Cheating in school

[Zbyszek]

I would like to open a debate on cheating in schools worldwide.

I would like to share a short story with you.
My elder colleague Stas was once a postgraduate/doctoral student in the USA in the seventies. He stayed at the University in Arizona (Tucson) and then in Texas.
After some time he was sent to have exercises with the regular university students. After a series of meetings he prepared a test for students.
Having a Polish educational background, he acted like he used to in Warsaw University of Technology. He asked students to change there places so that distance between them increased considerably. They were surprised but they obeyed. The same situation happened second time. When he started his usual procedure third time, one of the students could not help asking a polite question: "Excuse me, why are you doing so?"
Stas was smart enough to smell something strange and he replied: "It is just to make you feel more at ease" but later on, he asked the student mentioned above: Why did you find it so surprising?
The student was astonished: "It is me who is surprised". Stas said: "I was afraid you would cheat by exchanging information which should not be shared". The student was more than astonished. "Excuse me Sir, why would I need to do so? Any of my colleagues is my future competitor. Why am I supposed to unnecessarily strengthen their position? No need to do such things".

Stas remembered his lesson very well.

What do you think about this situation? It is still a problem in Poland and maybe in Ukraine, too. In Poland, this issue is often neglected or even mocked as not fit enough for serious debate.
In fact, I have already started this discussion in History board but the actual board fits better I think.
http://www.ukraine.com/forums/showth...0&pagenumber=3

In Poland, 'odpisyvanye' and many, many other forms of cheating are surely rooted in our history. Deplorably, the up-to-date technologies are employed in these morally doubtful deeds. Students in Poland are generally not punished enough or even forgiven when caught red-handed on cheating.
I would appreciate any replies of young people, students and their parents to my story. Let us make our world a better place to live as a community of moral principle.

[Halina]

Drogi Zbyszku,

I hope you are well and they will find it!! (you know what I mean).
Anyway, quite by mistake I immediately followed your idea to write about 'cheating', however I did it on history thread..., under 'Petro Mohyla &...'.
Please, have a look;

http://www.ukraine.com/forums/showthread.php3?
postid=45997#post45997

I find this subject quite interesting and wonder if there are any far-reaching consequences of cheating (at schools)at a later stage in life?
Anyway, I do hope other disputants express their own view, too!

Looking forward to your posts
Halinka

[Volodya987]

Memorising verbal DiaRRHOEA makes many innocent children actually do that. It is much healthier that they just copy, it word for word, from the Bible. Some also get worried that if they make a mistake they will get a thrashing. Some even have nervous breakdowns. In my French classes at high school EVERY one used to cheat. It was terrible though. The first time a lady picked me up, hitch- hiking in France, I began to speak to her in French. She instantly felt sorry for me and broke into perfect English, with a French accent, of course.
France

[Zbyszek]

Originally posted by Volodya987
Memorising verbal DiaRRHOEA makes many innocent children actually do that. It is much healthier that they just copy, it word for word, from the Bible. Some also get worried that if they make a mistake they will get a thrashing. Some even have nervous breakdowns. In my French classes at high school EVERY one used to cheat. It was terrible though. The first time a lady picked me up, hitch- hiking in France, I began to speak to her in French. She instantly felt sorry for me and broke into perfect English, with a French accent, of course.
France

Cheating in school means cheating in life. Surely, it is a broad matter and teachers are sometimes guilty as well. In modern school, learning by heart is less and less popular but in my country cheating is still very popular. Many times modern technology is employed in the cheating process. Cell phones with the Internet access, "calculators" with extra functions and so on.
From time to time, leaking of the exam subjects happens, usually when someone offers "the best results" for the accessible price.

[CameoJoey]

HiYa,

Cheating is just what Vg wants.

Camster

[Zbyszek]

Originally posted by CameoJoey
HiYa,

Cheating is just what Vg wants.

Camster

Hi Cameo, frankly I'd expect more sophisticated remarks of you. I remember that a year ago your voice was definitely more analytical and serious. I wonder what happened to this forum in general. I think technical problems which nade the posting process more difficult discouraged some valuable disputants. I really can not find any serious discussion in any category. You would not believe how easily people in the communist countries found alibi for themselves about their cheating in school. I will give you one example: a priest noticed a stiffled but hot dispute between two students during the important test. Soon he understood that one student strongly DEMANDS help from the other one. He immediately took a side of the less educated guy addressing a good student: boy, turn out to be a good Christian at last and give him a little help!
VG has nothing to do with this issue I am sure.