I received an
email today from a colleague. In this
email, she was lamenting the fact that students in her class were using a
website to cheat on homework assignments.
The answers that they were giving had odd things that were never covered
in class. There were other clues that
students got the answers other than working through the problem on their
own.
One of the
problems that has arisen from this situation is that the students aren’t
performing well on tests. Parents are
questioning how their children can be doing so well on homework, but can’t
transfer that knowledge to a test. It
would also appear that as students are made aware of the websites by other
students, the problem is escalating.
This got me thinking, both in the educational, spiritual, and relational
realms.
As an educator, I
have always been frustrated by testing.
While I understand the need to assess how a student is comprehending the
material, I don’t feel that written tests are necessarily the most accurate way
to do this. My daughter had test anxiety
when she was in school. We could over the material and she would know it, be
able to explain it, and apply it, but when it came to a written test, she would
freeze. She said it was like all the
information flew out of her head.
Assessing her understanding based on the test was a great disservice to
her and many students like her. In
addition to tests given in class, students are given standardized tests. These are my least favorite. Judging a student, a teacher, and a school
based on a test score is, in my opinion, ridiculous. Maybe it’s because of what and how I teach,
but I am much more interested in what a student can do rather than what they
can regurgitate on a test. I explain it
this way. I would rather have a surgeon
that can apply what they have learned in medical school than one who can just
give the right answers. If a student can’t leave my class and use the
information, they haven’t learned it, regardless of what they can write on a
piece of paper. Unfortunately, the
educational mindset that many people have is based on scores and grades instead
of learning. The parents in the
situation are concerned about grades more than they are concerned about the
learning. I can’t begin to count the
times that a parent, administrator, or colleague have asked the question, “What
does the student need to do to get the grade?”.
I want to answer with, “I’m more concerned with what they need to do to
learn the concepts.” If we are concerned
with that, the grades will follow. But,
we continue to believe that the end result should be a letter grade or score
rather than application of the concept in life.
In the spiritual
realm, cheating has consequences also.
We sometimes forget that the Christian walk isn’t just about getting to
heaven, but about what we do before we get there. We sometimes like to take the easy way
out. How many times do I need to go to
church in order to be ok with God? How
many verses do I need to read a day do be ok with God? What is the minimum that I can do and still
get the benefits of eternal life? Just like cheating on the homework assignments
rob students of the benefits of knowing and being able to use the concepts, not
doing the work as a Christian robs us of the blessing that God wants for us in
this life.
In our
relationships, cheating obviously does not work. When one person chooses to stop doing the
work that is needed to make a relationship vital and goes outside of the
relationship, the hurt that results cannot be measured. The immediate
gratification may be appealing, but in the long run, there will only be
heartache. Not only does it hurt the
partner, but is devastating to children as they have to experience the
tribulation of having to defend the actions of the cheating parent and knowing
that those actions have forever changed their lives. Children are forced to deal with adult
issues, which is completely unfair.
Cheating may seem
like the easy way out, but whether it’s homework, your Christian walk, or your
relationships, you will never get the end result that you desire….unless you
are hoping for ignorance, spiritual mediocrity, and heartache for yourself and
those that you claim to love. Then you’re right on track.
