Let's say I am a student in a biology class. I have the highest GPA in my high school, though I am not the easiest person to get along with. I don't really fit-in, I wear weird clothes, I'm sort of paranoid so I don't really talk much to people (some say I'm "secretive") and I have this tendency to piss people off (including teachers) for pushing the limits of the rules. I am ultra-competitive though, and mostly why I hold the highest GPA. Though a lot of my peers despise me for doing so well and keeping them from having the highest GPA, they do respect what I have accomplished and they wish to have my kind of success in the classroom.
First day of biology class, the teacher hands out the syllabus and in the rules, it states the following:
"Students will not be allowed to bring their textbooks into the classroom on exam days, for purposes including (but not limited to) referring to exam material during the course of the exam."
Before the last exam, the teacher e-mailed out a reminder on the rule in the syllabus, just so that everyone is aware that the rule is in place and it will be enforced.
I have brought my textbook to class during exams all year long. The rationale is that after the exam, I can check the book to see if I answered certain questions correctly. I am obsessed with knowing immediately whether I cited information correctly or not, since I have the highest GPA and I can't stand not knowing with ABSOLUTE certainty whether I aced an exam or not. I never use the book DURING the exam though, so I feel like I have found a potential loophole in bringing the book to class. Other students have done this as well though it is kept amongst ourselves, as not to alert the teacher. Using the book during an exam is completely impractical since the questions require analysis and the exam takes up most of the class period.
Included in the class is my old lab partner from last year. We grew up together and were best friends in elementary school. He is also obsessed with becoming valedictorian, and is completely frustrated that he can't do better than me on exams. He knows there is no way he can become valedictorian unless I am out of the picture. Since we have spent a good deal of time together, he knows that I am obsessed with looking in the book after an exam and he has done it in the past as well.
This latest exam, which many in the class consider "hard", was going to be easy for me because I had done a science project using most of the material. My old lab partner was not prepared and expected the worst. He knew that this exam, being so late in the year, would cost him any chance of being valedictorian.
He had tipped the teacher off before the exam that I was bringing my textbook to class. The teacher was aware of this and while walking up the aisles between desks, he found my textbook underneath my desk and confiscated it. He allowed me to finish the exam, however he asked to speak with me after class.
During our meeting after class, the teacher asked me to explain myself. I said I brought the book to class to check some information after the exam. Though the teacher has some reason to be suspicious, he doesn't actually catch me in the act of "cheating", just that I had the book in my possession. I tell him that I "interpreted" the rule was intended to prevent cheating DURING an exam and that I had not challenged the spirit of the rule.
After the meeting, word gets out and a number of classmates start talking about how they've seen me take the textbook into class for other exams (people who may or may not have brought their book before). Since a lot of classmates despise me for my personality and performance, they smell blood and want to smear my reputation. The rumors spread and pretty soon a lot of people are calling me a "cheater" since I brought a textbook to class, which was a clear violation of the teacher's rule. Now everyone is questioning whether I was just this smart all along or if I actually cheated on other exams. Rumors start spreading that I had brought the textbook to other classes and that only fuels the fire. My reputation has taken a serious hit with this incident. A lot of people think I got to the top by "cheating".
The teacher decides to dock me 40 points off the exam. It is the most points the teacher has ever taken off an exam. Since my GPA is so high, it may or may not affect my standing for valedictorian. I accept the penalty and move on to the next exam, which will be the toughest of the year. I make sure to prepare more than ever and ace it, just to prove to people that I earned all of my grades. Well guess what? I go in (sans textbook) and smoke the exam.
(End of analogy)
So here's the question - in this situation did I technically "cheat"? No. Perhaps I was too smart for my own good and I was trying to step on the teacher's toes by bringing my book, but I knew the truth. The truth is I prepared a lot for these exams and got great grades. I would say I am "arrogant", but a "cheater"? Hell no.
There will always be those who question the incident and those that will forget, so long as I know that those grades were all legit. And like Bill Belichick, my arrogance put me into a dangerous spot that would potentially ruin my reputation. I broke rules but I never "cheated".
First day of biology class, the teacher hands out the syllabus and in the rules, it states the following:
"Students will not be allowed to bring their textbooks into the classroom on exam days, for purposes including (but not limited to) referring to exam material during the course of the exam."
Before the last exam, the teacher e-mailed out a reminder on the rule in the syllabus, just so that everyone is aware that the rule is in place and it will be enforced.
I have brought my textbook to class during exams all year long. The rationale is that after the exam, I can check the book to see if I answered certain questions correctly. I am obsessed with knowing immediately whether I cited information correctly or not, since I have the highest GPA and I can't stand not knowing with ABSOLUTE certainty whether I aced an exam or not. I never use the book DURING the exam though, so I feel like I have found a potential loophole in bringing the book to class. Other students have done this as well though it is kept amongst ourselves, as not to alert the teacher. Using the book during an exam is completely impractical since the questions require analysis and the exam takes up most of the class period.
Included in the class is my old lab partner from last year. We grew up together and were best friends in elementary school. He is also obsessed with becoming valedictorian, and is completely frustrated that he can't do better than me on exams. He knows there is no way he can become valedictorian unless I am out of the picture. Since we have spent a good deal of time together, he knows that I am obsessed with looking in the book after an exam and he has done it in the past as well.
This latest exam, which many in the class consider "hard", was going to be easy for me because I had done a science project using most of the material. My old lab partner was not prepared and expected the worst. He knew that this exam, being so late in the year, would cost him any chance of being valedictorian.
He had tipped the teacher off before the exam that I was bringing my textbook to class. The teacher was aware of this and while walking up the aisles between desks, he found my textbook underneath my desk and confiscated it. He allowed me to finish the exam, however he asked to speak with me after class.
During our meeting after class, the teacher asked me to explain myself. I said I brought the book to class to check some information after the exam. Though the teacher has some reason to be suspicious, he doesn't actually catch me in the act of "cheating", just that I had the book in my possession. I tell him that I "interpreted" the rule was intended to prevent cheating DURING an exam and that I had not challenged the spirit of the rule.
After the meeting, word gets out and a number of classmates start talking about how they've seen me take the textbook into class for other exams (people who may or may not have brought their book before). Since a lot of classmates despise me for my personality and performance, they smell blood and want to smear my reputation. The rumors spread and pretty soon a lot of people are calling me a "cheater" since I brought a textbook to class, which was a clear violation of the teacher's rule. Now everyone is questioning whether I was just this smart all along or if I actually cheated on other exams. Rumors start spreading that I had brought the textbook to other classes and that only fuels the fire. My reputation has taken a serious hit with this incident. A lot of people think I got to the top by "cheating".
The teacher decides to dock me 40 points off the exam. It is the most points the teacher has ever taken off an exam. Since my GPA is so high, it may or may not affect my standing for valedictorian. I accept the penalty and move on to the next exam, which will be the toughest of the year. I make sure to prepare more than ever and ace it, just to prove to people that I earned all of my grades. Well guess what? I go in (sans textbook) and smoke the exam.
(End of analogy)
So here's the question - in this situation did I technically "cheat"? No. Perhaps I was too smart for my own good and I was trying to step on the teacher's toes by bringing my book, but I knew the truth. The truth is I prepared a lot for these exams and got great grades. I would say I am "arrogant", but a "cheater"? Hell no.
There will always be those who question the incident and those that will forget, so long as I know that those grades were all legit. And like Bill Belichick, my arrogance put me into a dangerous spot that would potentially ruin my reputation. I broke rules but I never "cheated".
Last edited:
