The Cheating Classmate (Teens Edition)

[graciesings]

(I thought I'd post this in teens too....)

So.... The girl by me in music class cheated on Tuesday morning's quiz. There was a diagram that we basically need to memorize and about half of the questions were straight off the diagram.... She had copied the diagram into her notebook and was studying it right before the quiz, which was normal.

She put her notebook into her backpack open to the page with the diagram and flipped her backpack shut without zipping it. When she got to that section she flipped the backpack open with her foot and started answering off the diagram....

I know she knew it wasn't allowed because she kicked the backpack shut when the teacher walked by.... So obviously she knows she shouldn't.

I'm a bit annoyed, because I'm not sure I passed the quiz.... But I'm sure she did. It isn't fair! Plus, I was tempted to cheat off her notes too.... and I don't want to be dishonest like that.

honestly, I kind of want to report it to the teacher, but I am worried it wouldn't do any good since I have no proof. (the girl on the other side of her is a best buddy of hers and wouldn't tell, might have been copying herself...) And, I don't want to be seen as the snitch.

well.... As much as I want to make friends, and please my peers, I also want to make ethical decisions. That's more important for me. I want to do the right thing here.

As I see it, these are my three options. Which so you think is the best.... Most reasonable, most ethical, most Christ-like? Which would you/have you done?

A) ignore it. It's just a quiz, anyway. Sit somewhere else next time so I won't be tempted to cheat off her notes if she does it again.
B) talk with her and let her know I think this is wrong, and that if she does it again I will tell the teacher.
C) visit the professor's office this afternoon, tell him what happened, ask him not to reveal who told him, and hope that he accepts my story and that I don't get seen as "the snitch."

 

[Saricharity]

Oh boy...these things are tough.
Honestly, I would talk with her. Just kindly say you know she cheated and it's not a good idea. She obviously knows. I would even offer to help her study if she needs help.
And then I would sit as far away from her as I could for the next quiz or test.
I'm not one to snitch and ultimately she has to live with herself.

 

[Ada Lovelace]

Oh wow, I hadn't realized you had reposted this here or I would have responded sooner!

Since several days have elapsed between the incident and now it's likely you've already come to a decision about responding to it, so this is unlikely to be very useful. I'll just give my thoughts on it in case they might be of any use to you now or in the future.

First:
I would read through the honor code policies of your school and find out if there are any expectations, implicitly or explicitly, to report blatant violations you witness. I don't think we need to have a cross the t and dot the i fastidiousness for rule following, to the extent that we don't make decisions independent of them, but I do think they can be helpful guidelines with ethical dilemmas. They can provide unemotional clarity when we feel emotional and reactive.

This is the policy at the college I'll be attending:
"The Honor Code is an undertaking of the students, individually and collectively:
that they will not give or receive aid in examinations; that they will not give or receive unpermitted aid in class work, in the preparation of reports, or in any other work that is to be used by the instructor as the basis of grading;
that they will do their share and take an active part in seeing to it that others as well as themselves uphold the spirit and letter of the Honor Code."

Still, I don't think most students would automatically feel morally compelled or obligated under the terms of the policy to report every incident of cheating, without regard to the circumstances, but it does give some solid reason to beyond just your own feelings that it was unfair.

Some schools, particularly military academies and some Christian colleges, do have far more astringent policies in regards to reporting those who have deliberately violated the policies and will penalize those who fail to do so. My dad was punished at his military high school for failing to report a cheating classmate who was a friend of his. It was part of the "what you permit, you promote" ideology of the school. It's doubtful your college would have that strict of a policy, but nevertheless I would read through it and confirm.

Also find out what the penalties are for cheating on quizzes and tests, and what the process entails. Some schools give proportional sanctions for cheating, such as making the student get a zero on the assignment and possibly forfeiting the right to a letter grade and instead having to just get a Pass / Fail. Some will expel students for even more minor and first-time incidences of cheating, which is harsh. Many colleges have honor courts for allegations of cheating and require those who reported the cheater to provide testimony. It might be a more involved process than simply raising the flag.

So just find out what the deal is at your own school if you haven't yet taken action.


Secondly -
Consider the nature of the girl and her probable reasons for cheating. Does she strike you as someone who habitually cheats and finds justification for doing so, such as the perceived unfairness of being tested on something that wasn't covered as adequately in class? Some people feel no compunction about cheating, especially in classes that are not directly related to their intended profession. If she is brazen enough to cheat without guilt, she's also likely to be comfortable with lying about her cheating. Without corroborating evidence, she could try to flip it around and make an accusation against you, deny what you saw, and act with defensive belligerence. She could try to smear your own reputation in order to try to spare hers from her own wrongdoings.

If she doesn't seem like the entitled sort who systemically cheats, then there could be some other more benign reason for doing so that time. She might have had things going on in her personal life that prevented her from being able to adequately prepare. Or she might have panicked that she'd do poorly on the quiz and it would have a detrimental effect on her GPA. I know many people who have a perfectionist mindset and get frantic about the possibility of a low grade. One of my boyfriend's classmates committed suicide at Penn last year because she could not handle any form of failure and loathed herself so fully for what she considered to be a subpar GPA. They have a mental health campaign to warn about "destructive perfectionism" on campus now. Of course she's a very extreme example, but I know some really do hang their sense of worth upon their GPA.

Last summer I took a science class at UCLA for dual enrollment credit, and one of my friends cheated on the final exam. I saw him. He saw me and knew I knew. He later apologized to me and explained that his mom had kept emphasizing the burdensome cost of that class and how he was scared he would blow it all if he failed. He sincerely was not the type to cheat. Of course that doesn't negate the wrongness of his cheating, but it did make me understand that it was an aberration and not part of his general character.

If I were in your shoes I'd probably look for more of a middle ground if I felt like the honor code policies allowed for one. I'd notify the professor about the cheating but not disclose the name of the student. This way the professor can be more mindful about the possibility of cheating on the next quiz or test and instruct everyone to zip up their bags and put them out of sight. If the girl tries to cheat again, she is more likely to be directly caught by the professor who can then decide on how to proceed.

 

[JDude]

I say option C. What other people think of you does not matter, only Christ. If the person who cheated does find out, in the long run, it does not matter. You will be helping her.

 

[SARGAM NAGDA]

Don't get tempted to cheat and succeed.

learn from your failure and clear your exams honestly, it surely helps in long run.