but I do not think it is that serious that a cheater does not deserve respect. Cheating is a mistake, which every single creature to ever walk this planet has made mistakes. Yes it may not be fair for students to take others answers, but there are bigger problems in the world than worrying about people cheating on tests.
DeleteIt seems that each person possesses their own view that either justifies or condemns the use of cheating in a school setting. Some agree with Father Joe in that cheating is merely "helping one another out." Others proclaim that even so much as a glimpse at the work of another student is wrong, and any individual caught doing this ought to be punished. There are a variety of methods for cheating, and while some students claim that it is "helping one another out," I believe that they truly know that it is wrong.
ReplyDeleteFather Joe states that in the event that one becomes a witness to a classmate's attempt at cheating, that witness should confront the student, explaining to them that cheating is wrong, and making other suggestions to improve the student's work ethic. However, I believe that there are instances when the student just will not listen. It is my belief that most students cheat not only because they are struggling, but because they simply do not wish to complete the work assigned to them. When there is a large assignment that needs to be completed, it is evident that it would be much faster to simply use the work of another to avoid the time and effort necessary to complete the assignment independently. I think that this is why so many students choose to copy or use the work of another.
In this instance, I believe that it would be incredibly difficult to persuade a fellow student to refrain from cheating. Many students who have made a habit of cheating would find it nearly impossible to stop all of a sudden, and begin to complete their own work instead. Most of them would not even know where to begin, as using the work of another would be so habitual. These students are often not prepared to take on the commitment that comes with working hard and studying thoroughly for each exam, which in itself is an explanation for their cheating in the first place.
With new features such as the iPads, there is a new distraction that is presented. Students are constantly tempted to choose game-playing and Internet-surfing as opposed to note-taking and studying. It is ridiculously simple to close out of an application used for study and choose instead to entertain oneself with a quick game of Candy Crush. This capability brings a whole new level to the topic of cheating as well. If a student can so easily switch from an application of study to one of game-playing, could they not also switch from a testing application to one that withholds answers to the test? In this instance, it is much more difficult for a teacher to monitor when a student is cheating on a test. In a normal test-taking setting, a teacher can infer from wandering eyes and fidgety positioning that a student is most likely cheating. However, if all of the students have their fingertips constantly tapping on an iPad screen, who is to say what they are really doing?
I agree with you Mary! I think that there are a lot of distractions today. Sure, kids could just turn their iPads off and do nothing with them, but they don't. You can't make someone stop cheating either. What they do is their own decision. I mean, you could try to help them like Fr. Joe said, and I'm sure they will accept that help! But then, you have the issue that they will just keep coming back for more so they can get the credit yet not do their work. They don't really want "help" but just a quick way to get their work done. Some people just don't learn. I often wonder if people cheat just for the thrill of it too. I mean, they probably think, "How awesome is it that I didn't have to put effort into this homework, and didn't get caught cheating! Look at all the people who spent all night on this. How dumb are they? They should be like me and just get it off of others and not work for it. It certainly makes things easier." But then again, imagine if everyone had this mindset. If they did, there would be no one for them to cheat off of! Then, everyone would really fail! It is better for kids just to do their own work. However, until teachers really enforce what they are saying and really punish kids, I think they will just keep cheating. Kids do it because they can.
ReplyDeleteI think Father Joe made some very good points. I believe that it isn't good to be the "tatle-tale" on one of your friends, but you should take the responsibility in telling your friend it isn't the right thing to do.
ReplyDeleteWhen some one gets caught for cheating or plagiarism, some times there are no questions asked because it it very obvious. Then in some cases, someone can be accused of cheating or plagiarism. When my uncle was getting his masters at a small community business college, he had a professor who accused him on plagiarism. My uncle talked to the professor on why he thought he plagiarized. The professor stated that it didn't sound like him, and he knew too much about the topic. The topic was on getting started on a bank. That's exactly what my uncle started when he got out of college. He knew so much about the topic because he had experienced it. My uncle fought the paper being a 0% and worked it up to be a A.
I feel at many times teachers really look for plagiarism or for people coping when they never copied or plagiarized in the first place. I feel that it is problem in this world with all of the technology but I also believe that many teachers look excessively for it. I can honestly say I don't know people who cheat or plagiarize. I might be very oblivious to people do it, but I don't really look for it. What people do on their test or papers is not my business so I do not watch for it.
So with Father Joe's points on points on plagiarism and cheating, I agree. I agree that it is their business and not mine. It is wrong but it would also be wrong to tell on them.
In this new age of modern technology, students find it very easy to submit work that is not their own. The Internet provides and abundance of resources that facilitate some students with a quick outlet for assignments. Due to this new and versatile way to cheat, many teachers have stepped up both their methods of discovery and their consequences. This high intensity screening of assignments sometimes captures those who have never plagiarized in their lives along with those who regularly submit copied work.
DeleteTeachers have many preconceptions about who will preform well in a class. These preconceptions arise from the students' extracurricular activities, personalities, and their first class together. How founded are these first impressions? Looking at a student and deciding that they do not have what it takes to succeed based on how prepared they are for class reflects a certain degree of stereotyping. A first impression should never be taken as a full measure of a person. However, some of the teachers' impressions are well founded. A student who is not prepared for class every day probably is not fully focused on their academics. Should this type of student be judged more harshly than others when it comes to plagiarism? Most teachers would agree that a student with little or no desire to succeed in their academics will be more likely to plagiarize. However, some students may fall into this category based on a teacher's impression rather than their commitment. Some students struggle to maintain their grades, even though they work just as hard as other students.
Teachers judge harshly so that students will succeed in their later lives. However, some teachers take their judgement too far. When considering an assignment to be plagiarized, a teacher should consider every possible angle. Are they truly experienced in the matter? Do they have some personal insight? Are they gifted in this one area of study? Before assigning a zero, the teacher should discuss the assignment with the student, and see what the real story is. Short of finding a copy of their assignment on the Internet, a student should have the benefit of the doubt.
I really do agree on what you are saying. I cannot even think of people who plagurize. Although it is a serious problem, I believe a lot of it comes from teachers doubting students. I will admit that as a seven or eight year old, I was a very curious little girl. I always wanted to know more about the world and how it worked. I would literally spend my days writing research papers on topics that interested me. These topics had no particular correlation. They spanned from aquatic animals to Ancient Egypt to cats. I just loved to sit around and research, but in sixth grade I had to write a report on a sea animal. I picked a box jellyfish because I had always found them to be beautiful creatures. I still remember a ton of the papers I wrote to this day. When I had to write the paper, I knew so much about it I just started rambling off about the exquisite creature, but since a works cited page was needed, I just grabbed a few random facts from random webpages. I remmeber the teacher calling me in telling me there is no way I wrote that and she highlighted most of my paper saying I plagiarized. I asked her if she found what I would have plagiarized off of, she had said no. This teacher's doubt lead me to believe I was dumb and nobody thought I could be smart. Kids should not just be blamed for cheating or plagiarism without proof, because it just leads them to believe there is no faith in them to excel.
DeleteI agree with your point on cheating and plagiarism. I feel as if sometimes people are accused of cheating even when they are not. Your example about your uncle is great, and very true. I know I am not the best writer, but every once in a while I can compose a decent piece, or I change my style of writing. Your uncle knew what he was talking about so he was able to produce an improved piece of work, and being accused of cheating is completely wrong. Certain people can produce good pieces at certain times. Aside from plagiarism cheating can often be directed to certain students. You may not be the best student but they excel in certain points and accused of cheating when they actually worked hard. Overall cheating is wrong and everyone knows it is wrong. Even though people still cheat in today's society.
DeleteCheating is considered by nearly every school system to be morally wrong. The flexibility in the situation comes from the students. Students all have different notions about the morality of cheating, and thus it becomes a very complicated subject. Beyond the varied beliefs concerning the act of cheating are the problems associated with the appropriate response to it. The variety of perspectives and rationales eliminate a definitive answer when someone asks what to do about it.
ReplyDeleteThe most complex variable that makes cheating so hard to deal with is the people involved. Cheaters can be friends with those they cheat off of, and it is very hard to turn in a friend, even when they have done something wrong. These people are positive aspects of a person's life, and are trusted deeply. Many students rationalize this form of cheating by saying they were "just helping out." The flaw in this reasoning is that this is not helping either friend. When the students graduate, go to different colleges, and begin to work towards their degrees, they must do their own work. Neither one will be there to help the other out. Without the proper preparation, they cannot expect to do well in their classes. "Helping out" just turns into failing out. The other side to the dilemma is that cheaters may not be people someone is close to. When the two people do not typically associate, it becomes hard to know what to do. Acquaintances are very basic friendships that usually never go further than saying hello in the halls. When this type of person is found cheating, how will someone know what to do? Their character is not known and confrontation seems impossible. Father Joe says that "staying out of it" is the best approach. However, this passivity leads the cheater to believe that their cheating is perfectly acceptable, and so they will continue to do it. No one wins on this path. To stop their immorality, it may be necessary for the other person to step outside their comfort zone and tell the cheater to stop. While this is difficult, ultimately it will help both people. The cheater will know cheating is not right, and the other person will have a sense of pride at having successfully defended themselves.
Cheating is almost never brought to anyone of authority. Students believe that turning someone in is a form of betrayal. The cheater will be in trouble, and the victim who turned him or her in will be branded as a snitch. Covering up or pretending cheating does not matter are both ways students deal with this problem. Because no one takes a stand about it, other students use this to their advantage and cheat. They have no fear of any consequences, simply because there will not be any. Why is this the case? Cheating is a form of stealing, and ignoring it is a passive form of lying. Are these both not problems as well? Stealing a car and lying about a murder are horrifying issues that are always taken to the proper authorities to be taken care of. The person who gives the police information about these problems have no fear of retribution because they know what did was right. Why do students refuse to turn in someone who is stealing from them? The perceived severity of crime often leads to different conceptions of wrong. Witnesses and victims react differently based upon their beliefs. Cheating exemplifies these varied mindsets perfectly. While some believe it is not a big deal, others find it to be out of the question. Those with lax standards will not do much when they are the victim of cheating. Others will hold tight to integrity and confront any cheater who uses them.
Despite the complexity of cheating, it is morally unacceptable. While someone may approach the subject with their morals in tatters, others must regard it as the theft that it is. The variables in beliefs and friendships lead to confusion and turmoil when trying to approach the subject. People deal with in the best way they can, and in a way that seems right to them. The fact is that cheating is a complicated issue, with no one right answer.
Cheating is found very often within school systems whether one realizes it or not. The act of cheating is not beneficial to anyone. The person who is cheating is not learning the knowledge they need in life. They pass by as a "smart" student when in actuality it is another person who deserves the grades. Cheating is sinning, and many do not look upon cheating as a sin. This is because so many people in school or out of school think of this act is common, something that goes on in everyone's lives.
ReplyDeleteIn our school each individual has an iPad. The teachers are to use the iPads in someway throughout the year. Many teachers would find educational games that went along with what we were learning and we would also create presentations and projects. Some teachers would make use of the iPads by having test online. Many scholars would study how they normally study, but then there were students who would save pictures of the information on the test or look up questions during the test. These students would not give an ounce of effort towards studying because they knew the information needed was right at there finger tips. Some said it was using "their resources", but everyone knew it was cheating. This behavior bothered me and many others because while we received our worthy grade on an exam, the others would come out with an "A." The teacher was aware and tried to catch students in the act put they were to quick. She told the students who were upset that these people were receiving a higher grade, that they are the ones who will suffer on test such as SATs and college courses because while we remember the material, they will not.
Father Joe discuses near the end of the article the act of how cheating is in reality, "The key is that when we help each other with shortcuts like cheating, we are providing a temporary solution to a problem: We're putting a little bandage on a big cut. We end up setting someone up for failure in the future so that they can get a temporary reprieve from something." This section speaks so much about the act of cheating. I believe when someone is cheating they are not just cheating on a test, but they are cheating themselves. They are cheating themselves of there full potential. Many people are not motivated to let there full potential shine through, causing them to be unaware of what they can accomplish. The lack of motivation is people is why I believe cheating occurs. People would rather have another person do there work instead of doing the work themselves. It is very disheartening to watch people through opportunities down the drain.
We should not encourage cheating, but we should help those who may struggle. This will benefit them for not is it the moment, but for a lifetime. We should show those that they have the ability to be the best. For some it comes easy and form some it takes work, but even the ones who find learning, work and come across bumps in the road. Cheating is not the answer for anything. I think if someone knows someone who is cheating, they should talk to the person to have an understanding why the are cheating.
Sydney, it is really sad that the school systems today have children thinking that they need to get good grades by cheating. If they cannot do it by themselves, they need to do it by the way of someone else's work. The iPad is very frustrating in this aspect. I know what you are talking about when you mentioned that others would cheat and get good grades. After they cheated, they would laugh about it like it was no big deal, even though they know that cheating is bad. They called the people who did not cheat "nerds," which really can be taken as an insult. I guess today you are either a nerd or a cheater, and there is no in between. When there was going to be a big test the next day in a class which some people were struggling on, others would say, " just take a picture and use the four-fingered swipe." However, this is not a good solution.
DeleteSydney, I like your points about how it is hard to not cheat when we grew up in a society where we had cheat code books To video games. Cheating seems to always be endorsed. It is very easy to cheat on the iPads. I think that in this society we are pushed to cheat many times. I think that we often see other people cheating and think that it makes it okay to do it ourselves. This is not the case and we need to make our own decisions even if peers and society is pushing us a certain way.
DeleteSydney, your points hit the nail on the head. When situations like your example arise it becomes very difficult to not get frustrated, because if someone puts forth that much effort to do well an someone who cheated does even better you want to cry. But, when SAT's and ACT's come around who is going to be the person who benefits? The person who copied the answers or the person who actually took the time to learn the information. Karma will get them, and I am a firm believer in that.
DeleteAll of your ideas are ones that I have thought of as well. I like your comparison on how cheating is a combination of lying and stealing. Cheating in school is stealing others work, which is wrong because it is stealing. If the cheater gets caught and denies it, there is lying. Which that is when the three come together. When the three are together, it a against many catholic ideas. If there were more consequences on cheating rather then obtaining a 0, I beleive people would not cheat as often as they do.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Fr. Joe, real obvious cheating is bad. I agree when he states "we recognize that we can't, and aren't even capable of confronting every sin that comes are away." We are humans, humans make mistakes and sometimes do not realize it. Also at times we interpret things as okay where others can see something bad. For example, if someone listens to my type of music they would think it is weird or bad, but I interpret it as a piece of art. Though music has nothing to do with sin, it has to do with interpretations. We can interpret it as okay or we can see a sin. Those that we see as sins we must say something. I think this is what Fr. Joe is trying to say, we miss some sin but that which we see we must do something. Not saying we must tell someone to get the perpetrator in trouble, but say something to make them see what they have done as wrong.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Fr. Joe's solutions to offer help with the situation. I personally will help anyone, within my ability, who comes to me with academic problems. I hate seeing others struggle in school, and I will gladly help them if they reach out for help. I do not encourage cheating at all. On the soccer team, any sports team really, you have to look at eligibility. I know if I am having a really tough time in school I can go to a teammate for help. I see this as a way to discourage cheating.
When it comes to our school in general I disagree with their definition of cheating. I see cheating as copying answers word for word and not trying. When a teacher says they see kids in the hallway just copying answers, that's wrong. I personally do something like that but I see it as good. Anyone who comes to me for help knows how I work. Say for example someone forgets to do some math homework, yes I will let them see my answers but I do not stop there. I stay with them and make sure they do the work and know how to get that answer. Some might think this is cheating, so be it sue me. The way I see it I am helping them I am making sure they know what is going on, not just letting them copy it.
I think "cheating" is seen as a huge problem for two reasons. First some teachers are quick to judge and see someone "cheating", but in fact they are honestly trying to help a fellow student. Some teachers consider so much as cheating that in my opinion is not cheating. The second reason concerns actual cheating. I blame this on all three parties, the laziness of students, the expectations of teachers, and the expectations of parents as well. The laziness of the student is their own fault. They deserve to get some kind of punishment. The expectations of teachers is the case when a teacher thinks everyone in a class can keep up with them, some might be able to but what about the students that can not what are they to do. Cheating is still wrong and these kids should be punished but the kids also have the responsibility to talk to the teacher. Lastly a parent's attitude can be very detrimental. Some parents look to other kids in the role and see smart kids and want their kid to be like that and expect so much out of them. Also often times parents look at older siblings that have done well in school and assume that their other kids can do it to. Again in this case I cheating as bad and there should be punishment, also the kids have a responsibility to speak up and try to talk to the parents. The parents, in turn, have a responsibility to listen and respect that that child might not be as good as his or her siblings.
Elric, people do interpret things differently. It is correct when assuming that what someone thinks is a sin, others grew up in an environment where it was a regular occurrence. Everyone has a right to their own thinking, but at some point, a line has to be drawn. You must feel bad for those people who think bad things are okay, but there has to be good and bad. Sometimes people would use the excuse of growing up in a certain environment in order to do what they know is wrong. Everyone has a conscience that is able to tell them this. When talking about cheating, there are different degrees to which one might be caught guilty of. Someone may think it is the persons fault who is copying the work, while another thinks it is the person giving out the work. It is all about interpretations but in all, cheating is bad.
DeleteI agree with you when you state that everyone has a different way of interpreting things but I believe that it is human nature to know what is right and wrong. That is a part of being human. People also ignore their conscience many times just to get what they want out of a situation. They have lost all their sense of morality. Instead of doing what is right, they suppress their conscience and do what is wrong. We always need to do what is right even if it is not convenient for us. We have to work hard if we want to get anything out of our educational career.
DeleteCheating is a common form of deception found throughout all levels of education. Cheating is deception by trying to pull off someone else's work as your own. Of course cheating is wrong due to the fact it is not that person's work.
ReplyDeleteI personally do not cheat, because I know in reality, it will just set me back from learning what I need to know. It is better to take the long road and learn so when it comes up in your career, you know what to do. I do not however take it upon myself to turn those who cheat in. I do not find it to be any of my business. I believe those who cheat will eventually get caught, so I let karma do the job.
I do agree strongly with Father Joe's point it would be better for the individual to actually learned the necessary skills and information. People need to acquire this knowledge, especially if it is in their career field. They cannot just show up at their first day of a job not knowing how to do any of their required work. By then, it would be too late, and instead of getting a chance to learn, they would get booted out.
I think a large part of cheating is how competitive the world has become today for jobs and acceptances into universities. I cannot begin to count the number of times I have heard people expound upon the importance of good grades to get anywhere in life. Some people just fold under the pressure and feel the need to impress. Another problem is kids taking classes they will never utilize in their lives. Of course it sounds silly, but it is true. If a student is going to school to be the CMO of Saks Fifth Avenue, the memorization of the whole periodic table is ultimately useless. Albert Einstein stated, "Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid." Kids are faced daily on information that are out of their mental capacity. Grades put so much pressure on a student. I believe they probably cheat so they too can feel smart in a world constantly judging everyone on the same things. Everyone in the world is different with a different talent, but grades seem to define who we are as a person and this can be shown with college admittance.
I agree on your point of the need to utilize class time. I agree that making students take useless classes that will not help them in their profession choice encourages cheating. I agree that we need to learn necessary skills. If we start cheating in one subject we will start to do it in multiple subjects even important ones we need to make a career in. Cheating can lead to the people missing important details in life and it should be stopped, end of story. Under no circumstances is it okay.
DeleteLauren, I completely agree with your points about how a person is going to be rather useless if they show up without any knowledge on their first day of work. Even though some of the things we learn know seem to be kind of pointless, everything we are forced to learn in school comes back to us at some point in our lives. Also, when you brought up the point about it being useless for a person who wants to go into the fashion field needing to know the periodic table I agree that the person should not be discriminated against for not being good at sciences. This point goes back to last weeks blog about Vocational school versus college, it really does depend on what your passion is.
DeleteGrowing up, we have always been taught that cheating is wrong. We have been taught this since we started school. As elementary students, many of us would not even think about cheating because we knew it was wrong. Somewhere along the way in our school years, the line has been blurred about what is right and wrong. At this point in our educational career, we find ourselves doing things that we would not even dream about doing as young children. Why are we not more responsible now? We know what is right and wrong, and that cheating is one of these things that is wrong.
ReplyDeleteAround the same time we were taught not to cheat, we also started to become "tattletales." Many times we would get in trouble for this by teachers. This is a trait that happened to stick with most of us. Teenage girls always have the tendency to be nosy. They can never mind their own business. When we see someone doing something wrong, we always think it is our responsibility to do something about it. Many times, when we see people cheating we automatically want to turn them in. We think that because someone is doing something wrong that it is our duty to get them in trouble for it. Why can't we just mind our own business? I agree with the article when it states that we cannot fix every sin that is made, rather we acknowledge that they are wrong. We can try to talk them out of doing it or pray for them, but it is not our business to get them in trouble if it does not affect us. However, if someone is cheating off of us I believe that it is our duty to report it.
I believe that cheating is completely wrong. Why should someone get to use another person's work that they spent time and effort on? I believe that this is unfair. What entitles a person to that persons work? The only reason that the person is not doing their own work is because they are lazy. Laziness should not mean that they get to reap the benefits of another person's work. I like how the article mentions that we are not helping the person by letting them cheat off of us. There is a reason that the assignment was given, and t is to help the students comprehend their work and learn. If they are cheating on assignments, this won't happen.
I completely agree with this article as it presents good points with reasoning on why cheating is wrong. Cheating is never the answer because every individual is capable of thinking for themselves and producing good ideas
Abbey, I agree with your reasoning on why people tend to cheat. Laziness and lack of motivation are the prime reasons why cheating occurs. People with a lack of motivation tend not to want to accomplish the task they need to get done. They believe other people will help them or give them the work they have done. In most cases people "share" their work with each other. Instead of giving the work to someone we should encourage them to finish the task themselves or give the cheater motivation to avoid having to cheat. Cheat is something that should not be done
DeleteI agree with some of your points Abby. Though I am not a teenage girl, I have been known to be a tad bit nosy at times. At some of these times I have felt obligated to tell someone, mainly someone of authority. I agree cheating is very wrong. I think that someone who does his or her own work is obligated to prevent it from being copied or 'shared'. I think that people who do their own work should motivate people who cheat to try to do it themselves. They should make it known that cheating is bad.
DeleteIs it wrong to cheat? The answer is absolutely yes. Not only is it morally wrong, but also what good does it do the person committing the cheating? It is no benefit what's so ever to cheat because that does not require knowing any of the information that the person is trying to learn. Also, how does it make the person being cheated off of feel? They will put forth all of their effort to learn and understand the information, and for what? To have a group of people asking them for their answers.
ReplyDeleteIs it wrong? Yes, but that is the easy part of the question Father Joe was asked to answer. It is easier said than done when you want to turn in a person for cheating, and it is even more difficult when that person is your friend. Personally, I would never want to be the person who gets my friend three hours of detention and a zero for cheating, because I feel as though it is hypocritical. I feel as though, rather it has been directly or indirectly, we have all cheated at some point. Some people have faced the consequences of their actions, but others have not. The moral of that is karma will get to you. Father Joe brought up an excellent point when he compared turning the person cheating in to proper authorities to driving. We cannot always turn in everyone for all of their sins, we must pick and choose what it the most important and/or harmful to the person who is being effected.
At the same time, though, it can become very frustrating to make the choice on whether or not you should turn the person in. For example, say I worked my butt of in a class and put forth an extreme amount of effort in order to pass the final exam. I took this exam and did it all without cheating, but the people around me had another idea and chose to look up the answers. In the end when we all received our final grade I see that i did okay, but not my best, while the other students got A's and B's while cheating their way through the test. That is an extremely frustrating situation because you want them to get what they deserve, but in the end I realized that the consequences will swing back around and bite them in the behind. As I stated before, Karma is real.
I also appreciated Father Joe's point on addressing them, but not in an accusing fashion. It is wrong to just go up to an individual and start saying things that you have no proof of, so by addressing the issue by saying something along the lines of, "wow, well I am struggling, too" it might get you further than "if you cheat you will go to Hell." That is a way to look at it in retrospect.
It really is a difficult situation when it is someone you really have respect for and they are your friend. But, as silly as it sounds, it could be related to if a friend was doing drugs. You would tell them to stop because it is really hurting them, the same goes for cheating. It can make you actually believe you are not smart enough to know the information. I believe that is a false statement, because with any amount of effort any level of learning can be achieved. In conclusion, cheating is bad. But, it is also needed to keep an eye on the people you love that are cheating and to convince them that they are better than that.