Cheating has become more and more common within our nation's high schools and colleges. It's gotten so out of control that it actually more likely that a student has cheated than that they haven't cheated. We have to wonder what the cause of such an increase in cheating could be. Some people will say that it's the pressure that is put on students in this age to do well in school and to become successful. But who are we to say that there wasn't pressure on our parents and grandparents to do well too? In my opinion this cheating is a result of two things. 1. Technology has made it easier to cheat. Students text each other during tests, use the internet to get essays of any topic rather than writing their own, etc. and 2. (the big one) Our society today has developed into a culture that accepts the means of getting somewhere as long as the end is success. What I mean is that students have the impression that it is okay to cheat as long as they don't get caught and as long as their cheating results in a good grade. Cheating is something that is obviously seen with our nation's students... Adults cheat on their spouses, on their taxes, cheat at work, etc. This society of dishonesty takes away from the hard work that honest people do.
So what can we do to stop this problem?
I think that there should be worse consequences for cheating. I think part of the reason that students cheat is that some think that even they do get caught that it's not a big deal. Students also need to realize that grades and recognition aren't everything. The satisfaction that one gets when they really work for success is worth more than anything that cheating could ever get them.
I agree with your ideas on the subject. The reasons you said are, in fact, why people seem to cheat so much in modern times. I think cheating is a wrong way to be successful, and isn't worth it.
I like your way of fixing the problem in the way that it will make students more scared of getting caught. Also think schools should to find a way to stop the students from even having the potential to cheat, or a way to tell if one is cheating. If schools could do one or more of these, we could potentially fix the problem of cheating, or at least majorly decrease it.
:-h good job.
People still cheat because getting into college has become so much harder. Nowadays it is expected of one to get good grades, participate in extracurricular activities, and volunteer. So the question is what do you do to stand out to college admissions offices? You have to do all of those things better than anybody else, so many people resort to cheating. There is no real way to fix cheating because there is always pressure to do better. Even if a harsher punishment is enforced people will still do it, I mean people still rob banks in order to get ahead, and people go to jail for that.
I completely understand what you're saying and agree that cheating is partly a result of pressures from society, however I do think there must have been pressure on other generations to get into college. (Especially at times when your options were either go to college or go fight a war.) People are putting in more of an effort these days to APPEAR perfect. However, appearing perfect may cause them to stray away from actually really BEING a good person. I also agree that cheating can't really be "fixed," but I hope that it can be decreased. I know plenty of people who have got into college without cheating or at least not cheating often (or for a couple of years). I know through personal experience that being involved in school activities and earning good grades honestly is much more satisfying then getting good grades through cheating. I also think that pressure from society cannot be completely blamed. If students are really that concerned with standing out to colleges, then why don't they just work hard? They're probably afraid of failure. But at the same time...if students have enough time to party, enough time to watch all their favorite tv shows, enough time to make a cheat sheet...then why can't they just study? I know everyone is different and there are people who are extremely busy, but really...most student who cheat are just too lazy to actually study, don't respect their teachers or the subjects they take, or find everything else they do to be more important than really understanding material. Again from personal experience, I think that if students took the time to give studying a chance that they would realize that school can actually be interesting and that learning can be fun. But maybe I'm just a nerd.
One of my close friends in high school was suspended and nearly kicked out of our academic program for cheating. People have gotten expelled from my university for cheating. The worst me and my friends do is get together to figure out the answers to the homework, which isn't really cheating, since we have to understand how we got to the answer in order to do well in the rest of the class.
~C
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I understand how getting answers for hw isn't really cheating. If that's what people got in all that trouble for then that's just unfair. I just feel like it's such a problem that people don't have the moral capacity to realize that cheating is wrong. It would be awful if someone is getting in trouble because of homework while other people are getting away with plagiarizing papers and things of that sort. I know that there are already some harsh consequences for cheating that could end up causing people who aren't necessarily those who are most guilty to get lose their credibility while others don't get caught. Maybe the problem needs to be addressed earlier, like in middle school. If kids get lectured on it more in younger grades, perhaps the lessons they learn will carry on through high school and college. I know it's too late for our generation to stop cheating in academics, but maybe if we all realize our mistakes we can teach future generations not to cheat and teach them that it is much more satisfying to earn your grades than to get them through other means.
The only time I have ever "cheated" was over a summer assignment this year, and I got a zero on the assignment for getting help from my boyfriend. I thought it was a little harsh for helping each other out, but I wasn't to bent up about it. But I got really upset later this year when someone stole a copy of a Twelfth Night test and distributed it to others and tons of people memorized the questions and found the answers. But one girl ended up telling the teacher that she had gotten the test once someone had told her about the situation, and the girl got rewarded for telling the truth. So honestly cheating is a really sore subject for me, and I completely can't stand it when people cheat.
My opinion is that pressure. We expect kids to do too much too soon. It gets to that we have presure from within. Like the movie quints..... at first the kid was pressured to get into this one school thought being at another school because of the better chance of going to college. Makes no sense.
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I hate it when people cheat! I've never cheated before, and I've done just fine in life. Because of this, I have no sympathy for cheaters whatsoever. In my classes, I warn all of the students that if they cheat on anything I will try to have them kicked out of school. The university values our opinion of what should happen, and we are allowed to submit a reccommendation for punishment. I just think that if a person is cheating, there is a good chance that they have done it before (even if it wasnt' in college) and a good chance that they will do it again if the punishment is mild.
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