[Source: Independent.co.uk]
At times, a student may be tempted to cheat when he/she is not prepared for the test but another student who is smart is sitting next to them. But by doing so, he/she is not only losing academic integrity but also cheating on themselves. It is his/her fault for not preparing for the test. Sean O’Brien, an AP English Language and Composition teacher at West Ranch High School, shared, “It is given that cheating is bad, and I still do not have any idea why students cheat knowing the fact that it will never help. It is quite unfair to those who never cheat and try their best versus who always cheat and receive a higher score.” As O’Brien continued to share his thoughts, he said, “It is at times difficult for me, who has been teaching for over 10 years, to face a student who cheated.”
Then what could possibly be the most precise reason why students risk cheating? Hannah Park, a junior in West Ranch High School commented, “I think it is because most of the time, students are pressured from their parents to get straight A’s especially when they are enrolled in AP or Honors classes in high school.”
[Source: Boston Globe]
In order to prevent cheating, the teachers have tried several ways to stop students from losing academic integrity. The teachers have made a variety of versions of the test so students cannot copy off of someone, or they have created questions on their own so the answers are not online. But instead of having teachers try hard to avert student from cheating, students, in the first place, should not cheat and try to study and achieve their goals. Because it is not only unfair to those students who try their hardest, but also students who cheat will do the same even when they are adults.