Is Your Child a Cheater?

[liberal N proud]

Saw this article on MSN web site
Kids are coming up with new ways to cheat, copy, and steal. It's up to you to help them learn right from wrong.
<snip>
...cheat sheet for his chemistry exam on the inside of a water-bottle label.
<snip>
"Today's middle school students have been using computers since they could walk," says Don McCabe, Ph.D., a professor at Rutgers University who has done several studies on cheating and plagiarism. At the same time, other factors -- including out-of-control grade pressure -- have affected kids' attitudes toward cheating.

Do Kids Care?
McCabe's studies show alarmingly cavalier attitudes toward cheating. Of 4,500 high school students he interviewed during the 2000/2001 school year, a full 75 percent admitted having cheated at least once on a test, which is up from 50 percent in 1993 and 25 percent in 1963. Among 7th graders, 64 percent said they had collaborated with other students when they were supposed to be working alone; 48 percent admitted having copied homework from someone else, and 87 percent said they had let someone else copy homework from them.

The stigma attached to cheating, apparently, has been losing strength over the years and is now hanging on by a thread.
More: http://family.msn.com/tool/article.aspx?dept=learn&sdept=lea&name=sc_070204_cheater

Is it any wonder kids think it is OK to cheat? When we have examples of it in the White House and many other prominent positions?

[Maestro]

1. Children and cheating

go together but the main reason is not because the child is inherently bad, but rather out of fear of failure. The child does not want to let down his teacher and parents so he cheats to survive a situation where he is confused and lost. To avoid this, and as a teacher, you must establish an environment in which failure is good and part of the learning process. We learn from our mistakes. Therefore the child will be less apt to want to cheat. Of course their are those that will cheat out of no desire to be educated and simply let others do the work for them. We can see who those are as well and need much more help that most teachers can provide, ie psycological help.

As far as the admin goes, they cheat because they know what they want from this world, domination, and since they can not line intellectuals up and shoot them all as they want, they must resort to manipulations and lies to further their agenda. What *sswipes!

[Jamastiene]

2. My mother

can honestly say no to that question. Although I am not longer a minor, I can honestly say I don't cheat. I am in college, btw.

[no_hypocrisy]

3. When I went to college, there was an Honor Code.

One of the obligations was to ask the cheater to turn herself in. If she refused or deferred, you had to do it.

I didn't cheat, but I didn't want to be put in a position of being a "rat", so I just kept my eyes on my test paper at all times, so I wouldn't inadvertently see cheating around me.

I found out third-hand about a classmate who got an advanced copy of a final exam, filled out a bluebook ahead of time, and switched the bluebooks at examtime. I don't think she deserved the same diploma I got, but I still wonder had I known firsthand, would I have turned her in.

The Honor Code had a significant impact on some graduates. Once a gradute spoke at Founder's Day and she "confessed" that she was carrying a burden for 25 years, that she had cheated on an exam and she couldn't rest until she made it public. It was impressive, but I don't think the impact was that great on current students and it was too little, too late for her.