Dishonesty for Grades or Grades for Dishonesty?

“Do not cheat.” This is one of the most common things that teachers tell students; and yet, cheating and plagiarism still happens all the time. Whether it’s copying a friend’s math homework or peeking at a peer’s exam paper, cheating is a large issue, especially since the pandemic and online learning began. 

You may be thinking, what’s the harm in fibbing a couple answers? According to Philip A. Pecorino, Ph.D, a person who cheats is “not likely to produce true friends, admirers, and supporters.  It is not likely to produce a person who has acquired knowledge that enriches a person, expands their horizons, broadens their experiences, and develops their abilities.” 

Unsurprisingly, during the time of online school, cheating and plagiarism increased drastically. According to the New York Times HS Insider, “The pandemic only fueled students’ urge to cheat since they were still expected to perform well under such trying circumstances.” Also, “Chronic cheating results in students not valuing learning as much and them putting lackluster effort into assignments and exams. However, cheating will not be as easy to get away with in person.” This suggests that when students did not have teachers physically with them, they felt free to cheat and not try their best when submitting work virtually. 

While cheating and not getting caught could give you the momentary gratification of an A, it also provides for a school week—or even school year—full of guilt and stress. Even in our own Exeter High School, cheating and plagiarism is an issue. We sat down with EHS’s own Physics teacher, Mrs. Cheesman, to hear her input on dishonest student work.  

Q: Do you ever experience cheating in your class?

A: Occasionally, but it is not a frequent event in my class.

Q: What is an example of a time where you caught a student cheating?

A: During remote classes, I caught students with the exact same wrong answers as each other, leading me to believe that they cheated off of one another.

Q: Why do you think it is important to encourage students against cheating?

A: I think of it from a moral standpoint, as cheating shows a lack of integrity as well as a lack of honesty. 

Works Cited

Academic Integrity and Cheating:  Why Is It Wrong to Cheat?, www.qcc.cuny.edu/SocialSciences/ppecorino/Academic-Integrity-cheating.html.

“The Unexpected Effects of Students Cheating during e-Learning.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2021, highschool.latimes.com/palisades-charter-high-school/the-unexpected-effects-of-students-cheating-during-e-learning/.