|
Jewish World Review Feb. 26, 2004/ 4 Adar, 5764
Marianne M. Jennings
Of cheating, trees and their acorns
http://www.NewsAndOpinion.com |
The acorn never falls far from the tree. A month ago I described my
experience of being booed while speaking about cheating at a high school located
deep in urban sprawl. I was against it. In this era, one must clarify. The
students were not interested in free copies of my book on ethics. They were
not interested, period.
The response to that column has been discouraging. I remain ever the realist
when it comes to cheating levels in academic endeavors, but ever the optimist
that young people can be reformed. My optimism wanes because virtue hasn't a
prayer, as it were, in homes and classrooms with attitude. I shall allow the
words of the teachers, students and parents from this school to speak for
themselves. In the words of the great Dave Barry, "I am not making this up."
A senior wrote, "People are going to make choices for themselves. I
don't blame the teachers, or parents, or anyone else. Students who cheat do so on
their own terms. Of course there has been no penalty, but they know there is
a risk, and apparently it seems like it's worth taking. According to the
U.S. News & World Report article 'Exclusive Poll: Cheaters Win,' which I provided
a link to at the end of this letter, just about everyone is cheating in some
way or another. This includes lawyers, politicians, and the media, among
many, many others. It is a common thing among society that is seemingly accepted.
Obviously, in college (or any other institution), many of these people were
never caught, or never penalized for their actions. I am not supporting
cheating, but this just goes to show that we live in a world where it is prevalent."
Roseanne Roseannadanna's logic finds me sleeping with the lights on.
Another student, who was in the calculus class when the debacle in which
no penalty was assessed against students who had the final exam and answers in
advance, wrote, "As a peer of the corrupt calculus students, I can tell you
that the punishment our teacher handed out may not have been public, but it was
poignant. Many of my guilty peers begged their teacher for the "F" in place
of the actual punishment: facing their parents. After speaking with several
of them, I can say that their parent's disappointment was thorough enough to
discourage any future indiscretion."
Perhaps we could try this penalty on the Enron executives.
Ah, but this same student explained to me that business causes cheating,
"You say not to blame 'the rich, the Republicans, Halliburton, or greed,' but
those factors seem to constantly favor capitalistic ventures over education."
I missed the economics lecture that followed the "guns vs. butter"
discussion, to wit, "capitalistic ventures vs. education." They are mutually
exclusive? Antithetical?
From a teacher, "I feel the problem starts with the parents. The
students that are caught cheating, the parents do everything they can to get them
off. 'The teacher never said they could not do this, or that,' is the common
phrase heard. Do administrators pick battles? Yes. Should they pick a battle
everytime [sic] a cheating incident occurs? Yes. Do they? No."
Another teacher wrote, "Parents are allowed to run buckshot over teachers
and grades are inflated. Cheating is done on a daily basis and there is
little effort to curb it. Kids will ditch class by having their parents excuse
them during the period they are to take the test, and then the kids find out
from their friends what is on the test. I have called kids on it and have been
in trouble with administration. The new camera cell phones are now being used
to take pictures of tests and also they are using instant messaging to cheat."
But, the parents see it differently. "A Proud Asylum Parent," (Mark
Henning) wrote, "As the double Doctorate in the audience put it so succinctly, 'I
was enrolled in one of her classes for 2 weeks and I had to get out before I
was bored to death.' Maybe some soul searching is in order before you are so
quick to criticize. From the student with a 4.00 GPA and quadruple fines arts
letters, 'I have never heard a more boring speaker in my life.' And the list
goes on. . . . You were a miserable failure. The Bataan Death march was
actually a celebration from the execution of your speech. Yes, the debacle was
yours, but you are too blind to acknowledge it. Keep the book."
I have been called many things. I am unable to list them here because,
well, this ain't half time at the Super Bowl. "Boring" has yet to emerge.
But, I'll give Mr. Henning his point. That I am a total bore does not address
nor change the problem with cheating at the school his two daughters attended.
There was one sincere note; "I apologize for the few bad seeds that
ruined it for everyone. I would appreciate it if you could return and hopefully
bring a few signed books for the few receptive students here . . ."
Not a chance, unless the parents come too. Their acorns could use some
guidance.
Enjoy this writer's work? Why not sign-up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
|