It all started with the fidgeting. Then the feeling you got in your chest, warning you it was a bad idea. Your clammy hands could barely grip the pencil. Your mind was racing: you couldn’t form a coherent thought. Your heart began palpitating. Before you knew it, it was staring right back at you. Your mind went blank.
As a child, you always remember the scorn you’d get if the thought of cheating ever entered your mind. Through middle school, you didn’t worry as much; you felt like things could only get better. Finally, by your high school years, you hit a wall of realization that getting by just wasn’t good enough in a society where you were defined by your intelligence.
It began simply as scribbled words along the palm of your hand. Then it turned into small pieces of paper with full answers on them. It was the small, pleading looks you would give your neighbor as the questions and answers overwhelmed you. Cheating seemed to be your only option at this point. But, at least you would not just be getting by; you would be successful; finally at the top.
In the Bishop Noll student handbook, disciplinary action taken in cases of cheating include, in severe cases, expulsion.
Matt Chico, Dean of Students at Bishop Noll, says that the consequences of cheating are all under his discretion depending on the severity of the action and the student’s disciplinary background. When it comes to any kind of disciplinary action, there is a sense of confidentiality to it. Chico says that academic dishonesty is a severe offense and students should consult the student handbook regarding the outline in place for academic dishonesty.
Students each have their own opinions on cheating. The gamut listing of feelings range from resentment to being in almost complete agreement with the rules and guidelines to minimize cheating.
An anonymous Bishop Noll student explains his stance on cheating by saying that it all depends on the particular assignment. If it’s something small, like homework or an in-class-worksheet, then it’s not that big of a deal. However, cheating on test or big projects is not a good idea.
Senior theology teacher and National Honor Society sponsor, Barrett Laspesa,voiced in saying, “[Cheating] is like an addiction. You try it just one time and you’re hooked.”
Laspesa showed his support for the punishment that a student receives by saying that it is reasonable that a student receive a zero on something they cheat on. To prevent any sort of academic dishonesty in his classroom, Laspesa takes precautionary measures such as having tests with the questions in a different order and using the website Turnitin.com to avoid plagerism among his students.
John Cotey, Art teacher at Bishop Noll, explains that the reasoning behind why student choose to cheat is simply instant gratification. Instant gratification is the feeling of being satisfied with how quickly the results come into effect. Students like knowing they have guaranteed themselves with an easy method to receive higher grades. Although Cotey strongly agrees with the guidelines in the student handbook, he refuses to divulge his method in detecting plagiarism and cheating in his classroom. In Cotey’s teaching experience only about ten to fifteen percent of students have actually been caught cheating.
Students have been cheating for as long as teachers have been giving assignments: no exceptions. While not all cases are as extreme as others, it’s undeniable that we’ve all cheated in some form. It’s evident that teachers take precautionary measures to ensure lack of cheating, but the truth is: students do not realize how much of an effect cheating could have on themselves and on the student they cheated off of. Once an individual becomes accustomed to passing off stolen work as their own, they fail to see how much they can actually accomplish with their own knowledge.
It went from fidgeting to a steady, collected state. It originated at ones own intuition warning them to stop and transformed into the determination needed to accomplish the task at hand. Not only complete it with the help of other students, but complete it independently. It was steps forward to becoming a better student and finally having the drive to succeed.
Chico stresses, “Each student should strive to do their best in their academic course-work and remember that their parents and guardians make [tremendous] sacrifices to send them to Bishop Noll; students should aim for the best grade possible based on their own merit.”