Would You Cheat for a Treat?

By: Rima Al Eisa

Edited by: Haya AlDabbagh, Salma El Fouly, Leena Khan

 

According to an article by The Wall Street Journal, children’s cheating rates rise through middle school and high school. About 51% of students admit to cheating on a test in the past year, and 74% say they have copied another student's homework in the US. Whereas in AIS-R, about 70% would consider cheating to raise their grades up

where the other 39% would never cheat based on a middle school survey.

 

The eighth grade cheating habits completely contradictwith the AIS-R eagle

honor code where it says the student should be honest, and demonstrates

academic integrity as well as how a student should make good choices

throughout their school life. If a student does not follow the honor code,

consequences will be severe. However, these consequences can’t be

delivered because most students never get caught.

 

Many students at AIS-R cheat, or would cheat, in order to get a better grade to satisfy their parents. According to the survey the AIS-R middle-schoolers took, most students have said they’ve never cheated, where a smaller percentage said they would cheat, or did cheat, in order to satisfy parents.  

 

An article presented by Tricia Bertram Gallant titled “Helping Students Learn from Ethical Failures,” stated how cheating is normal for youth behavior as they learn about boundaries, authority, ethics, and morality. Mrs. Gally, the 8th grade math teacher, strongly disagreed with that statement and said that “Cheating should not be accepted as normal youth behavior. The teaching of proper ethics and morality should start at a young age in the family. The school should be the place that reinforces that good behavior. “

 

Mohamed Abou Zied, an eighth grade student, said “I would be really frustrated if a student who has cheated on the test has gotten a better grade than me, because they didn't put enough effort as much as I did.” Judging by Mohamed’s statement, some students do work hard and study in order to get better grades. Nora Al Saud, also an eighth grade student, said “I think the reason I’m sometimes lazy is just because theres that time of year when I’m honestly really tired and just like want to get the year over with that when my laziness strikes.”  

 

Students cheat for many reasons such as laziness,or to seem cool and sometimes it's to avoid retakes.Samina Ludlow, another eighth grade student, admitted to cheating and explained why she did. “Yes I have [cheated] and it’s mostly to avoid a lecture from my parents about grades. Whenever I get bad grades, my parents lecture me, and I honestly just want to avoid that lecture.”

 

Walking into an eighth grade Arabic class, one would find many students copying each others’ answers for class work, even on a daily basis. Cheating happens on a regular basis, even though a majority of the eighth grade population is Muslim , and Islam is a religion that forbids cheating.

 

"Islam absolutely forbids cheating and deception whether Muslims or non-Muslims are involved,” says a Muslim Imam by the name of Kamil Mufti. But as shown in the survey these middle school AIS-R students took some Muslims have admitted to cheating, so due to that the Muslims students who have cheated didn't only contradict with the AIS-R honor code but also their religion.

 

Consequences for cheating can lead to school suspension, or even school expulsion, where in other schools and colleges have gotten to courts were certain students or schools have been sued.As said from MS principal, Mr.Leonas “ I don't think anyone had even been expelled for cheating at AIS-R but suspensions have happened and zeros on the assessment have happened.”

 

Shaher Tabbaa is an eighth grade student who seen other people cheating in many of classes. “Yes, I have seen people cheat multiple times. In my Algebra, Arabic, and Science courses.”  

Tarif Al-Hakim, a student who has also caught students cheating, said

“I wouldn’t tell on them because I am not the type of person who would

snitch on people, and sometimes if I snitch people might think of me

differently.”

 

Technology is a main source of a cheating method, it’s much easier

these days to cheat since you are able to just get a phone out and search

a question on that test. Mr-Cross the AIS-R Tech teacher said “Digital

technology definitely makes it easier to cheat because the information

is just there for you to be able to cheat and copy off of it." Mr.Moody the

STEM teacher at AIS-R said " Yes it would be a definite cheating way

[gadgets], because it's easier only to Copy off homework but for tests its

might be a bit harder because some teachers do take aways phones."  

 

Some teachers reactions towards a student cheating might vary due to

the students behavior in class where if the student was disruptive in class compared to someone that's quite and a is a good student in class. "In the case of cheating, I think I would react the same with both students because it is a serious offense. However, with other things like tardies or late homework, the well behaved student might not get in as much trouble as the disruptive student." Said Mr.Cross

 

Cheating can go on a student’s permanent record, and when in college, which might get students to not be accepted in certain colleges. Haya AlDabbagh and 8th grade student said"In order to be successful in life you must be able to climb your way up the ladder of life without cheating."