Teen issues

Teen+issues

Juan Torres

can ruin your heart and ruin your education and your future. We are talking about cheating. You could cheat on a significant other (SO), or cheat in the classroom. We are asking students whether the same type of personality would cheat on a test and cheat on a SO.

“Cheating in a relationship is very hurtful and it sucks to know how it feels to have that happen. If someone ever needs anything I’m here,” says Cheyanne Callaway (11). Senior Jihad Aly says he has been cheating been on multiple times. Senior Arielle Simmons has been through it with friends, “I have had a friend be cheated on and she was devastated but she did the wrong thing and cheated too. I just believe the best way to go about it is to talk about it with the person but for me, I know I wouldn’t give that person another chance ever”.

Cheating in class has risen as well. A recent ABC News Primetime poll found cheating in American high schools is widespread if not endemic. In the poll of 12- to 17-year-olds, seven in 10 say at least some kids in their school cheat on tests. Six in 10 have friends who’ve cheated. About one in three say they themselves have cheated, rising to 43 percent of older teens. And most say cheaters don’t get caught.

That doesn’t make it right in most students’ eyes: Nearly all teens in this national, random-sample survey say cheating’s wrong. Most who admit to cheating say it was a rare thing. And fewer than three in 10 say “most” or “a lot” of kids in their school cheat; 44 percent say it’s just “some.” Still, though, 12 percent — nearly one in eight — say “most” kids in their school cheat on tests.

Math teacher Beth Hankle has had experience with cheaters in school, “I had students cheating.” Teachers know all the tricks and easily catch those who haven’t done the work, “I wouldn’t let them retake a test. The saddest part is the student doesn’t get to experience the knowledge.”

Academic dishonesty is a serious offense and is on page 13 of the TEC student handbook. It includes a list of possible consequences including expulsion.