So, there's this fella in my Biology class who other students have noticed cheating on our previous two exams by pulling out his cell phone (to look up answers on the web & also to look at pictures he took of his notes). When we're finished taking our exam we're supposed to wait out in the hallway and that's when my classmates have talked about it. Most of them were upset by it but didn't want to turn him in and others said they didn't care. This student would typically be the last to finish the test and came out into the hallway smirking when some students would make comments about him be slick and getting away with it. He would smile bigger and say that he only used his phone for a few questions.
Whether it was a few questions or the whole test, it doesn't matter; cheating is cheating. Since I didn't personally see him do it I went back and forth about approaching our teacher. I decided not to say anything till I actually saw him do it.
Tonight we had our third exam. Before we started, our instructor told us he didn't want to see any cell phones out at all and seeing one would be construed as attempting to cheat and a zero would be given. You would think that such a specific and stern warning would be enough. Not so.
The student in question sat right in front and to the left of me so I had a perfect line of vision. Sure enough, I saw him pull out his phone a number of times. I decided to finish my exam and write a note to the teacher on the back of my response sheet. I gathered my things, handed in my test, and pointed to my note so he was sure to read it right away.
A few minutes later, as I was sitting in the hallway, I saw the student in question walking out of the classroom down the hallway. He had pulled out his phone again and was caught! Now, don't get me wrong, I didn't feel good about it; in fact, my stomach was in knots. However, I know that I did the right thing. Cheating, in any form, is morally reprehensible, and it is disrespectful to both the teacher and one's classmates. End of story.
Most of my friends agree with me and affirmed my decision to turn this student in, citing it as the right thing to do. To my surprise, though, another friend said she disagreed with turning students in, that it is bad karma. First of all, I don't believe in karma. Second of all, people need to learn right from wrong and understand that there are consequences for breaking rules and ethics. And frankly, it's sad to me that I'm the only one in my class who said something. When cheating and academic dishonesty enter the picture it compromises the educational process for everyone. And I felt that by the extent to which I was keeping quiet, I was participating in and contributing to this compromised situation that affects everyone. Some people might say it's just a test, but what really worries me is the way this ethic tends to get carried into other situations and facets of life. When people of good conscience see something wrong happen and do nothing to stop it, I feel that they're just as culpable. What has happened to integrity, principle, and character?!? People are their principles!!!
"We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the vitriolic words and actions of the bad people, but for the appalling silence of the good people." ~Martin Luther King, Jr.
I'll step off of my soap box, for now....
What are your thoughts, friends???
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