Susan GrahamThe Epidemic of Cheating - and Why It's Our Fault
January 3rd 2009 00:05
Photo by sanja gjenero
Can you really blame them? They see their own politicians and business people cheating all the time, and those folks are some of the richest, most powerful people on the planet. What are the real consequences for cheating in our society? Sure, you could get caught and go to some cushy country-club prison for white-collar criminals for a while. But in the grand scheme of things, what motivation do kids have for NOT cheating?
On the other hand, look at their motivation for cheating. Kids today are required to have BETTER than a 4.0 grade point average to get into a good college. A 4.0 is an A, right? So how the heck does that math work? It means that students have to take "weighted" classes like Advanced Placement courses that count more than regular courses. These are some tough classes that involve a monster test at the end in order to get credit. Imagine a student who is smart, motivated, and destined to become a lawyer. But she just can't seem to get a handle on AP Chemistry. Her logic is that she will never really use AP Chemistry as a lawyer, so why not get a little help just to pass the test? What harm does it really do in the long run?
Then of course you have your slacker kids who just want to get their parents off their back. They don't know the material, they don't care about the material. Why should they have to learn Shakespeare or dangling participles when they know they are simply going to get a job at the local tire shop as soon as they get that diploma? So they do what it takes to get out of school as quickly and painlessly as possible. Who does it really hurt?
In many ways, our educational system has set kids up to cheat. It forces a one-size-fits-all education on millions of very different students. Even as a teacher I ask myself constantly, "Why do students have to know what a comma splice is?" "Why should they have learn how to do MLA citations in their research papers?" When do we really use MLA citations in the real world?
I look at my high school students sometimes and feel so sorry for them. They are bored, restless, and angry at school. And it's all our fault. Why not tailor their education to their interests? Why not run schools like businesses? Assign a job to each student according to his or her skills. Put them to work. When they do a good job, they will get promoted. When they do a poor job, they get demoted. Teach them real-world career skills and keep them busy.
Why should healthy teenagers be sitting in a desk all day? They make the perfect workforce because they are healthy and strong. They are at the peak of their physical ability, and we make them sit still and be quiet all day. It's torture. Why not give them some responsibility? Give them something to be proud of.
This is just one problem I see with our educational system. Look for more ramblings in future posts, and if you find this blog and like it please link to me!
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