No, I never caught a fish alive. But I caught someone cheating. I caught students cheating. I caught someone cheating. Cheating in an exam. Cheating in a relationship. Cheating just so one can get by. How did that make you feel? How did it make others feel?
In my class during quizzes, I had my antenna raised up and I had to glare at everyone when at least one student cheats. It affected the whole classroom. I had to do my job and I brought out a suspicious aura that made everyone uncomfortable.
That’s what cheating do. It’s hateful and puts everyone around being suspected of the same thing.
You know what, in the morning during examination days, I would always tell myself that I will keep my cool. But when I see students trying all their might to cheat, I become ugly. I memorize not only their names but their faces and strand or course. It was rather difficult to forgive students who cheat.
During discussions, I encourage them to ask questions however trivial their questions maybe. And that they study hard so that when examinations come, they wouldn’t resort to that despicable act of cheating! They can do better than that. If you were not able to study, be fair. Accept that you were not able to study and you can always ask consideration from your teacher/s. But you aren’t in any way allowed to turn to cheating.
I always tell my students that when they cheat, they become blacklisted not necessarily on record but on my mind. I would do everything to make them fail. I do give second chances. As long as they learn their lesson, I will forgive them. But the damage has already been done. It’s hard to like them again. Cheating is an act of disobedience to me as their teacher because in the very first place, I told them not to cheat. So there, disobedience apart from cheating.
But it hit me, how am I different from these students who cheat? Do I have a clean conscience when it came to cheating? Should we judge them for their behavior?
While it is true that they committed the gravest mistake, it is also wrong to judge them right there and then. They just attempted to do something in order to pass the subject. What is then our role as educators? It is to teach them whatever we can. We teach them that cheating is somehow unforgivable. I believe that it is one of the acts that cannot be condoned by others. If their families hadn’t had the chance to teach them, let us assume our roles and teach them what needs to be taught. At the same time checking upon ourselves not to be hypocrites!
On the other hand, in writing, we have to always see to it that we do not just copy something. We have to attribute it to other authors who wrote it. Otherwise, we might be facing unnecessary disruptions with our life. Just that one line will be enough for us to face long-term problems. Therefore, it is very advisable to never cheat.
Issues about plagiarism have been raised by users here. It’s very rampant and those who plagiarize do not seem to care about the effects of what they’re doing. They copy somewhere and claim that it is theirs. Which is despicable!
The efforts and time spent by the original author just to come up with something. Then another simply copies it! That’s preposterous! Why don’t you just go farm the land that your father gave you? You’re even lucky you’ve inherited a piece of land where you could grow crops and live off for the many years of your life.
If you have the nerve to copy others’ works, then you do not have the qualification to be here. Anybody would see that you are a copier. What are you? A Xerox copier? Machines do that. You have better work to do.
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Anyway, this is in participation for the word prompt that a writer here have started. I noticed that many were writing about cheating so I participated as well.
For the others who wish to join the writing prompt the rules are as follows…
Write about cheating
Write 100% original content
Write at least 600 words
Tag @JonicaBradley
Have fun
