There’s Really Only One Way to Stop Students From Cheating
… In every home and every school, we should be inviting kids to think about how cheating is unfair to their friends, how it undercuts efforts to build a just society and how it undermines the quest to become a person of principle.
The heart of integrity is recognizing that the ends don’t justify the means. What we achieve may define our success. How we achieve it determines our character.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/26/opinion/students-cheating-ai.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share
Max Lynch section 2
ReplyDeleteI do agree with what this is saying but I think part of the reason kids cheat is because they don't understand why they are doing the work and why they need to. Obviously a main thing is getting kids to be able to think independently and build problem solving skills but I feel there isn't enough explanation on why what we are doing in classes is important. Especially in more core classes like Math and English where it feels like you're doing the same thing every year and it isn't explained why what we are doing is different and why the repetition matters.
It's definitely notable that, as the pressure of work goes up, so does cheating. When work is too low, I find myself being a lot more relaxed in what I do and can focus on the content of the material without being too stressed... But when the material is worth 90% of my grade? I am very tempted to relieve that stress even though I shouldn't. For people with strong integrity, I believe that this is because they won't cheat simply because they'll stick to doing what's hardest even though there's a much easier option (cheating) in front of them. I believe that, depending on whether you decide to cheat or not cheat, it shows your level of integrity and character.
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