Wind In My Head: Cheater Bug!
Wind In My Head
Friday, July 21, 2006
Cheater Bug!
Sometimes, when you think you can't be stunned by things happening around you, when you think you've seen it all, something hits you hard in the face and you're stunned, again.As teachers, sometimes we are faced with students who are insolent, disrespectful and down right rude. They expect the world to revolve around there and think we owe them a living. Some have gone to the extent of saying that "their parents' taxes pay our salaries". Well, my taxes subsidies their education so we're square there.
But I've been led to the conclusion, rather reluctantly, that it really isn't their fault. It's more insidious and it's in the words of a parent, a "systemic flaw".
---
Take this as a for instance. I'm a student. I'm caught cheating. I go out of my way and get the questions to a test I'm about to take and I prepare all the answers to the questions. That way, i ace the test. Only problem? I get found out. The guy who gave me the questions, gave a whole lot of other people the questions too. And teachers weren't born yesterday and put two and two together. So, what to do? We 'fess up and our parents get hauled in as well. Thing is my dad's way cool. He really gave it to the Principal. He says, he's not going to discipline me (Cool!) and he says it's their fault (even cooler! I'm off the hook). His rationale, if they had got us all to take the test at the same time, we wouldn't have cheated. But since there were people who did the test first, why not use their knowledge as spring board to do better? And the whammy, he said he would have done it too. Way to go Dad!
----
So, that's what the world's become? Where it's so important to get ahead that integrity means shit? How about, not cheating because it doesn't benefit anyone? Not cheating because then, you won't really know how good or bad you are? Not cheating because you're freeriding on someone who did all the work? Not cheating because it's dishonest?
And parents, to teach children that it's ok to cheat, to get ahead? What's going to happen to these children later on? They teach it to their children? They end up in jail because they decided Enron was the way to go? It really bugs me.
If I had cheated and got found out, I'd be shitting in my pants because not only would I fear getting expelled, I would have gotten my butt split 10 ways from Sunday and I would need a doughnut to actually sit down. But apparently, that's not the preferred way of punishment these days.
I wonder, what would it be like, if we brought up kids on what we see as a value system? Would they be seen as relics of an age gone by? Would they be seen as weird and alienated for standing by values that no longer exist?
How liddat?
Technorati Tags: Singapore, Values
Ondine tossed this thought in at 10:40
3 thoughts...
-
At 12:13 pm
Tym said... Stories like this are what drove Terz out of teaching.
-
At 4:05 pm
Terz said...
Ah, I still remember the meeting with the parent who thought the only problem the kid had, and therefore, deserving the punishment for, was getting caught in the first place.
-
At 12:56 am
J said...
I know what you mean.
I have kids whose parents think it's fine for them not to do homework, and it's a crime that teachers make their precious kids stay back to finish up.
I hate [my kids'] parents.