Did You Cheat Your Way?

By: Sophia Thomas

Stonehill News Staff Writer

 March 25th of 2020, when schools’ country-wide shut down, students couldn’t have been more excited. What was supposed to be a two-week break turned into months, and even years before going back to school. The world shut down, and people were left prisoners in their own homes. Some students couldn’t bare being away from their friends, while other students thrived while being by themselves. However, many students could agree that school online was much more convenient than in-school learning. Nicholas Salem of Westport MA, a high school student, who had been a serial cheater during the pandemic. 

“I had access to tools that would get me a good grade on my quizzes and tests; the internet,” Salem said.

 

Students have found creative ways to cheat and not get caught. A study that Brandeis University had done showed that 99.8% of the students they did the study on confessed to at least one count of academic misconduct. 

In the study, students were even naming creative ways that they had cheated during the time of online learning. 

Some include using their amazon home or Alexa to give them answers for their quizzes or tests, having a parent or sibling help them to the side, or even putting a cheat sheet at eye level so it won’t be suspicious. The harder it got to cheat, the more creative the students have gotten. 

 

“I never cheated when I was in school, but I found myself slacking when we were home because I would sleep in my class and not pay attention. So, when I didn’t pay attention, I didn’t know anything that was on my test or quiz. In the end, I had to fall back on the internet.’ Salem said. 

Talia Sousa of New Bedford, MA 

 

“I knew children were cheating in my class. Because there is no plausible reason as to how a student goes from getting 50% on their test to getting 100s’ a week later. It makes no sense,” Sousa said. 

 

Students would get crafty and start using Quizlet for a quiz or test answers, and slader for homework. Both were online apps designed to help students study or check answers. Due to students finding ways to cheat more creatively, people have gotten worried as to how students would be able to work in the real world when they had cheated by in high school or at a university.  

 

“I remember my mom and sister having a conversation about how she hopes she doesn’t cheat because she could kill someone in her field if she didn’t know her stuff… My sister was in her last year of Med school.”, Salem said 

It is scary having people who had cheated their way through university be able to have so much hold of your life. Cheating is inevitable. You’re going to find it where you go. 

 

“To be honest, you can’t punish one person you catch cheating, because it isn’t fair. Back during COVID-19, everyone was just trying to figure out what their school was going to do in order to keep schools going. While my teachers were figuring out how to use zoom, us students were trying to figure out ways to help each other cheat,” Salem said. 

 

“It’s not shameful to cheat”, Salem said 

 

“However, it is shameful to cheat knowing you will have someone’s life in your hands one day,” Salem said.

 

Cheating is practically a lose-lose scenario because at one point your degree will be touching one’s life. Cheating primarily isn’t defendable. You could have always studied harder, stayed after the teacher, and paid more attention. Now, especially having zoom, you have no reason not to be passing all your courses. 

 

“Cheating isn’t something someone should be proud of. Sure, you can get straight A’s on all your exams, but at what cost? You rob yourself of your own education, and you put yourself in a position to get caught and either kicked out or on academic probation. It is unfortunate that I see a lot of athletes cheating. I rather they just tell me they’re going to fail, and I would’ve thought highly of them for telling me that. However, when I catch them cheating, I take it to heart,” Sousa said.

Although some teachers take cheating as a personal attack, students know the consequences before deciding to help one another out or surf the web. Students know their rights from their wrongs. 

 

“It sucks when we get caught, and yeah it is even worse when they call your parents, but that’s the 50-50 shot you take. You take the shot that you might either ace the exam, but you also take the shot that you might be caught red-handed”, Salem said. 

 

“Students ultimately want to do good. Whether it be by them studying or getting answers online, the “A” that pops up on their paper is like a drug. It either pushes them to study more or cheat more in order to obtain a grade. I don’t know whether that’s the school’s systems fault or what, but it’s definitely some weird psychology on that”, Sousa said. 

 

“For the longest time, when everything moved on zoom, I saw everyone thriving and I was so happy. Until one day my daughter pretty much told me that the reason why everyone is doing so good is because your students are cheating… my heart stopped”, Sousa said. 

 

COVID-19 has changed the world forever, our “normal” has changed a numerous amount not only within years but within months and days. 

 

“A part of me doesn’t want to go back to what it was. It’s easier and more sufficient now. Cheating gives me a confidence boost. I used to study for hours on end and still fail the test or quizzes. I cheat and all my grades that were failing are now sailing high. Your grades define who you are as a person… at least it means that to colleges. So, you might as well have good grades,” Salem said.