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Monday, October 24, 2011

The "C" Word



Every year, this topic rears its ugly head.  Cheating.   In fact, cheating came up twice in just the past few days.

The first time, a previous student sent me an email describing an incident.
I got a first-hand look at a serious case of cheating today. A girl got her hands on a test that she was going to take later, and she offered a new friend of mine the chance to work on the problems together so that he could do well on the test. He took it. I was obviously not too okay with it, but it wasn't my place to really do anything.
This is a clear case of cheating.  This kind of cheating will get a student kicked out of most universities.  Case closed.

The second time was just this morning and involved my daughter - in my car - on the way to school.  She was talking to her friend about the homework they had to complete over the weekend. Her friend asked if she finished the history notes.  My daughter replied, "All except for two.  I'll just copy them from you real quick when we get to my mom's room."  Um, I think NOT.  Here's the thing.  To them, that wasn't cheating.  To me, it most definitely was cheating.  And I did not allow the "copying" to happen.

Because these two situations happened within days of each other, I felt compelled to research it more.  Cheating isn't new. It happens. All. The. Time.  This I know.  However, I'm intrigued at how cheating changes over the years.  During my first year of teaching, students used to roll up cheat sheets and put them inside their highlighter pens. (This was also the preferred note exchange method.) Now, technology has enabled it to become easier and (dare I say it?) more acceptable.

Read this article A Cheating Crisis in America.  It was published back in April, but it's still relevant.

What is the point of cheating anyway?  What is there to gain?  Is it the grade? It's just a letter.  Isn't the point of all this education, all this lifetime of learning - just that:  to learn.  If you cheat your way through middle school, then high school, then college, what happens when you get out into the real world?  Will these "cheaters" be able to function in a job?  How?   What is cheating to you? Do you think it's acceptable in certain situations? Why do you think students cheat?

Will anyone answer this:  Do you cheat?  Why?

Edit:  Here is a link to the article mentioned by Howard Ki (thanks) The Shadow Scholar

Update:  After reading through the comments, I am compelled to add a bit to this post.

First, I want to thank those students who are being honest and commenting on this post in the spirit for which is intended.  Indeed, I do not want you all to respond the way you think I want you to respond. You should communicate your true ideas on the topic.  That is the point.  Thank you to those who are doing just that.

Have I cheated before? Well, sure when I was in middle and high school, I did. I don't know a person who hasn't cheated once in his or her life.  Does that mean I can't think it's wrong now? I don't think so.  Does it make me a hypocrite? No. What I know about cheating and how I feel about the subject has guided me to implement some strategies in my classroom to hopefully teach you guys the value of learning.  Anyone ever notice how much collaborative work I allow in my classroom?  Wonder why?  Is there a difference between cheating and working as a team to accomplish a common goal?







131 comments:

  1. In all honesty, almost every student cheats. Cheating is a student's striving for approval but do not work for this on his or her's own. Cheating is basically an everyday habit in school. I believe students look at it as helping each other out rather than cheating. My strive to try to review and help before handing over a paper. Mrs.Powers put it perfectly when saying, "Isn't the point of all this education, all this lifetime of learning - just that: to learn." When one is cheating now their are disabling themselves for the future. What goes around comes around and all that. I have cheated before and am not proud of it. Middle school students look at as a way to survive, nothing else. The pressure from parents, teachers, and society requires students to grow up. When students are not ready for this, they look to those stronger. Seeking help from those stronger so a weakness is not exposed. Cheating becomes a way to hide. ~Lacey Larson Period 5

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  2. Period 5
    Emily L.

    In some circumstances, I believe cheating is okay. If it's material that you already know and you are doing an assignment that is a completion grade, I don't see what the big deal is. If it's a test, however, cheating is never okay.

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  3. This was a very interesting article, and a very cute cartoon. :)

    Anyways, I admit that there's been times in my life where cheating would be the easy way out. I can tell you that almost every person has cheated once in their life, me included. I admire anyone who's had the diligence and confidence to resist the urge to cheat. I think there's nothing to gain at all, and in fact, there's things to lose, like confidence and honesty. It's better to not do so well on a test that you did all by yourself than get a 100 on some other person's work.

    I thought that one of the more interesting points in the article was when the engineer said that he would never need English literature, so cheating wouldn't be as bad on a test in that category. I agree with this, because after a certain point, you start to prioritize the subjects you need to study, in accordance to the future occupation or field you'll be studying. I think students cheat because they don't have the confidence in themselves to believe in the validity of their answer. Think about this: Does a student ever cheat on a test in a subject they excel at? Or is it always the hard categories?

    I, for one, am against cheating. I won't admit that I've never done it, but cheaters get no where in life. Although it can be acceptable in certain situations, it's not the right way to go.

    Tara Bagherlee
    Period 5

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  4. I believe that cheating is wrong in most circumstances. I am definitely opposed to cheating during a test because that completely counts as a grade. I think no one wants to get scorned by a teacher, take a zero on the assignment, or get an incomplete grade so they would much rather ask a friend.
    I will admit to having copied on occasions for homework but I have never copied a full assignment. I think that zeroes add up and can affect a grade. I try to get most of my homework done but I am busy, like many others, most days. So I'll finish copying a homework assignment before school.
    - Camila Manjarres Period 2
    I don't believe in plagiarism because there is no guarantee that another student's essay is correct and I wouldn't like for someone else to copy my hard work.

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  5. L.A. Period 2
    Gabrielle G.

    In my opinion, way too many students cheat. I have cheated before, but I don't take pride in that. I only cheat if there is a question or two that I have absolutely no idea what the answer is, and I've thought about it for a long time. I know I shouldn't, and I try not to. Other students sometimes cheat for other reasons, such as they didn't feel like studying. Sometimes I try to justify cheating by telling myself that I'm just making sure I have the right answer, or I might get the same answer if I just choose a random answer. However, cheating isn't acceptable in any occasion, and to avoid cheating a person should study and listen to the teacher in class. By copying down someone else's answers, that student isn't really processing the information and isn't learning anything. If somebody were to cheat their way through school, they wouldn't be able to get a job because they would have no knowledge to apply to real-life situations.

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  6. Period 4
    Kayleigh Wilson
    Truthfully, I have cheated before. I'm sure every student has. I've copied homework from someone that I don't understand which I guess is considered cheating. But I will never ever ever ever cheat on a test. Oh, no. I'm too much of a goody-two-shoes for that.
    The absolute worst kind of cheating is when the person just blatantly asks me for the answer. "Kayleigh, what's the answer to number 5? I'll give you the answer to number 7!" Excuse me, but no. You have a brain also, at least TRY to figure it out yourself.

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  7. LA Period 5
    Justin Iannacone
    A business student at a top state university, said, "Everything is about the grade that you got in the class. Nobody looks at how you got it." Like this student said, most kids today don't care that they actually know the material. Their goal is to get a good grade, which will help them in high school, then in college, and then in the real world. Most children also don't think they need to know certain things, so they put off studying and simply copy off of someone else.

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  8. Definitely some interesting conversation going on here. I especially like the thorough comments with obvious thought. (That's a A+ comment.)

    What is it exactly that makes cheating on a homework assignment so much more acceptable than a test?

    To me, either way, you aren't gaining or demonstrating the knowledge. It's an equal loss in LEARNING. Maybe the points or weight is less, but is it really less important?

    @Justin how will cheating your way through school help in the real world? Won't you then have to cheat your way through worK? (Not "you" literally -- completely hypothetical, of course. Just asking you because you quoted it.)

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  9. The point of cheating is to do well in school. When you cheat you gain a good grade. If you cheat throughout your whole academic life, your job or career can be affected badly depending on what your job or career is about. Yes, these "cheaters" can function in a job depending on what job. If they become teachers, than they most likely will not succeed in their job, however, if they work in McDonald's as a "whopper flopper" than they can technically do well in that job. The job itself is pretty bad, but they may come from rich families or win the lottery and live a good life. To me, cheating is a dangerous, but helpful solution to good grades, but good grades only. I think it is acceptable in some situations because some of the material seems rather pointless for a job. I am not going to remember everything. I am not Sam Moon. Yes, sometimes I do cheat. I cheat for a good grade.

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  10. I do not cheat. I believe that cheating is a very bad habit to get into. If someone starts to cheat, it is possible that he or she may very well get caught, and the assignment may be taken away. Also, if someone cheats the work that is being used may not be correct. If people honestly believe that cheating is okay then they need to wake up already. Plagiarism is horrible, because people are taking credit for other people's work. I have cheated before, and I do regret it. Although it may seem like the easy way out, cheating is definitely an extremely terrible action. Many students go on the internet and search up what they are writing about. With copy and paste, it is easy to make something look like it is your own. Just because it has your name on it, it does not mean that it is yours. Teachers need to make sure that students' writing is their own, and not some professor from Harvard. It is one thing to ask a friend for help and maybe the answer to a meaningless question. It is another to cheat of a neighbor's exam paper. I take cheating to be copying answers of a test or big assignment. Not copying a question or two of a worksheet or looking at a friend's notes in class. It's a matter of thinking that the student does not know the answer and knowing that he or she does not know the material. If the student studies a lot, then he or she will not need to cheat. Cheating is just a haven for students (and adults) when they are feeling pressure. However, there are many ways to relieve the stress and pressure that results in cheating. I am a procrastinator. I am actually an extremely bad procrastinator. I have not even started my science fair project! If students do not procrastinate, then they can do things a little bit at a time and not be so stressed. I wish I would take my own advice, but I always find something better to do than what I should be doing. I know many people like that. If students did what they were supposed to do, then they may not be pressured to cheat anymore. The same exact thing goes for all adults. I know many adults as well who are like this. Procrastinators.
    - Brooke Soloway Period 4

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  11. Beatrice R. Period: 1
    Although this article was meant to prevent and teach people about how cheating has been affecting modern society, I found that it mentioned many methods of cheating that I have never heard of before, such as the rubber band trick.
    I believe that cheating is incredibly ethically wrong, and I know that if I ever were to cheat (which I wouldn't) I would feel bad and probably end up confessing to the teacher and begging for another chance.
    I do know for a fact that many children at our school cheat, and what is even more outrageous is that some parents support it.
    Basically, cheating is an unfair advantage, but there is no way that it could be gotten rid of. As I see it, cheating is a fixed portion of modern education. Although I support it in no aspects whatsoever, I accept that it won't go away. As long as I do my best, I know that it was with a shot.

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  12. Andrew Blake, Period 4,
    Cheating, as in most schools, happens in Falcon Cove as well. I see it all the time; during tests, at lunch, and even through e-mail. I think cheating is a complete waste of time. First, if the person your copying off of didn't study, then you'll get a bad grade just as they did. Also, if you didn't understand a topic then cheating gets you nowhere. That topic will always come back on a diffrent test, a midterm, or even later in life. To summarize, cheating will not help you in any way, shape, or form, and your better off studying than taking the easier way.

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  13. LA 1
    Catalina M.

    I think that every student has cheated at least once in their lives. It is simply easier to say " Oh, this isn't for homework tonight. I'll just copy it tomorrow before this class." I admit to having done this before. After reading what most people have blogged, so have they. I think that students copy mostly on homework/completion grades. However, I think that to put in so much effort into getting the answers to a test and secretly putting them somewhere is harder than just studying for a test. I would hate to feel scared that any second I'd be caught cheating. I haven't cheated on a test ever for this reason.I also think its risky to plagiarize. For one thing, it sounds obvious when your work sounds more professional and its inconsistent to your previous work. For another thing, most teacher check work (if they can) on plagiarisms sites. I believe that there are different levels to cheating, depending on whether its on a small homework assignment or a serious test grade.

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  14. LA Period 4
    DiegoR

    I think that cheating is wrong, but I do admit to having cheated in the past. I believe that it is very wrong. However, as the student "Joe" said in the article, many children see others doing it and believe that it is normal for everyone to cheat. This makes a student cheat almost through peer pressure; if everyone else is doing it, why should't I?

    I think that cheating on a homework assignment seems more acceptable than on a test because it is a matter of points. All children know that tests have a larger impact on grades than homework. Because of this, a test would be worse to cheat on because if the student was caught, the repercussions would be worse. If a teacher catches a student copying homework, the punishment would be lighter than if the student was caught cheating on a test. Something that makes cheating on a homework assignment more acceptable than on a test, sadly, is the fact that it is easier to cheat on homework than on a test. If a student does not do homework from a class, he or she can copy the homework at lunch, on the bus, or in a different class. On a test however, the only time to cheat is during the test. The student can get caught cheating much more easily in class than in the cafeteria or on the bus.

    A student would also be more prone to cheating on homework than on a test because it does not seem "as bad." As one homework assignment has less weight than a test, a student views it as less important. In such a menial task like homework, as the student views it, it is not important to try hard or even do it. This viewpoint is what makes more students cheat at homework than tests.

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  15. Victoria Novie
    LA-1

    Let's face it. We all cheat. I'll admit I may have done things that people may consider "cheating" such as copying a friend's notes because I forgot to do them last night or copying down number 36 on a homework assignment because I couldn't get the answer. Still, I believe cheating is wrong. Why should someone who worked so hard get the same grade as someone who is lazy? I think people cheat because they don't see anything wrong with it. The truth is that people who cheat are never going to be successful in life. When people get jobs, they are not going to know what they are doing if they cheated their way through college. This proves that people should not cheat.

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  16. Period 2
    Munir L.
    The reason most children cheat in school is because they are pressured to do well in school. Most children feel that learning is not important and all that is important are grades because children believe that to get into a school or college they have to get good grades and will do anything to get them, even if it involves cheating. That is one of the greatest reasons why children cheat. They also cheat to finish the work quickly because most students are easily bored or do not feel like even doing the work.

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  17. Jacob C. P3
    Today's society is corrupted. School is conveyed as a means to success, but it is not. Most of the world's most successful and wealthy people did not attend college. A student cheating is an example of a capitalist way to solve a problem with minimum work. When done discretely, cheating can be one of the most creative hoaxes in the modern world. I believe cheating is morally wrong, but like most of the morals of society is only polite. Somebody who does not encourage, support, or accept cheating is communist. This person simply wants everybody to be viewed by only some of the efforts that they make. If people are to be viewed and analyzed to their fullest, cheating should be encouraged. People only cheat because school has stripped their lives of joy and replaced it with mountains of work. On my opinion the best way to prevent cheating is to give less work. Other students and I often find ourselves cheating because of homework until eleven o'clock (this happens 3-5 days a week). Along with moral disrespect and violation of human rights, this causes students to feel separated from teachers. This not only causes them to cheat, but also causes a conflict between students and teachers. In a way, cheating is the fault of teachers (no offense, I do not find you to be the source of these problems). Before you claim this comment as ridiculous, ask yourself this next statement. Is there such a thing a product, or are people driven by happiness and acceptence?

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  18. Everybody cheats. It is just a fact. Saying that you do not cheat is like saying that you do not lie. Probably everyone has cheated I some point during their life. The question is how much you can control cheating. Many of us strive to be the best that we can be. I am sure that I am not the only one who strives to get A's in every class. Unfortunately, we are all humans. We all make mistakes. The mindset of kids who strive to get A's is, " I have to get an A in this class." When someones mindset is like that, cheating is a very tempting option. I believe that most kids that cheat today probably are not cheating because they want to do less work but because they forgot and are striving to be the best possible. These people are willing to take the risk of getting caught. For them, the reward far outweighs the risk.

    I think that we all will understand cheating better if we read the article "The Cheating Epidemic" by Ed Dante. This article takes you into the life of a ghost writer who secretly writes papers for college students who ask for his help. This article explains in great detail why student cheat, how students cheat, and how they do not get caught. My knowledge on why students cheat has greatly improved after reading this article. This article is definitely worth reading. I cannot find a link to this article but I will post it if I do.

    I personally believe that the risk outweighs the award. I try to limit myself on the amount I cheat. But whether or not the risk outweighs the reward is an opinion.
    LA-1 Howard K

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  19. LA 2
    Maria F

    In my opinion, cheating is wrong and still many students do it. Reading the posts before I've noticed that many students copy homeworks off of each other, and I admit I have done that before. I've sometimes realized that homework is a way of studying without realizing it, but since it is a small grade it does not really matter to most student, and also teachers have stopped checking for a grade, which disencourages students to do the homework. On a test, cheating is definitely wrong, because I think grades should be earned, and I do admit to actually cheating on a test in fourth grade because I didn't speak English and I still felt so bad, I told the teacher I cheated. I've never cheated since then on a test, and I could never even imagine what I would feel getting caught cheating by a teacher. I'll just earn the grade I earn being good or bad and just study harder if I need improvement, but at least I know that what I got is what I really know and understood on the subject. I also believe like Catalina that it's risky too plagiarize, and that there are different levels to cheated depending on the assignment or assessment.

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  20. I found Jacob Cohen's post to be very interesting. He does have a point, although I believe he took too radical of a stand. I personally believe that those people that have been immensely successful without schooling are in the extreme minority, and extremely gifted people who the word "genius" probably applies too. For everyone else, school is a means to live a successful life. I don't find cheating to be something that only Communists don't accept. Just look at how everyone here (who I'm pretty sure isn't Communist) doesn't accept it.
    However, I do find the basis of cheating to be based on a societal problem. School is viewed as a way to success, and unfortunately not always the best prepared people will get the better jobs, but those with the better grades or performance will, regardless of cheating. It is because of that that cheating can be so tempting.

    Francisco Rivera
    Class of 2011

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  21. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  22. Emily C. LA3
    I have cheated before. But most of the time, I try to avoid it. Sometimes, I do things that only after I realize would be considered cheating. People do it so often that I forget it's not allowed.
    The first time I actually cheated for a grade that would really be considered cheating was two years ago. I'm not technically from China, so I wasn't born into the language. When I first started taking Chinese lessons, I was moved to a more advanced and faster class. The end of the year exam was the next week and I had no idea what it was on. During the test, I knew nothing. Some of the students were taking advantage of asking the teacher the easiest questions so she can finally give in and tell the answers. Of course she never did, but I got a better advantage. The kid in front of me was distracted by the teacher getting so frustrated that no one saw when I would quickly look at the answers on his page. There was one time when he suspected me of looking at his test, but he gave up and never found out.
    The next week, the scores came. Only two students got a same grade that was the highest of all of them. Just my luck, it was me and the kid I copied off from. We even got gift cards!
    I know it was wrong, but I really needed help on that exam. I actually do study for tests and classes because if I cheat too much, I wouldn't know anything I'm actually learning in class. Some students even forge their parents' signatures for assignments. Even if it gives me a lower grade, I never forge signatures and always hand it in a day late with an actual parent signature.

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  23. Okay, Jacob, don't even start. I took the hardest classes that Falcon had to offer last year. Not to sound snotty, or anything. I never stayed up till 11. I had a bedtime of ten o'clock last year, not to mention legitimate CHORES.

    Yeah, I copied assignments last year, everyone does, but you're being overly dramatic. If you need sleep, learn what classes you can do hw in. (Spanish is usually a safe bet.) There is also lunch. It is called planned procrastination. Or just planning. Are sports the problem? Carry your textbooks in the car. Get creative.

    Stop whining and log off of Facebook.

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  24. In the article, I find it interesting that a student said that they cheated only because other kids cheated and since they got higher grades, his grade went down. I don't think that is fair. I like the idea that there are websites that monitor this. I don't think other students should be penalized for someone else doing something wrong. And even though this isn't right, colleges and employment agencies don't know if you studied for 10 hours for a quiz or worked for 7 hours on a project. All they know are the grades and if someone got a better grade then you, why would they accept you to the university instead. They have no idea that you are more devoted to your work then the other kid. I really think that this should be more monitored and hope that it does improve in the future since I know a couple kids who do do stuff like this.

    Lauren Adler
    LA PERIOD 2

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  25. LA PERIOD 4
    MichelleK

    Cheating is wrong. There is just no way around it. If you were to tell yourself that it's just one question, and that it's not that big a deal, you would be lying. Even though I know cheating is wrong, I will admit to doing it. If I am utterly confused with a question, I will ask for help. I won't ask for the answer, I will ask how they did the problem, and try to figure it out on my own.
    Also, if I have forgotten to do one or two questions that were assigned for homework, I have copied them from someone. I will never, however, copy a complete assignment. That is plagiarism, and you gain nothing from it. The whole point of school is to gain knowledge to help you in the future. If you were to cheat your way through school, you would be lost in the real world.
    I also feel that cheating off a test is one of the worst things a student can do. Even if you are struggling and this grade could make or break your grade, you should never cheat. If you were to cheat on a test and get a better grade than you would normally have, it would make your teacher think that you are excelling in the subject. They will think that you have a strong grasp on the material, and that you do not need any help. It's definitely better to fail and ask for help than to cheat.
    Basically, I feel that cheating is a bad thing to do. Although I myself have done it, that still doesn't make it right. I will always feel guilty when I "copy" homework, but I will probably still do it on occasion, because I do not want to get a bad grade. If a student feels that they have to cheat, they should ask their teacher or a student for help and tutoring, instead of copying answers on a test.

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  26. I feel like the article had some excellent points on cheating from a teacher's perspective but it does not cover all of the opinions of students. To most students, looking at someone's answers on a test is cheating but asking a friend for the answer to a question on a homework assignment is just a kind favor. Though teachers may not always believe students, students can have a pretty hectic life and the thought of having a friend to tell you the answer to a problem simply forgotten calms them down.

    Although, using phones, computers, pagers, etc. to search for answers or communicate with classmates during a test is stupid and unnecessary. If a student is so unknowledgeable that they need to ask someone for the answers, the chances are that the student's friend will not know the answer either. Cheating on assignments by using pre-made sources shows that a student does not care for an assignment. By using technology, teachers have easy access to ways to find out if a student has plagarised or cheated. Even if a student tries his or her hardest, they will get a better grade than if a teacher finds out that they cheated.

    Rebecca N
    Period 1

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  27. Stephanie P., Period 3
    A short and sweet answer to that is that all students cheat, whether voluntarily or involuntarily. If a student is stumped on a question, it becomes an impulse to take a peek at their peers' paper or scantron. I believe that certain circumstances do not count as cheating. Take writing an essay, for example. If a student is stuck and has no inspiration and just happens to look at his or her neighbors' planning sheets, it is not cheating. However, copying a topic from a neighbor would be considered cheating because it required abseloutely no creativity or thinking on the student's part. See, it's all in the intent. When a student takes another student's homework and scribbles down every answer, the intent is obvious, taking the easy way out and earning credit, and maybe even praise from a teacher. Conversely, if a student did the homework but forgot to answer a question, they can copy an answer from a peer because the intent is to quickly fix a minor mistake before it causes their well-earned grade to crash. Besides, if a student cares enough to review their homework and check if they finished each question in the first place, it is clear that they try hard, and they should be able to fix a minor mistake like that.
    Another issue is that once the cheating begins, it is hard to end. For example, on a test, if a child looks at their peer's paper and gets an answer successfully, the child feels the need to try it again, just because they know they can get away with it. This kind of cheating can be easily avoided by putting up folders or separating desks and such. Yet the students who go to all extremes to cheat are not so easy to prevent. Those students are usually the ones who fail anyways, and it is most likely evident in their grades.
    Bottom line, yes, I have cheated before, and so have most children. No matter how much cheating is prevented, students always find a way to cheat again. Do I think cheating is okay? Of course not. However, it happens.

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  28. LA Period 2
    Michelle Eisenberg

    I believe cheating may be okay in some cases. Almost everyone has cheated in his/her life at one point or another. It's human nature. Cheating is usually the easy way out whether it is looking at your neighbor's test answer or copying your friend's homework. I think its wrong to cheat but it is sometimes too difficult to resist. Students give their friends answers all the time because they think it isn't that big of a deal. Sometimes, its not such a big deal. The biggest problem with cheating is it makes students too lazy to know the material because they know they can just copy off of someone else, and it doesn't allow students to learn from their mistakes. If students receive good grades from cheating, they won't learn anything and they will not understand their mistakes. Although cheating may sometimes not be such a big deal, it is still the wrong choice to make.

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  29. The part I found interesting in the article is the part that says "What is there to gain? Is it the grade? It's just a letter." To be completely honest, this statement is entirely false. Grades are an important part of school, regardless of whether or not a student is actually learning. They can define the direction a student takes in education, and they are a big deal. I find cheating on a test to be completely incomprehensible. I could never cheat on a test, and I don't understand how one can ever do it. However, it's not worth it to get a zero on an assignment that you honestly couldn't do. Some teachers don't allow extensions, regardless of how valid an excuse is. I don't think it's that I'm towards the idea of cheating, but I'm against the idea of teachers not allowing extensions to students who honestly need them. If finishing assignments weren't so hard under certain circumstances, students wouldn't cheat.
    Even with this opinion, I still don't think cheating is completely right. However, there will never be a way to extinguish it entirely.

    Romina Palmero
    Period 2

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  30. Cheating happens everyday in school and sometimes the person that is cheating does not even realize that they are cheating. Sharing answers for homework happens all the time. Students think they are just helping each other out but it's really cheating. I know I've done it. Why can't you help someone with their homework? You may be helping them understand something that they didn't get in class. I don't think people always cheat on homework just to fill in the answers. I know that happens a lot and most of the time it's the last few that someone didn't get to finish or a few that they didn't understand. I think that if someone didn't understand a question, there's nothing wrong with finding out what the answer is. They might remember it better from finding out the answer before they turn it in. Sometimes you turn in an assignment and it doesn't come back for awhile and you forget to look up whatever it was you didn't understand or know.
    I agree with the engineer student in the article that students cheat in certain subjects because they feel that class is not important to them so they don't spend the same amount of time studying or working in that class. I think that probably happens more in high school and college than in middle school.
    I think the main reason for cheating is to get the higher grades that your parents expect you to make and that you know you need to make in order to get into a good college. It is a lot harder to get into college than it used to be but cheating has been going on for a long time. People have always wanted to do well and have done things they weren't proud of just to get ahead. I don't think it is going to stop even though everyone knows it's wrong.
    Trace Wolf
    LA 4

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  31. Jeremy Mochel - Period 4
    I will admit that I have in fact cheated. I do not believe however that it was the right thing to do. Why i even did it i still do not know for sure. The only reason that i can think of for doing it is that i was afraid my mother would get mad at me for not doing the work. I believe that everyone has at one point in their life cheated, without even knowing it. If anyone says that they had never cheated before, I would usually think they are lying. For the students that do it regularly and do not think twice about it, i cant say anything.

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  32. Sabrina Rutner
    Period 2
    I will be the first to admit that I have cheated before. I do not think I know one person that has never asked another student for an answer for anything. Without a doubt cheating is wrong. I'm not saying that since everyone does it, it should make it O.K. it most definitely is not. Students should receive the grade they deserve. If it is a zero because the forgot to do it then it is, but If a student just forgot or did not know the answer to one or two of the questions then it isn't a big deal. Students think it is just a way to get a better grade. That is all students think about. The grade. Not the lesson to be learned. I am sure no student is proud of cheating but it is hard to resist. If a friend asks for an answer to a question on the homework whats the big deal? why would you not give it to them? In some cases I feel it is acceptable to to give a friend an answer or two, in some cases it most definitely is not. For one, on a test, I would never cheat on a test because one if I get caught the grade could greatly effect my class grade. Two, because test grades are a reflection on a students understanding of the topic. A bad grade means that I know I have to go back and go over that part. In all, cheating is the easy way to avoid a bad grade, and should not be done. It is wrong and everyone knows it, but it is almost impossible to stop.

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  33. LA 2 Erin Yoo

    It's funny how I had a conversation with my friend just a few days ago about cheating. She asked me if I had ever cheated in my life and I admitted that yes, I have. She answered back to me with relieved smile, "Oh, well, I guess you are actually human." I thought about this answer for a while and I laughed a little at it. It is human nature to take one little peek. It's an urge that some people (especially those who don't study for tests) can't resist.
    Let's be real here, everyone has had to cheat once in their lifetime. Whether it's whispering and asking, "What's the answer?" or peeking over someone's shoulder for the letter, everyone has had to do that. If you haven't, I congratulate you in keeping yourself strong. If you have, well, welcome to the real world.
    Let's face it. Cheating is for the people who want the easy A in the subjects they could care less about. When people ask me for their homework, they give me those whiny looks and say, "I had soccer practice! I had a swim meet until 10! I had to study all night!" Sometimes, I'd like to see the looks on their faces when they get to high school. My brother is up until three in the morning either studying or finishing homework. He even admits to copying, but he tells me that he never learns that way and he knows that cheating in middle school will get you nowhere. NOWHERE.
    There are people who barely have time for homework, but I know what that feels like. I may not take sports, but I take other extra-curricular activities outside of school. Let me tell you one thing. During the weekends, I'm not always watching T.V. or outside, I'm usually inside, finishing homework that I can finish ahead of time so that I have free time during the week. By planning ahead, I really have no need for cheating. Cheating is mainly focused on those who procrastinate on every assignment and wait until third period to get fourth period's homework done.
    We all have those lazy times when our bodies or minds just don't want to work that day. This is where the cheating settles in and everything becomes just so irrelevant. Sooner or later, you realize that you forgot to do homework or finish a paper and then your mind turns to the person next to you and then it blinks, COPY. Also known as "let's cheat because I procrastinated".
    Cheating may be satisfying in some cases but it gets someone nowhere in life. I consider cheating a last resort opportunity that stays last.

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  34. Daniel H - LA 5
    I admit to having cheated in the past and I believe that almost everyone else has done so. This is most likely because there is a point where we have to weigh benefits against punishments. I enjoyed reading the shadow scholar article and fount it very informative. One of the most interesting things he mentioned was that the reason why people have to buy essays or cheat is that the schools are failing them. The points that the most successful in society are not always those that work the hardest or are the best at what they do, also appears to show a grim view on society.

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  35. 3 Sam M

    I think students have learned too much from history in the case of cheating. To the students that cheat, cheating is simply learning from the past to not make the same mistakes in the present. From the 6th grade on, I never cheated in the sense that I took answers of others, but I did sometimes supply others with answers. I just did it because of their incessant, pathetic begging, or I thought that there was no need to even consider the subject.

    As mentioned before, the letter grade holds great fear within students. There is a saying "Spare the rod, spoil the child" that was apparently wasted on children. Every single child lives in fear of their parents punishing them for a bad grade, and their disappointment that they were not commended for their good work.

    Also, there is a saying that "Every crime is a variation of theft." Cheating is not the theft of material objects, but the theft of something infinitely more precious- ideas. Would that not make cheating one of the greatest crimes of all, to steal something potentially more valuable than all of the riches of the world?

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  36. Annika R - Period 5
    Yes, I've cheated, and truthfully, I have never actually felt bad about it unless I got the answer wrong. Frankly, I think cheating is overrated. When you cheat, you're just cheating yourself.


    Good Methods:

    When someone is cheating off of you: Write wrong answers for every question. When they are done copying, erase your answers and fill the spaces in with the correct answers. Don't tell on the person next to you because then there is no fun when they get their test back and see that you received a way better grade than them. :O

    When you want to do well on a test without cheating: Memorize everything you need to know for a test and write it on the back of your scantron or paper immediately after you get your test. This is NOT cheating.

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  37. Sarah C - period 2

    I have cheated before , and still many of my friends do. If I did work and they forgot it I will let them copy mine but I still feel bad about it. Cheating is copying somebody's work word for word. Everybody has cheated at least once, it's unavoidable. Even the best students have made slip ups and had to copy from their friends. Even though cheating is wrong I believe it's okay in certain situations. It's not cool to snitch on people for cheating, it's their own fault for not doing his or her work so let them deal with the consequences.

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  39. Jake Steirn
    Period 1
    Mrs. Powers, you seem to be ruining my intelligence. Most people cheat, but me, no way. I am a good boy. Cheating happens because of grades and laziness. If schools get rid of the grading scales I contend that cheating would get reduced by not having a grading scale.
    You should learn not to get an A, but to get into a good college!!!!!!!!

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  40. With or without technology, kids have always "cheated"(Even though I don't think copying notes or one homework problem from a classmate is considered serious cheating.) Before kids could text each other asking for the answer to number 7, they did their homework together and would also share answers. Like Rebecca said, giving someone notes or a homework answer is like a favor.

    However, on a test, you are supposed to know the information on your own. With things like cheat sheets, I don't get the point. Writing a cheat sheet is like writing a study guide, so just study it. Cheating off a classmate is like looking at a maybe right/maybe wrong cheat sheet, which is worse. Using technology to cheat on a test is just way to risky for me. I mean, who would want a zero on a test AND get their phone taken away? No thanks! I really and not sure why it isn't a big deal to give someone a homework answer but not a test answer. It just is. For some reason, tests are much more serious and are where you're really supposed to know the information and show your teacher you've learned it.

    Plagiarism is much more serious. Taking someones exact words and claiming them your own is just wrong. With the internet, this problem could get even more and more out of control in time, just as teachers are trying more and more to control it.

    Everyone has cheated at least once, and I don't think it will ever fully stop. The temptation is just sometimes too hard for students to resist.

    Lauren Shilling LA1

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  41. Jacob P Period 2
    Cheating happens everyday and even the smartest of people do it sometimes. Cheating is basically a big wall in someones education, students just take short cuts and move on to the next subject. Sure it happens often and almost everyone shares answers with someone. All that students have to do to avoid being a "casual" cheater is manage their time wisely and remember that school comes first. How cheaters will function in jobs, I do not know but I do hope when they get a job it does not involve the subject that they cheated on, otherwise they could find themselves packing up their office and leaving very quickly. As for college goes it does not look impressive to be the " best cheater in Falcon Cove for the class of 2011" it just doesn't. Any quality University ( UM, FSU, Princeton, Harvard, Yale, etc.) will not find that impressive. If a student is gunning for an ivy league school and they cheat well they can just kiss their chances good bye.

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  42. Alessandro P Period 3
    In my opinion cheating is wrong. Still many students do it. For little and big grades people cheat. I have cheated before and most people have. Like Mr.Bryant said copying is cheating. When people cheat they do not believe in themselves so they cheat. When people get a job you can not copy someone because your independent. People should learn how to get a good grade to get a college and there is a old saying when you cheat you cheat, your just cheating yourself.

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  43. LA 3 Erika B.
    Honestly, who has not cheated before? Everybody I know has cheated once in their life, including me. Whoever says they have not are fooling themselves. It is human nature to check work with a friend to see if the correct answer is scribbled down. Nobody wants a bad grade. It would disappoint parents and family, and students will do anything to make sure they get great grades.
    Most students have extra curricular activities that can interfere in their homework time. Whatever the excuse is, cheating should not be permitted, but it happens anyways. I believe it is okay to help out on a homework assignment that a peer simply forgot to do or did not understand. It is not okay to let them copy the answers though. The student should still do the work on their own.
    Most students cheat to please their parents, get into college, or just to get through school without poor grades. For me, I would feel guilty if I would copy someone's work, so cheating is completely unacceptable to me. The last time I cheated was probably in fifth grade, and that was because I would feel ashamed if I had horrible grades.

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  44. Period 4
    Zachary Friedman
    In all honesty I have cheated once before in sixth grade. Now that I look back on that I definitely regret it. Cheating is an act of pure laziness. It shows that a person didn’t study and or doesn’t feel like doing his or her work. I get so annoyed when someone doesn’t even look at the directions yet and they’re already asking me for the answers. Cheating also takes away from a person’s overall knowledge. Most of the time, at least for me, when I’m just copying notes or anything else directly from a source, I never actually thoroughly understand what I’m copying. Later on, when it appeared on a test, I was totally unprepared. Tests are even worse to cheat on. First of all, cheaters get caught sometimes. Good luck when that happens. However, if they don’t get caught they will know that they really didn’t earn that grade. They won’t be as proud as themselves when they see an ‘A’ on their report card instead of what they should’ve had. I believe cheating is just a cycle that will start appearing in the same person’s life over and over. Once someone knows that he or she got away with cheating once, most likely, he or she will cheat again. Overall, cheating will always come back to haunt a person.

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  45. Period 5
    Jordan Press
    Cheating can sometimes be okay. For example, what if someone is sick (like me today :( ) and doesn't understand what happened in class? Besides that, I think cheating is wrong, but I'm positive that everyone has cheated at one point or another, whether on a test or a classwork assignment. Cheating does not help students at all in life, because later in life nobody will be there to cheat off of. The only thing students gain from cheating, is a better grade, which truly, will improve their GPA, and get them in to a better college, but if students just cheat their way through school, they will be completely unprepared in life. Honestly, I believe that cheating can be okay under certain circumstances, but it is completely wrong to do under other circumstances.

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  46. Period 4
    Even though lying is bad, I will say that at points in my life it has been necessary. For example, when a teacher puts questions on a test that were not in the chapter or that was not taught.Yes, I could have just told the teacher, but because teachers are headstrong creatures*, they will not believe what the students are saying. I also HATE when people take advantage of my intellegence, try to cheat without the other person's consent. For example, in my math class we sit in pairs. On the warm ups, I do all the work while he justs takes my answers and gives them to the people behind him. To get them angry, I gave them the wrong answers while, when they turned theirs in, I changed them all that way they received piece of their own medicine. I felt extremely bad!!!! Later I will tell the teacher about what they are doing. Don't ask me if I feel bad because they deserved this.
    *Ms. Powers is not included

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  47. LA- 2
    David G.

    I admit to cheating at times, but for very little assignments and NEVER on tests. As far as my cheating goes is just copying last-minute homework or asking what the answer to a question is that I don't know for an un-graded classwork assignment. Before reading the blog post I didn't even consider this cheating, but I understand that it actually is. Mostly kids cheat because they are afraid to fail the test/assignment which will result in a bad class grade, which will look bad on your report card. This is what I am mostly afraid of, anyways. I am scared of disappointing my parents that I have not gotten straight "As". That is the main reason that I want to get "As" on everything.

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  48. This is me being brutally honest: Cheating is just a part of life. I understand that many people claim they are against it, but being realistic, I know I'd cheat if I was ever faced with a tough decision.

    The main point that Mrs. Powers raises here is how cheating affects out "learning process." However, I want to state that the interruption all has to do with HOW the cheater deals with the situation afterwards. For example, if Student A panics after forgetting the answer to a question on a test, and asks Student B, then there are two ways Student A could react after receiving the answer and when the test is over.

    The first way would be for Student A to write the answer down, and move on with life, forgetting about the question and not obtaining any information. This, of course, is definitely NOT the smartest choice.
    The second way would be for Student A to recall the panicking sensation he/she had when not knowing the answer. Then, after the test, Student A and Student B could discuss how and why Student B wrote an answer down. Even better, Student A could go home and review the whole lesson to obtain the actual "learning" part of education.

    Me? I, of course, cheat when necessary. No one can really judge when is "necessary," but I don't cheat when I know the answers. After the test, if I cheated, I usually read over the lesson or do some practices online to help sharpen the skills that I were supposed to learn. I'm not proud of it, but it happens, and all I am capable of doing afterwards would just be to catch up.

    All in all, I view cheating as acceptable, as long as the person cheating is able to follow through and obtain their education afterwards. It's not the process or assessments that show what you've learned, it's about the final product that comes out after a lifetime of education and the choices that have been made.

    Guo Q. Period-4

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  49. Patricia R. Period 3

    Obioulsy, most students have cheated. I do believe that cheating is wrong. Many students do know that what they have done is wrong. I believe that cheating on homework is not only easier to do but is also more exceptable. For example, just today in my math class I let a girl copy the homework from the previous night. The girl was caught but was only warned that if she did it again she would be punished. I know that if it was a test both she and I would be given a zero for the grade. Cheating is wrong no matter what you cheat on. Cheating on homework is usually not punished as harshly. Everyone cheats, but I did not even think about it when I gave the girl the paper. I thought that I would just be helping her so she would not get a lesser grade. Clearly, students do not think about cheating after as much as you would think. Cheating happens everyday and is often considered normal.

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  50. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  51. jack mutschler
    period 5
    I have cheated before, but I don't believe it was the right decision. Most students will usually cheat because they're too lazy to study. Although it may seem like a good idea at the time, cheating will not be beneficial to someone in the future. Even if a student cheats his or her way into college and gets straight "As", they will still have a tough time keeping a job when their boss finds out that they are not smart.
    I have copied down answers for certain assignments, but I already knew what they were about. Sometimes cheating can help someone get a good grade, but they never really understand the topic. I think that cheating is okay in some cases, but not on a test or quiz.

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  52. LA 5 Jared Shulkin

    Is it okay to cheat? I certainly think it can be acceptable in some cases, as most people wrote above. If someone is struggling on a math problem, they will most likely ask a friend for help. This friend, while trying to help his or her friend learn, is actually cheating by giving his or her friend the answer. This form of cheating, of course, is acceptable because one is learning in the process. However, many cases of cheating are not acceptable. For instance, a student realizes he had to complete four workbook pages for his Spanish class next period. He quickly asks his friend for the answers and copies them down. This is not okay. Homework is assigned to refresh what was taught in class. If a student did not complete a homework assignment, that means this student is not refreshing what has been taught, which leads to poor grades on assessments. This is exactly why cheating can both be acceptable and not acceptable.

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  53. Personally, I prefer to not cheat or let other people cheat off my work. Sometimes there are circumstances, such as completion grades, where cheating is okay because it will not affect the grade of the cheater in any way.

    Period 1,
    Juan V.

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  54. Okay, first off, props to Howard for that very entertaining article. Secondly, you guys MUST read what your peers are writing. Too many of you have been writing the same thing over and over again. We have already established the following (multiple times):

    1) Everyone has cheated at one point or another.
    2) Cheating doesn't help anyone learn.
    3) Cheating shows laziness and an unwillingness to work.
    4) It is generally acceptable to HELP a friend with HW. Letting them copy HW is not good, but is still not nearly as bad as copying answers on a test, which is never acceptable.

    Unless you have an opinion that contradicts with what was previously stated, do not mention the points above.

    I'm going to present something that I do during tests, and I want to see if you all agree with my actions or not.

    I'm sitting in class and am taking a test. I come across a question I do not know. I eliminate at least two answer choices; now I'm stuck with two. (If it's fill in the blank, I make an educated guess.) I think to myself, "I know the girl besides me knows this question." So what I do is.... I bubble in my guess, and I LOCK IN MY ANSWER. (Yes, just like in the show "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?") Once I lock in my answer, I'm not allowed to change it. Then, I look over and see the paper of whoever (whomever?) is sitting beside me. (Close proximity greatly facilitates cheating.) If my answer is right, I feel good. If the answer is wrong, I relax because at least now I know it's wrong, and I can start to calculate my grade. I don't change my answer because I know that I never would have gotten to it by myself. So, I never use other people to acquire answers, but to CHECK them. However, I don't allow myself to touch the answer once I check. Why do I do this? Because I am extremely curious to know if I am right or not and am stupidly unable to wait for the test to be graded, but not morally corrupt enough to use the answers to my benefit.

    What do you guys think? Are my actions justified?

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  55. LA 4
    Noah R

    In my opinion, cheating is a disease. It affects students in ever nation, and it spreads. When students cheat, it shows that they are either not willing to learn, or do not try. Cheating on homework is just as bad as cheating on a test. Yes, the tests are weighted more in a grade, but homework is assigned while the students are learning a topic, and the test requires students to apply their knowledge on the subject. If students are unwilling to learn during the homework phase, then they have no chance of doing well on the test. If students do not understand a topic, they usually decide to copy off another student's homework instead of asking the teacher for help. Confusion and laziness lead to cheating, and if students are incapable of fixing either of those, then they deserve to get bad grades on the test. It is their fault that they are unwilling to learn. Plus, if students are too lazy to study for a test and decide to cheat on it instead, it is up to them. In the future, when the subject they cheated on is needed for a career, they will be out of luck because it was their option to not learn. Cheating is a plague and should be removed by students as an alternative to getting a good grade on a test.

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  56. Max C LA2

    Personally, I have abhorred cheating for as long as I can remember, and have never really even tried to cheat. At my old school, any student caught cheating would be suspended. Needless to say, most students stopped cheating. However, some still persisted. Already I am shocked by the cheating at this school. Someone has already tried to cheat off me in one of my classes. It was a little worksheet, so I just made it clear that no one was to cheat off me, but other than that, I let it slide (for the next few worksheets I put the wrong answers for the first few minutes, then wrote in the right ones, just so the student would not be tempted after getting zeros on his assignments). I now realize that I should have taken more action than that, but it was a month ago, and it won't make a difference whether I report it now or not. One class, though, two students who "knew" the answers passed them out to everyone, and before long, the entire class was talking about the answers for what was an "individual" assignment. I had already finished at that point, so my answers weren't passed around with the rest, but still... from now on, I am going to be much more vigilant about where the people around me are looking, to make sure it isn't at my paper. Also, I really thought that "the Shadow Scholar" was extremely interesting, but sad because of the fact that the person writing all those essays is so bitter about an educational system that failed him.

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  57. Brianna C
    LA 5

    Without a doubt, cheating is a despicable thing to do and should be completely eliminated. However, not everyone realizes it is wrong and it will never be fully abolished. As seen in previous comments, most students think it is okay to cheat if it is on homework, since it is weighted less. However, I think that most students, when they cheat, have most of the homework done and just need a couple of answers. In these circumstances, it is still wrong and considered cheating! Students need to realize that it is okay to not understand a question and skip it. That is what teachers are for; to teach students what they don't understand. A teacher will not get mad for skipping one question (unless it is not for a completion grade).

    Also, I think what Cat does is not acceptable because if a teacher catches you, they will assume you are cheating and there will not be a way out. Another reason is that the person you are taking answers from may not like this strategy and could could think you are cheating. Thus, telling the teacher and resulting as previously stated in the first reason.

    Overall, cheating should not be tolerated and students should try their hardest not to get into such bad habits.

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  58. Posting for Christian M

    LA Period 1

    I admit to having cheated in the past, usually a small homework assignment that I may have forgotten to write down or was too busy to do. I don't think cheating is such a big deal on small stuff like that, especially if you know the concepts that it reviews. However, I would never cheat on a test or any other major assignment. Like the article said, it’s not about how you get the grade, it’s what letter shows up on your report card. I don't really think it’s fair that some kids may know a lot about something, have some bad luck, and then lose an "A" on their report cards. Nobody cares about what you really know, just what a paper with your grade on it says. In general, cheating because you don't understand something isn't the best idea because then you never have the knowledge of whatever it was that concept taught. Later in life, when you may need to apply something you learned in school, you'll be clueless about what to do.

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  59. Jake L
    LA 5


    I have cheated before but I believe that it wasn't the best decision I've ever made. When a student cheats, it means that they didn't take the time to do the assignment or study for the test. Everyone know that cheating can be 100% stopped because the teacher can't see every student, every second of the period. When a student cheats, they shouldn't get a zero or get in trouble because cheating only hurts the cheater in the long run. For example, anybody can cheat on a test in class, but they can't cheat in life. You are not always going to have someone to cheat off of. There are other forms of cheating that are not bad, like copying your partners work or if you forgot to do a couple questions on the homework, you look at a friends.

    Overall, Cheating is a bad habit and students should try to stay away from doing it because it wont hurt anyone except for themselves.

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  60. Emily Chaiet
    Period 4

    All students cheat. I have seen other students copy answers to homework and classwork. I myself have copied answers to class work, but never have cheated on a test. As it said in the article, "the pressure for grades is high". Some students will do whatever it takes to get an "A". I believe that the feeling students get after cheating is far worse than an "F". That "F" can be brought up to a higher grade, but that guilty feeling you get inside is never erased. Is it really worth it just to get a grade? Students deserve the grade they get. If you forgot to do an assignment you deserve a zero. You can still learn from your mistake. Cheating is wrong because nothing is learned from it.

    As for what Cat said, it is still cheating even if you do not copy the answer. Instead of "locking your answer" and looking at another girl's paper, it could be more helpful to check over your answer, so that you can correct the mistake yourself. Teachers always say check over your work for a reason. When you "lock your answer" you don't get to check over your work and realize your mistake for yourself.

    Students have become so dependent on other students, but they should be dependent on themselves. Cheating is wrong no matter what the situation is.

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  61. *** Everyone knows that cheating can't be 100% stopped because the teacher can't see every student, every second of the period

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  62. Alexandra Soree , Period 1-
    I believe that most students cheat, but they do it to different extremes. Some kids just ask for "help from their peers, and end up letting their classmates do the work. Other students cheat on tests and more serious things. All cheating is very bad, and should be stopped. I think that when students do not know the answer to another question they panick and find reassurance in his or her neighbors answers. Students cheat because they are not sure of them selves and do ot trust their answer. However, if all students study and actually learn the material, they won't be tempted to glance at some one else's paper or copy a friend's homework.

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  63. Cristina M
    LA 4
    Whether cheating is right or wrong can be discussed thoroughly from both sides, but you will always come to the same conclusion. No matter how much you can argue that their is not an issue with cheating, it will always be wrong. I myself have cheated before, and I am fully aware of how wrong it was. It normally happens when someone is under stress and you come to a problem and you just have to look over to see what the person next to you put. It's a matter of instincts of being a teenager. Cat, for your situation if I were to see an answer on someone's paper and I know that they are right, I would by all means change my answer. Yes it is not the moral thing to do but it is "smart at the time" kind of choice. Students stress about their grades and that one percent could make all the difference. Grades are not the point of school as stated in the article, it is learning, but no one can honestly say that they don't care what there grade is. Any opportunity I have to get a better grade I will take it.

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  64. Katrina Ragbeer
    LA Period5

    In all honesty, I have cheated in my life. Nothing extreme, - like FCAT or anything - but still cheating nonetheless. When students cheat, it's mainly because they care about their grade, and don't want to risk anything. This isn't necessarily right, because the person who did study was being copied and ridiculed in a way. You, Mrs. Powers, said that it's "just a letter", however, we dont think that way. Even though middle school doesn't necessarily count in the future in terms of college and things like that, we students still care about our grades. Unfortunately, some student choose "the easy way out" and cheat rather then know the material and feel confident when their taking the assessment.
    Another thing is that some people don't consider certain things cheating. For example, just a few days ago, a friend of mine wanted to do extra credit for math class. Instead of doing it, she told her mom to sign it (that's mandatory) and brought it to school. She then told me that she was going to copy mine. I just ignored her, because math is a serious subject (especially since we're in GEM) and I didn't want to boost her grade when she didn't deserve it. A lot of people wouldn't consider that cheating. Since I'm the "friend", it would only be "right" that I gave her my answers. I, however, disagree. Peer pressure plays a HUGE role in cheating, because nobody wants to be the nerd or the kid who is uptight.
    What you did with your daughter is right, because she should learn to complete her assignments the night before rather than complete most of it and copy the rest.
    Cheating is a serious thing, and hopefully students - and adults - will learn that it is better to do without and get what we deserve.

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  65. Frank P
    LA 2
    I think that everyone cheats at least once in his or her life, but that doesn't mean that it is ok in any situation. Every student wants the best grade cheats because it is kind of a reflex and the mind wants to know the answer. Cheating on a test is different then cheating on simple classworks that aren't even that important. A test is a test of a student's knowledge and a classwork is helping them learn. The student is just hurting his or herself by not doing the work assigned to help them learn

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  66. LA 1
    Jennifer Garcia

    Okay everybody! I think by now after over 50 posts we get that everybody thinks that cheating is bad and everybody does it, but nobody really said that they were going to do anything about it. I know that we all forget to do homework once in awhile and we are not perfect, but it's worse to lie and claim it was done then admitting to your own forgetfulness. I know from this day forward I promise to not cheat off of any other classmates.
    Also, Cat, I think your method may be good for you, but I don't know to many people that have that kind of will power to "lock in" their answer, I know personally I couldn't. Plus, if a teacher sees you glancing at somebody else's paper they would automatically assume you were cheating which you necessarily weren't. So maybe just asking somebody what they got AFTER the test would be slightly more justified. Hope this helps:)

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  67. LA 1
    Ariela Cohn

    I strongly believe cheating is wrong, although there are several students in every school that consider this a normal daily practice. Cheating is unethical and only hurts that person doing the cheating. I feel that the student giving the answers to another student is still involved in the cheating process and is harming themselves as well as the other student. Many students forget to do their homework for the night and end up copying answers from their fellow classmates. The student who is cheating will not learn the lesson from class and will have a difficult time year after year because every lesson builds up on each other.

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  68. Jessica Lloyd
    Period 5

    Teachers are always telling us that it is wrong to cheat, but I feel that this is a hypocritical statement because how many teachers can honestly say that never, not once, have they ever cheated? Mrs. Powers?

    Honestly everyone cheats and everyone knows they cheat. I don't know anyone who can say that they honestly have never copied a friends homework or peeked at an answer during a test. If all of our lives and all of our future is based on grades can a teacher really blame their students for doing what it takes to get the best grade? In today's society having the best grades gets you the best jobs making the most money. Is cheating wrong? Yeah, I guess it does depend on the circumstance, but in all honesty people are always going to find way to cheat their way through life. My dad is a businessman and he has told me repeatedly that when his team is putting together a report they take each others ideas. They are competing with each other, even though they are on a team. It is a dog eat dog world and in order to be on top one might need to know their competition in order to be the best they can be. Is looking at a neighbor's essay to get ideas wrong? You tell me. I am by no means trying to justify cheating I am simply stating that in we become more and more competitive be it in the work place or at school. Our grades today determine our future. As one student in the article said the students with the best grades get the best jobs, these places don't look at how the students got the grades. In today's society cheating may simply be viewed as collectively collaborating or even "sharing." After all sharing is caring.

    Mrs. Powers, to answer your earlier question about how cheaters will get by in life, my response would be that they won't. If you are always relying on someone else for something then you will never become independent. If a worker does not perform to the boss's satisfaction then they will be fired.eventually they will learn.

    AS for the development of technology, I had never heard of the rubber band or highlighter trick. In my opinion, if you give a kid new technology they will find a way to manipulate it and use it to their advantage. Almost all of us have data phones that can access the internet. Students are just going to become more and more creative as technology develops.

    Cheating is viewed upon by teachers as serious, but to children it isn't that big of a deal. Since when is lending a hand to a friend to keep them from getting a bad grade a bad thing? In my opinion cheating is inevitable. Do you think that George Washington made this nation all by himself? That the first colonists came up with all of these ideas of freedom by themselves? Of course not, they took the ideas from someone else. Using your resources should be looked at as a good thing, not a bad thing.

    I would also like to say that while everyone is going to say cheating is bad, everyone has cheated before. You don't have to admit it here, but deep down you know you have. Whether it was on a test, worksheet or even on chores at home. You guys should really stop telling Mrs. Powers what you think she wants to hear and start telling her how you actually feel, that is the point of a BLOG!

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  69. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  70. Brynn Furey ~ Period 2

    Basically, everyone is admitting they have cheated before. Obviously, I have, but we're only human. It is going to happen. Before reading the article, I did not even think of copying homework as "cheating". When I think of cheating it is more like looking over somebody's shoulder and copying their test answers. I actually study for tests, so I don't really have the need to do that. Homework, on the other hand, is a different story. I don't think I know one kid who doesn't absolutely hate homework. I mean, we get home at 4:00 p.m., and we only have about three hours until it gets dark. Most of us have a lot of homework (being in gifted and all), and some of us are taking multiple high school credit classes. Maria brought up a good point, saying how homework is a good way to study without realizing it. At the same time, we're teenagers. We have lives. We want to go out, talk to our friends, and just have fun. Instead, we're stuck at home doing homework, and by the time we're done, it's too late to do anything besides sit on the couch watching television and getting fat. Sometimes, we don't understand our homework, and just give up, thinking we can copy our friend's tomorrow. I've mostly had this experience with Spanish homework. Although I have never really looked at it as cheating. I guess copy somebody's work and taking credit for it is cheating. However, homework is only 10% of our grade, and most of the time, teachers only count it for completion. Honestly, I know cheating is wrong, but there's no way too stop it.

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  71. Malvin Torrens
    Period 4

    Emily C. You are right. Cat call it as you desire, but the act is still considered cheating. I want to see you do that on the FCAT just to see what you think about "locking in your answer" and looking across from you. Not only could there be a dunce next to you, but you might get caught and, guess what, you don't get to go to the next grade because your test will be and not valid. This is just the same on school tests. When you actually start talikng about REALISTIC reasons on why to look at someone's test, quiz, homework, etc. Blog it on your account. All in all, if you are going to take chances on snooping on someone else's test, just change your answers while you are at it.

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  72. Sammi Staropoli
    Period 5

    What Cat does definitely is not wrong because she isn't cheating. Since she has already locked in her answer and promised herself not to change it, this would not be considered copying someone else's answer. Personally, during a test I don't look at anyones paper besides my own because I would never want a teacher to think of me as a cheater. Also, our teachers are very creative in preventing cheating by making different test forms. That way, if someone looks at their neighbor's test, they would be putting the wrong answer. In one of my classes we even put backpacks between us during tests. I believe that collaborating on classwork and homework is not cheating. However, when you are not assigned to work with a partner and you completely copy all his or her answers that would be cheating.

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  73. Alyson Jacobs Period 2

    I believe that every student has cheated before in some type of a form. If a student were to say they have never cheated before, then honestly, the would be lieing. I think cheating on a test is the worst offense you can do because it is the biggest weighed grade out of all the other catorgories. Cheating is cheating, but i think someone should be punished more for cheating on a test then cheating on homework.

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  74. @Malvin
    Oooh, look at you, being aggressive. Not to poke fun at you, but if I DO it, then it is realistic, no? What do you think qualifies as cheating? Intent or final outcome? What if someone accidentally sees someone else's paper? Is that also cheating?

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  75. Wow, actual conflict on the blog! It gets interesting now.

    Actually, what Cat mentions is not cheating going by the definition "Act dishonestly or unfairly in order to gain an advantage, esp. in a game or examination". Since not modifying an answer does not give an advantage, it is not cheating. As for it being realistic, sadly there are few people with the self-control to be able to refrain from changing their answer. Of course, Cat doesn't need to change her answers, just take a look at her grades.

    Francisco Rivera
    Class of 2011

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  76. Emily Chaiet
    Period 4

    Although what Cat does isn't cheating, it is still wrong. It is never appropriate to look at another students work. There is no point in "locking your answer" anyways because eventually you will find out your grade. If someone looked at my paper(even if they did not put my answer) I would still be upset. Also, that "smart" girl could be wrong, and you could get yourself worried nothing. Is it really worth it to look at another students paper?

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  77. Quite frankly, what Cat does is something that I personally don't do and is not really something that I want to do. I check the questions that I didn't know in the book after the test instead. So I personally don't think it's worth it to look at someone else's paper. How is it wrong though?

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  78. I think that if you were to cheat on a test or anything for that matter, it would only affect you negatively. Sure you can answer the question, but do you know how to find the answer? Not to mention that getting caught would be pretty easy if it was a test. During a test I fell like teachers have nothing to do but look at you, so how could they miss someone looking at another students paper? If a teacher were to notice high scores that you got on tests and call on you more during class, you wouldn't know say and you would look really stupid. There are different opinions about cheating, but the fact remains that cheating can have many more negative outcomes that positive ones.

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  79. Beatrice R. Period 1
    I would like to post a follow-up to my previous post. I maintain what I mentioned before: I do not cheat. As I have been reading others' posts though, I realize that there are many diverse definitions of cheating.
    First off, I have seen that some people consider copying notes as cheating; I do not. I am perfectly morally fine with exchanging and copying notes, under the right circumstances. For instance, this last Monday I was absent from all my classes. Since I hadn't been at school to take notes in my classes, I copied one of my friend's notes for the day. Although some consider that cheating, I do not. If I had not done my own notes out of laziness though, then I WOULD consider it cheating.
    I suppose my moral standards of cheating are very grey in some areas, but I still stand by what I said before. In a school standpoint, I honestly don't care what the other students do or do not do. If they decide to cheat their way through tests, then I'm almost excited for the day when the people who learned things will earn the better jobs, while the cheater will end up taking my order of French fries and a burger. My theory is (this is also how I ended my last post): if I tried my hardest, then it was worth it.

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  80. Simon Vargas Period 4

    I have to say that I have definitely have cheated before in my life. I am pretty sure that everyone in their life has cheated before. Cheating on tests or quizzes and sometimes classwork is wrong and should not be done. During homework hours how ever it is ok to ask for help and consult someone like a student because a teacher can not always be there to help. It may be just a letter but that letter decides whether you will in the future. Cheating should be against the rules but it should not be so highly enforced.

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  81. Simon Vargas Period 4

    sorry

    It may be just a letter but that letter decides what you will be in the future.

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  82. Jessica, I like your point. I mean everyone has cheated now or then and maybe people just don't want to admit it.
    Also, Mrs. Powers I love group work so don't get me wrong, some people in group work aren't actually part of the work. I mean, they don't just say I don't understand this question, what did you get? They say, I don't feel like doing it and copy the person next to them. Also, copying someones assignment isn't even thought as cheating anymore but more of a joke. The only thing that is thought of as cheating is when you look at someone else's answers for a test or quiz. Copying a homework assignment or a classwork is now thought of as no big deal. I mean I know that everyone has copied some kind of homework or classwork from someone else at lunch or before school and every person has had to give someone their work at least once. I mean, no one has perfect memory and can remember every assignment that we have to do for homework.

    Lauren Adler
    LA PERIOD 2

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  83. Alexandra Soree
    Period 1

    Malvin, I completely agree with you. There are many consequences to cheating that students don't think about when they do the act. Like Malvin said, there might be a student that isn's as smart next to you, and you may get things wrong that you would normally answer correctly. Worse off, the cheater could be caught and severe punishments will be waiting for them. There is karma for everything, and the karma for doing bad things, such as cheating, is not a good one. The cheaters will be punished, but it serves them right.

    Basically, cheating does not lead up to anything good, while studying and relying on your own friend is a good option.

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  84. Brianna C
    LA 5

    I know I have posted before, but I just wanted to say that students right now are cheating on this mandatory blog post if you are copying what someone else has said. This is mandatory, meaning it is for a grade and if you are just regurgitating what other people wrote, you are not being creative and getting credit for what someone else said before you. In my opinion, that is also considered cheating.

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  85. Alissa Kushner
    p.4

    Beatrice, while I agree with your statement about being "... almost excited for the day when the people who learned things will earn the better jobs, while the cheater will end up taking my order of French fries and a burger, " I also feel that it is terrible way to think. We shouldn’t be glad to see a classmate go down the path of bad morals and finally get caught. What I think we need to do instead is to simply not give in to the pleas of "Can I copy?" The people who actually did their work should not be getting the same grade as the copiers. It just isn’t fair. I know teachers try their best to catch papers that are alike, but it is hard. I believe the answer to getting rid of cheating everywhere is for people to just say no when asked for that homework assignment from last night. If a student can't find a person willing to let them cheat then nobody can cheat. Problem solved.

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  86. Brianna C
    LA 5

    @Beatrice
    Notes aren't exactly an assignment. They are for your own studying purposes. Whether you use them or not is totally up to you. Teachers don't collect most notes and have no affect on your grade. Therefore, copying notes would not be considered cheating, especially if you were absent.

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  87. Roberto Corrie ~ period 1
    Just like everyone is saying i think cheating is a basic way of living. When i get two or more homework assignments I usually talk to a friend and I tell him "I will do the math homework and u do the Spanish homework." By doing this I am copying my friends work while he is copying my work. Also sometimes on a test i might not understand the question, so I peek to my left or right and try to cheat off of another persons paper. I am sure that every single person living on Earth has cheat before, not counting babies. Right now I am kind of cheating because I am reading all of these comments students are posting and using them as my advantage. Basically i am copying what there writing.

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  88. Daniel H LA5

    To address Briana,in my opinion copying off a post made by someone else is not cheating. I find that since it is my grade I should be allowed to freely post my thoughts on the topic even though they may already be presented in previous comments. There is almost no way that our opinions could really differ that much. The view that cheating is wrong but everyone has done it is obviously the most prevalent and there is almost no debate on that. Additionally, I think it would be almost impossible to show that this is not the view of any particular person. Without the easy way of debating the obvious moral ethics of cheating, this topic will most likely end up being about finding nuances in the definition of cheating and extraneous examples of cheating. I urge Mrs. Powers to remove the banning on these subjects for the convenience of other people.

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  89. @Robert
    No. None of that is to your advantage because
    1) You just admitted to cheating. Seriously? Come on
    2) You're being graded on how much your comment contributes to an intelligent conversation. By being unoriginal, you're hurting yourself.
    3) Your grammar stinks. Proofread.

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  90. Jake F
    LA 5

    I know I kind of sound like every other student on this blog post, but I feel the same way. Cheating obviously is not the right thing to do in life. In the real world are you going to have somebody at the desk next to you that you can sneak a look at his or her answers? No, so why practice the habit while you are young and still in school. Yes, I have cheated before as has everybody, but I have felt regretful about my decision of cheating. In some cases cheating is much worse than in others, but it is horrible to do at all times. Obviously if you don't understand a word or something it is fine to ask a friend, but if you are confused on a test because you didn't study, you deserve to fail. Cheating is an awful concept, and everybody should try his or her hardest to abolish the "C" word from his or her vocabulary.

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  91. @Daniel
    Mrs. Powers hasn't banned any type of comments... I can't exactly ban anything either, but I condemn certain ideas to try to get new thoughts and arguments to flow. I find that by looking at something from a different standpoint, or by bringing in a new angle, you're helping out your grade. But you know, I'm just saying. I mean, it's not as if I'm the leading expert on blogging or something.

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  92. Neil Press P.5
    Cheating is never a smart act to do, but sometime it may be necessary. For example, if you did your homework and you were confused on a question, what would be wrong with asking a friend for the answer and then writing it down on the askers paper? In my opinion, cheating helps many students to succeed and is wrong. Almost everyone cheats, and it is impossible for a teacher to watch all 30 students working at once as well as to watch them do their homework. To be honest, most students including myself, cheat on our homework after school, during lunch, and during other classes. If the teacher who assigned the work is not in these classes then the cheating can not be stopped.
    -Neil Press P.5

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  93. Carolina Bou Period 5

    Like everyone else, I have cheated once in my life. I know that it isn't acceptable to cheat, but people do it anyway. I assume it is a serious problem in schools. Personally, I think that if somebody is cheating on a test, it is wrong. What if the person that you cheated off of got every single question wrong on their test or quiz? It doesn't only affect them, it also affects you. Also, teachers are smart. It is clearly obvious that when they look at two people's papers with the same exact answers, most of the time it's somebody who has cheated. Like I said, I have cheated before. Do I regret it? Sometimes. If I didn't finish the homework from last night, what I usually do is take a picture of what problems I need to do and do them alone during my free time. I don't need to ask people if I can copy their answers, because that doesn't teach me anything. I would rather try on my own even if I failed a test instead of cheating off somebody and getting an A+, because sooner or later, I know I will regret it.

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  94. I believe cheating is okay in some circumstances only. For me I only copy homework in math because I know all the material.I only copy homework that is completion. I think cheating on tests is unexcuseable. Anyone who is caught cheating on a test should be given a zero and a saturday school.

    -ben parlo per1

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  95. Mrs. Powers,
    Thanks for posting this article. I definitely think a big part of the issue is the line between collaborating and cheating - many students don't stop to realize the difference. Collaborating is when you are working together towards a common goal, and by working together all participants reach a greater understanding. Usually, it is clear that the teacher expects you to be working with one another. However, if you are being assessed individually (such as on a test, or for completing a homework) you should be completing the work individually. The teacher is looking for individual performance, and sharing answers does not help anyone perform better or learn more; it simply helps them hurry up and complete something.
    I wish more students would stop and realize the distinction. Obviously, we all want our students to learn and succeed, and today, more then ever, there is a lot of pressure on them to do just that. It's the big picture that suggests the importance of trying these things on your own, experiencing the process and learning/growing as a result.
    I hope that for most of the students who are reading and responding to your post, they begin to understand WHO benefits from doing the work (hint: it's not your teachers!) and put this habit behind them!

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  96. Everyone has cheated one way or another. If it was plagiarism or just copying your homework from a friend. It is never okay but sometimes students think they have to, like if they forgot to do their homework and they have an 80 in the class the 0 will force them into a c and their mother of father will be very angry. Although many students think this is okay but it is a big problem. it losses so much knowledge that you could have gained. i agree with Brynn on how its not fair to take credit for other peoples work.
    zachA period1

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  97. Brett Andjich
    Period 3

    I agree with everybody that cheating goes on everywhere. It happens in school, sports and jobs. One instance of cheating in school is copying answers during tests or not doing your own homework. Cheating also occurs in sports. When athletes take steroids or other drugs it is cheating. Drugs makes the athletes stronger, giving them an advantage over others. These athletes either get suspended, kicked off of a team, or arrested.
    My dad is an FBI agent and knows everything there is to know about criminals, cheating and stealing. He always tells me that cheating, even in school, will get me nowhere in life. He also tells me about some of his cases. He tries to arrest and prosecute criminals who steal money. One case is a local Ponzi scam. The person lied to many people, stole their money, and cheated his way to a nice life. Eventually he got arrested and sent to jail for many years. If there is one thing that I have leaned from my father's lectures is that cheaters, stealers, and liars usually get caught and wind up in jail.
    Somebody who cheats in school should not be arrested and sent to jail, but they should get in trouble and face a consequence. Students, athletes, and business people cheat so they can take the easy way out instead of putting in the maximum effort. I agree with my dad that maximum effort should always be put in, and I should not take the easy way out.

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  98. Federico Roye
    Period 2
    While I do not believe that cheating is the best thing to do, I have also done it.
    Cheating is not bad when it is done from time to time. It is mostly bad when someone does it for everything. When it gets to the point that a student is not doing any work at all, then it is a problem. That is the point where that student will not be able to function in the real world. Cheating is not as bad if it is only done from time to time, not on every test, project, and homework.
    On some occasions, though, cheating is acceptable. Some kids struggle with school and homework, sports, and other afterschool activities. These activities might cause a student to not have time to study or do homework. Another occasion is if a student does not understand the material. By looking at the answer directly, the student might see what he or she did wrong or how to do the problem correctly. Cheating is not okay if the student has time to spare, but is too lazy to study or does not want to do the homework.
    In other words, cheating is okay on some occasions. It is not okay when it is done all the time.

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  99. @Federico
    Is cheating EVER justified? If you only cheat once, but it is during a class's final, that's not exactly very good.

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  100. (BallesterosS LA period 2)
    Although school is about learning, quite honestly the only thing that matters is the grade we achieve. If a student cheats his or her way through middle and high school and gets accepted into a top university, and excels by paying other students to do their work or simply asks them for the work and gets accepted to a high-paying job, did cheating pay off for that student? Of course. Did they truly learn anything? Probably not. Did it truly matter if they learned or not? Probably not. Considering that in modern times lifestyles are supported by jobs and money rather than knowledge, cheating is a beneficial tool.
    To be clear, I am not encouraging cheating and promoting it, or saying that I plan to cheat my way through middle and high school, but rather pointing out that it helps to get the grade which is more important to universities than anything else. The true question is, would people rather be the better person and achieve what their sole knowledge allows them too, or cheat and get farther in life?

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  101. The "Shadow Scholar" article was fantastic. That man knows that what he is doing is wrong, but he is getting paid for it. Quite honestly, most people commenting about how 'cheating is wrong' and how 'cheaters only cheat themselves' would do the same. I know I would, because getting paid $2,000 an assignment is just too much money to turn down. Is he cheating students of an education? Absolutely. Is that work paying the bills? Probably. Whether he should or should not being doing that is irrelevant. Is it his fault that he is a good writer and that publishing companies never accepted his work? No. Is he a smart individual for using his abilities for his own good? Clearly. The small part of his conscience that is telling him that his work is unethical is most likely being smothered by the money he is earning, which is the same situation that occurs when a cheating students' conscience is quieted by the 'A' marked on his paper.
    In conclusion, everyone should agree that cheating is unethical. However, just because it is unethical does it mean it will not occur.
    To quote the Shadow Scholar: "Let's be honest: The successful among us are not always the best and the brightest, and certainly not the most ethical." Basically he is saying that the rich and famous in our society almost certainly cheated other people to get where they are now.

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  102. Isabella Bishop
    Per. 3

    I agree with Federico because there is a fine line between cheating and plagirizing. Copying someone's notes, I believe is plagrism, not cheating. Yes, a student may be cheating because the teacher may take the notes as a completion grade but I still believe it to be considered plagirism. I (along with just about everyone else) have cheated before. I've forgotten to do my math homework and I've forgotten to complete the reviews for science, so what do I do? I copy a friend's but never once have I copied from someone else during a test or quiz. I have a firm belief that cheating is never "ok" in a testing situation. If you don't do you notes, then oh well, its the students loss more than anyone else's. It hurts the student the most to cheat classwork or homework because they are losing out on chances to study.

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  103. I believe that there is a fine line between cheating and collaborating. This line is sometimes unintentionally crossed.
    In certain instances, cheating can be necessary. For example, my best friend is in high school chemistry honors. She completed, individually, a very complex lab and a lab sheet to go along with it. She slept over at my house the day before it was due and she left it there. To save her grade, she copied the lab from a friend of hers. She completed the work, but it was lost. Definitely, in cases like this, copying and "cheating" is not wrong.
    Another example of when cheating is okay is when one is unable to complete the assignment. For example, a few years ago, we watched a video in one of my classes. I was running a 101 fever and could not pay attention. When I came back to school, I copied the video notes from a friend, because i could not do them on my own.
    On the other hand, cheating is wrong when it is done on assessments.Additionally, when it is done as a product of laziness.
    Anybody who claims that they have never cheated is lying. I have cheated numerous times, however mainly, I do it for the right reasons.

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  104. onique Issa
    LA period 1

    Even though everyone has his or her own opinions about cheating, in the end it is definitely wrong. Although I have done it before and I don't think I know any student who hasn't cheated at least once in his or her life. We all know its wrong but in most cases don't think it is a big deal. With homework and assignments that are graded for completion, it doesn't seem so wrong because the teacher only looks at it to make sure its done. Or even with just notes and assignments done in class, it doesn't seem like such a big deal. Still, it would be better to have the assignment done on your own, but it isn't as bad. On the other hand, cheating is definitely wrong for assessments. It is our job to study and be prepared for our tests based on the material we cover in class, so we should be able to take it on our own without using another classmates answers. I have never copied a whole test of course, but I admit to taking a few answers here; but rarely do I ever cheat on tests because I know it is wrong. Cheating is all around something that should not be done, but in some cases it isn't as bad as others. As students, we usually cheat because we care about our grades; still, it is wrong and we should do the work on our own unless it is collaboratively as a group where everyone does his or her part.

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  105. Cheating is wrong. End of story. Everyone has done it before because it is truly hard to resist. Although, it shows laziness and lack of confidence in your work.
    If I say so myself, one of the main reasons people cheat is because of all the pressure put on them. According to my parents, I must: get good grades, get into a good college, and study A LOT. "Education is the key to a successful future." Most famous people didn't even go to college! For example, our first president, George Washington!
    Cheating is the easy way out. It is convenient for the cheater. It has consequences, although most don't think of them. Such as, if you get caught cheating, your grade (on the assignment or class grade depending on the circumstances) will drop. I believe that cheating includes the cheater and the friend that supplied the answers. In most cases, the cheater and the friend should both be punished.
    I do not support cheating, but understand why people do it. I have done it before; I think everyone has atleast once. I'm not proud of it, and do not plan on doing it again.
    Alyna Taub Per 4

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  106. Sarah Rothbard P. 3
    Cheating is a very bad habit kids can develop. Many kids have probably cheated once or twice in their life. I admit to doing it one time. When kids are taking a test or doing a homework assignment next to someone else, it is more than likely that they will cheat if they don't know an answer. Although many students have cheated in school, it is the wrong thing to do. I know for sure that studying can be hard sometimes. It's not fair for one student to study hard to get a good grade and have a fellow student, who has not studied, copy their answers and get a good grade also. Cheating is also not a benefit for students who do it because nothing is actually learned and no knowledge is gained from it. Students who cheat face the consequences on their own, though. When someone cheats, the automatic feeling inside is guilt. A person will feel guilty of what they had done. Cheating is so unfair and anyone who does it knows it. It is guilt that makes kids only cheat sometimes. Guilt is a terrible feeling, which sometimes steers people from cheating a couple times to never cheating at all. It's not ok to cheat and everyone knows that, but does that mean people will stop cheating?

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  107. Malvin Torrens
    Period 4
    @ Cat
    You know what, Cat? When I was an infant my parents said no one is perfect. Therefore, do not think that just because you do something it has to be the best way. You are not even close to perfect just like everyone else. Also, you are probably lesss because you are conceded. There will always be someone smarter than you. Cheating should be defined as an attempt to check another person's paper for one's benefit. You were cheating in which you looked at the girl's paper just to check your answer even though you did not change the answer. However, if you were just looking around like daydreaming, then you might think it is okay, but because the teacher does not know your intentions, it would be considered cheating to the teacher. Thus, looking around unintentionally is, sadly, considered cheating.
    Ps, you are on my pet peeve list

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  108. @Malvin
    1) Yes, I am kinda conceited. (BTW, you spelled that wrong.) So sue me.
    2) I actually DO like you. You've got spunk. :)

    Okay. Now you're defining cheating on whether the TEACHER thinks you are cheating. (LOL, I just realized that cheating and teaching share the same letters!)What if the teacher is wrong? That's not exactly fair is it? Now, I want to know by what definition you consider it to be cheating. As Francisco pointed out, I'm not cheating in the dictionary definition, and I'm not exactly affecting anyone else either, so WHAT IS CHEATING. I want to know your definition.

    Now, I want let you in on a little known factoid. Approximately 80% of the kids in my FCAT testing center, last year, cheated on the first science portion of the FCAT. (I was not among them.) Why? They changed all of the first part gridded-response questions during the second portion. How? They were all able to discuss the questions in the hour we had after the first part. One of the questions everyone failed on: How many planets are in our solar system? One brilliant girl guessed three. Another genius said sixteen. Can you consider what I do to be on level with THAT? (Honestly, I don't care if you say yes, but I'd like to see reasoning.)

    Now, if you think about it, this is why I never feel the need to change my answers. I know, that I'm better off NOT copying the work of those around me. Yes, you are right; that is conceited, but it is also TRUE. Ever notice that people are less compelled to cheat when they're around morons? THAT'S the reason why.

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  109. Alyssa Levin
    Period 5

    In some cases people may think that cheating can be okay, but really it's never okay. When you copy off someone else's work it may be worth it to get an "A", but you never learned anything from it. If the subject you had just cheated on comes up again what would you do then? Would you just cheat again or fail the test? I personally would not feel good if it were me cheating on a test just because I did not take the time to learn the subject. In my opinion, if people are using the effort to cheat on tests, why not use that energy to study your self and actually learn the material. Over all, cheating is never the way to go when you didn't do the homework or study.

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  110. Sebastian Q
    Period 1
    Cheating??Can never be considered a good thing because you are taking peoples answers, when really everybody does it how can you consider something bad and complaining that people are stealing your answers when you are doing it too.Cheating is a habit so what your eyes randomly decide to wander on your classmates paper this has happened to everybody so in my opinion i see it more as a habit than a bad thing

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  111. Felipe V
    Period 1
    Students cheat in school because this usually leads to better grades and success in school. Clearly, succeeding in school is a great accomplishment and nobody wants one bad homework or classwork grade to ruin their overall grade. But cheating defies the purpose of school and college, etc. which is to learn. Although everyone has cheated for success in school, they have defied the very purpose of why they come to school. Cheating will not help students learn but instead teaches them to use shortcuts and take the easy way out of propblems. Without a doubt, cheating is a big problem and school and keeps students from learning.

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  112. Malika G.
    LA-3

    Everyone cheats. Even though it is wrong, everybody has cheated at least once in their lives and they will most likely cheat again. Most students do not refer to it as cheating or do not even realize that what they do is considered cheating. It may be copying notes or homework, or even glancing over at another person's test in class. I think that the main reason why people cheat is because they are too lazy to do their own work. They do not want to study or have to do homework while other people have fun and relax. No one does. Why spend time and effort on something that you can just copy down from someone else later? It is simply an easy way out. I think that another reason why people copy is to get high grades. If there is someone who gets high grades, people are going to copy their work. Everyone wants to get great grades and since they have the chance, they take it. Although cheating is tempting, it is definitely wrong. Students should get grades based on their own work to see where they need to improve in certain subjects. Even though it is a hassle, the only way to actually progress and get better grades is to learn and to study. In other words, when people cheat, the only thing they cheat themselves out of is an education.

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  113. Jimmy Boswell
    LA-1

    Yes, people cheat. We ALL cheat. I've have cheated, you have cheated, he has cheated, she has cheated, and it has cheated. I barely cheat, but when I do it is for math homework which I don't consider to be a felony. People cheat because usually it is the simple way out of something called LAZINESS. This is something that we all share whether it is severe or not so sever. This one of the few things we all have in common. Doing homework or studying for a test is boring. Like seriously why do people want to do THAT? Pssshhhhhttt. This is how we all think sometimes. Cheating is extremely tempting sometimes. When I say sometimes I am referring to times in which we don't study. Yes, people do this for the grade. What else would they do it for? The bottom line is students DO indeed cheat its just a habit. Yes, it is bad because it takes from their education, but like I said its just a common habit that we all share.

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  114. Period 3 Jake N

    Look, every kid in the world knows that cheating is bad. However, kids do it anyway. You see it every where in school; at lunch, before school and even between classes. Going back to what @jimmy Boswell said, it is a habit we cant control if we cheat or not. If you have a smart person next to you, your eyes just wander to their paper and you kind of take a couple answers. I have done it and so has everybody else. When friends copy off each other they don't think of it as cheating, they believe that they are just helping each other. Also, another point cheating hurts you more than anybody else. Rather than doing the work yourself, you just get the answers from somebody who took the time to do the work. All in all, cheating is extremely bad but we will continue to do it because its an easy way to get a good grade, but we should definitely stop cheating and do the work yourself!

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  115. Period 2
    Kaisy Prieto

    Commenting on Cats scenario, I personally think that it's OK to peer at another student's answers to CHECK your own. Yes, what Malvin said does have reason, but is it really considered cheating when you're just using another student's answers to CHECK and not to COPY? Of course, there are the consequences of being caught peering at another student's answers, as well as getting the answer incorrect, but if you're willing to take the risk of looking at another person's paper, you're also willing to accept the consequences for your actions.
    Now to talk about cheating in general. If it's for the benefit of getting the correct answer to an unsure question, or just for the pure reason of being too lazy to study the night before the test; most people would say they have cheated at least once in their life. Would many say it's the right thing to do? No. Do people do it anyways? Yes. Were all human and make mistakes. Cheating is a part of life and always will be. Whether we do it voluntarily or involuntarily we know it's wrong and what risks were are taking in doing so.

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  116. Beatriz Galdona
    LA Period 3

    Cheating is wrong in all circumstances. I think students cheat out of laziness and care for their grade. In my opinion, if students cared for their grade THAT much, they would stay up late and do the work themselves. Cheating is everywhere. In the halls, at lunch, and even in classrooms.

    Cheating on a test is definitely the worst form of cheating. If the student you copied off of worked hard and studied hard and actually EARNED the grade he or she got, then why should you get the same thing from looking at his or her paper? As my teacher ised to say, "An 'F' earned with effort is better than an 'A' gotten with cheating."

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  117. LA2
    Mitchell Mansell

    Many time when i have taken a test i was stuck on a question. In my mind i did think about cheating, but thought of all the consequences that could happen if i got caught. Almost every kid in the school has cheated or thought about cheating once in their life. You cant stop a cheater by giving them a zero or taking the test away, because that doesn't mean they won't do it again. I believe the only way you could stop a cheater is by putting them next to no one. Kids will cheat and everybody knows that, but they have to know that it could affect them in the future when they don't know about something and they were suppose to learn it in 8th grade. Also in the article it stated that if you got caught cheating at an University they would kick you out.

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  118. Michael North
    Period 2

    Cheating is never okay under any circumstances. The only reason people cheat is that they are too lazy to do their homework or study for tests. Even though you may get a good grade from cheating, it still doesn't really help you because you didn't learn the material. If you get caught, it will really hurt your chances of getting into college.

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  120. LA Period 3
    David L
    After reading the post, what grabbed my attention was the two examples that was used in the beginning, especially the latter one. I'm sure everyone in this class room has cheated at least at one point during their life, in a test, quiz or just simple classwork. Cheating, to most of us, is to copy answers or allow our answers to be copied during tests or quizzes. But after realizing letting other students copy forgotten work is considered cheating, it adds a brand new perspective for me to what is considered cheating and how wrong it is. It seems very often that we forget to do homework, and having another student to simply give us the answer is the easiest way out. But after realizing such an act is considered cheating, it makes me realize how much that i actually cheat and how I don't do any of the work while still getting the credit and grades from the victim of this action. From this point on, I would try my best not do commit such actions, but being only human, such promise can't be kept.

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  121. Cheating is an extreme problem in the school world today. Looking back to Jacob Cohen's post much earlier I completely agree with him. Student start to cheat when they are overloaded with work or do not have time to study because of after school activities. It has happened to me before where I do not have time to do a homework assignment and have copied a friends in school. It is not the right thing to do but students cheat to get by.
    I have never thought about cheating that way Mrs. Powers. You proved a great point. School is really all about learning, not about your grades. If I learn I will become smarter for when I am older and need to get a job.
    Also, the article shows how easy it is for students to cheat these days. Kids research, type things in on google and find other ways to cheat. The school world has gotten way to competitive because children feel under pressure when kids they know got a way better grade then they did on an assignment. It makes them feel bad and want to do better. Cheating is the wrong thing to do and should be stopped somehow. - Evan Teich period 3

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  123. Spencer C.
    LA PERIOD 1
    Many students cheat. Most students, to be exact. A student may be compelled to cheat because of lack of study or knowledge of the topic. They may be lazy and not want to study. They rely on the "smart kid" sitting next to them.
    The article shows that many of the students at the university admitted to cheating and mentioned that it will not get one by in life.
    Copying homework is another type of cheating. As Evan stated, he has copied homework or a due assignment off of his friends. I admit to this. I also admit to cheating. If the student just does the homework within the 9 hours that he or she is home, there would be no copying and nothing to worry about. Cheating is most definitely a problem.
    @Cat: The "locking in your answer" is a form of cheating. If a teacher sees you looking at the paper of another student, he or she will take it away. No excuses will be accepted. Points will most likely be deducted. You should get a zero. Not such a good idea.

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  124. I thought that article was extremely interesting. Obviously, many kids in our world cheat. Although copying notes is still considered cheating, I don't think it is that big of a deal. However, cheating on a test is. Cheating is a huge problem that our society has to face. Even though I have copied a friend's note or a problem I didn't understand here and there, I know I shouldn't have. Many kids cheat because they are either too lazy, or they just don't know the material. However, it is not right to the person that they are copying off of. They might have taken the time to study and they deserve a good grade on the test. There is no point in cheating because your answer could be correct and someone sitting next to you might be wrong. If i see somebody glancing at my paper during a test, I cover my answers. When somebody asks to copy my homework, I don't want them to because I took the time to do it. Although, if a friend forgot about the assignment I admit I have given it to them. Cheating is definitely an issue that needs to be faced.
    Hannah L.
    Period 1

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  125. Cole W
    Period 1

    I always believe cheating is wrong. There is no question about that. Although I am not proud of it, I, along with most people, have cheated before. However, I think that what someone's opinion of cheating is affects the subject. For example, giving out or stealing answers on a test is obviously wrong. On the other hand, if someone is copying a small homework assignment, it does not seem like to be a big deal to me. Some teachers can assign tons of homework. It is easy for a student to forget one assignment. I cannot really blame someone for not wanting to get a zero. If someone does think this kind of, "cheating," is morally wrong, the punishment comes naturally. If the student cheats, then he or she will not know the material for upcoming tests and quizzes. If not doing the homework does not affect the student's grade, then the assignment was unnecessary in the first place. Besides all of this talk about cheating, there is not much that anyone can do about it for now. Everyone might as well learn to live with it until the problem can can be solved.

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  126. Danielle Bush
    Period 5

    We have all established that cheating is wrong and everyone has cheated before. I am certainly a victim to cheating and I know when I cheat I do not feel good about myself. For instance, I have a tingly feeling in my stomach and I keep saying over and over in my head, "Did I get caught?", "What if the teacher saw me cheating?", "Will I get a zero?" I believe these are commonly asked questions during the remorse of a cheater. I believe kids feel it is ok to cheat when they have a lazy teacher that won't look, the assignment does not count for anything, or they just don't care about the material. If a kid cheats, he or she most likely did not want to study and wants to pull a fast one. If a student cheats, they are relying on someone else's answers. The will never learn the material if they rely on someone else. Most likely when the real test comes or the state standard test comes, they are sunk. If a student is caught cheating on that, his or her test will be invalidated. Furthermore, cheating is hurtful toward teachers because it shows them that students don't care about what they are teaching and don't respect them. Unfortunately, as technology becomes more advanced, it has become easier for students to cheat. For example, you are taking a test on quia, an online computer website. You simply open up a new tab and sign into your gmail account. You know the person next to you and you are friends on gmail chat. You simply type in the chat box to your friend sitting next to you, "Hey Suzy, what is number 9? I am completely blanking out." The teacher would never know. Thus, cheating is simple and easy to do. This is even easier than ever because most teachers can't keep up with today's technology. In summation, cheating has no benefits and teachers should take more precautions to prevent it.

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  127. Jordanne Cantrill
    Period 3

    It's obvious that many students, including myself, have cheated before in their lives. Whether it is immoral to that person is not relevant as to why they are doing it. Many students now feel pressured that they have to go above and beyond all expectations, so if they are falling behind, a simple (and seemingly painless) solution is to ask someone else and cheat. When a student is outweighing the pros and cons in their mind, they think about: How should I cheat? Will I get caught? Who should I cheat off of? Depending on these answers, the results might outweigh the chances of failing and facing ridicule. Though most students regret it afterwards, it seams as though it has done no serious harm. Still, cheating never actually benefits a student in the long run because they still do not know the material properly.

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  128. Nicole Arrieta
    Period 2

    Everyone has cheated at one point of his or her life and there is no one who can deny that. The only reasons why a student would cheat is to receive a great grade, show off his or her brilliance to friends, and to make his or her parents proud. That is it, No one could give and actual valid excuse for cheating because no matter what it is still wrong. If someone were to constantly cheat he or she would never learn or discover new subjects. Also, if that someone were to be caught cheating, it would just be embarrassing for him or her. A typical type of cheating that is completely unacceptable is plagiarizing due to the fact that a person is taking credit from someone else's work who took his or her time to truly complete it. After reading this article, I have realized that I have cheated before. I, honestly, have not cheated on a test before (because I would not be able to live with the guilt) but I have cheated. Of course, I still believe that cheating is never the right under any circumstance.

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  129. Veronica Postolski
    Period 1
    First of all we all cheat. That's just how it is. I have " cheated" before, sometimes if I forget to do a work sheet I   will copy it from a friend and I will let them copy from me. However I do not copy on a regular bases because then I do not fully understand the material we are covering in class. I believe most people copy because they are busy and occasionally forgetful.  When students copy from one another it is not viewed as cheating to me cheating is having the answers written on your arm while taking a math test. I think the main reason people cheat is to get a better grade. When applying to collage people will look at the grades a student has earned and not so much how they got it.  Cheaters will always be cheaters when they are done with school that is what they will do, cheat. 

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  130. As most of the past comments have stated, we have all cheated before, whether it was by copying someone else's work or letting someone copy our own work. I know my reason for letting a friend copy my homework, if they forgot to do it for instance, is because as their friend I want to see them do well and help them anyway I can. To me, even though copying homework is still cheating, it's definitely not as bad as cheating through other means, like sharing test questions. Since homework is only %10 of our class grades I think we subconsciously look at it as less significant.
    Plagarism is definitely a big issue in today's society, as we talked out in a past blog post, and is most certainly a form of cheating. Now with the click of a few buttons we can easily copy and paste information and claim it as our own. Although we all know plagarism is not right, I think we forget that plagarism is also a form of cheating.
    Sadly, because of the immense pressure that is put on kids to do well, it's probably the most common reason for cheating. Our future success is all dependent on how we do now, in school, and if we can prevent getting an "F" on an assignment by copying from our friend, most kids are going to do it. To answer your question, Mrs. Powers, for me cheating is because of the grade. Yes, it might just be a letter, but life is a chain effect. If we get bad grades, we go to a bad college. If we go to a bad college, it's harder to be more successful. However, it is definitely true that cheating is also hurting us in the long run because we're not really learing the material the way we should be.

    Raquel Bejany
    Period 1

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  131. We have all cheated in the past. We shall all continue to cheat in some way or form. It is human nature, so it is not wrong. It is a way of life. That is all.

    Oh wait. Because I want to state the already obvious socially acceptable answer, cheating is wrong.

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