Don't give up on society...
Entry posted by The MVP
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This day many years ago, when I first starting out in university, marked a very important day for me that I will never forget. Before I begin this isn't a lecture nor is it here to teach a lesson since I'm no person to discuss morals with others but what I do have is a story.
Many years ago I was in calculus, I personally, felt the class was very easy. Perhaps it was just me. Now we all know those in class that will go through any means necessary to find every way possible to get as many points as possible, in the easiest manner possible just to get through with a good grade - many of them cheat. We all witness this yet many are afraid to speak up and tell the teacher they are cheating for fear of being a "tattle tale" or being thought of as a jerk. I am no saint, far from it.
I will call fouls while playing basketball or even lie to get out of a rough situation, but honestly it has never occurred to me to cheat in my life. Cheating is pointless and some, not even most, of the time it catches up to you. Being religious, I'd rather cheat on my wife than cheat on myself and my classmates; it just never occurred to me. I came here and many did it. Some more discretely than others, and maybe only a few got caught. I had a feeling most teachers just didn't care, that they were just okay with letting it go and that those that cheated just didn't have it in them to study. I felt that cheaters do prosper and they will get away with things because the instructor's simply just don't care. Well on this day many years ago, I was wrong. Very, very wrong.
The previous class my friend saw someone cheating, a person notorious for cheating and not only that but also stealing. I have reasonable doubt to assume, from others, that this individual stole my expensive chemistry book, physics book and graphing calculator. Being poor and having no money to my name living with my uncle and relative family at the time, this was devastating. Having to work minimum wage open to close on weekends and a significant amount on Thursday's and Friday's showed how desperate I was to make tuition. Yet this person was born into a well to do family with a brilliant father who was a renowned scientist. Everyday it seemed he was showing his friends something new and exciting. Well apparently he bought a cell phone that could scan problems and show it to him whenever he felt like it. I noticed it, since he showed me. He copied the answers to my problems once when he didn't do his homework, he usually does his homework though and I'll get to it later.
Now back to the main story. At the beginning of class we're given quizzes to do. The teacher let's us keep the quizzes until the end of class if need be so long as we don't have any notebooks or anything on the table. When most hand in their quizzes, he resumes with class. Now the person in question sometimes kept his quiz until the end. He always used his cell phone. And why? He had a graphing calculator, hell maybe even mine!, on his desk. Anyways to top it off, he not only used his cell phone, but during class he'd use his notebook when no one was looking. My friend caught it, we also believe he stole my friend's calculator as well from others, and felt enough was enough. As the guy handed in his quiz at the end of class my friend came to the teacher right after and straight up told him, "[Name] was cheating." The teacher seemed a bit quiet about it. He said, "Cheating? Well this needs to be addressed. I don't know if I need to have everyone hand it in early or what, I know some need a longer time on the quizzes than others but if I need to I will make everyone turn it in at the same time most do to get on with class." Now originally I had intended to just ask the teacher a question and stay out of it, but I then said, "[Name] has a phone that can scan the problems and bring it up on his cell phone." The teacher all of a sudden took this into more consideration and said, "I will handle it."
Two days later we had class again. We had a bad semester. Many issues arised and it seemed like the teacher, who was very nice by nature and to other classes and was said to have never yelled in class, seemed to yell at us everyday. Asking there is just something about this class that is just.. off. Well one day he brought up a document that we have all seen before. The teacher exclaimed, "this is the most painful thing I've had to do so far." Some ditsy girl asked, "what is that?" The teacher said, "you should know it because you all signed it at the beginning of the year." The document entailed was something called the Pitt Promise.
He especially highlighted the section that said:
# I will commit myself to the pursuit of knowledge with personal integrity and academic honesty;# I will respect the sanctity of the learning environment and avoid disruptive and deceitful behavior toward other members of the campus community;
And he said, "I am seeing cell phones out. Now is there an app you are using to get the answers? I know you're not texting someone and I know you're not using it as a calculator since you already have graphing calculators sitting on your desk. Now is it possible that some of you are scanning questions from the homework, (as the questions on the homework were exactly the same on the test, one question from each section) is it really possible that some of you are so deceitful that you would do such a thing?" Someone astutely remarked, "but who would take pictures of the questions on the homework and do that though? Seems like too much trouble, they're probably cheating through other means." The class laughed and the teacher merely shrugged sort of laughing saying, "I don't know, but is it not reasonable to assume that there is cheating going on when cell phones and calculators are out at the same time? I mean if some of you put in 20% of the effort you use getting around these things you can easily understand this material."
He then turned serious and in a very calm and respectful manner, unlike his usual yelling when people interrupted his class unfairly, said, "This hurts the most. Because I can deal with a lack of respect towards me. But please have the integrity to have that respect towards your classmates and to yourselves because this is at the very heart of your character."
We got on with class. The first thing we reviewed was the quiz. My friend who had told on the guy scored a 5/10 on the quiz, visibly upset. Whereas the guy who cheated scored a 9/10 and interrupted the teacher asking why he missed a point and felt he should get it back. The teacher simply replied, "just talk to me after class about that" as if it were nothing. My friend was very upset. How could he, who took the test honestly, be content with a 5/10 when a guy who cheated scored a 9/10 and was asking for points? He felt the teacher was a sell-out, I did. As if what he said meant absolutely nothing at all. I thought my friend was just going to storm out of the room in anger but he stuck around for something, he put up a problem on the board.
We usually have something called "board problems." Problems from the homework that the teacher designates to put on the board and then explain them to the class as to how we got that answer for bonus points. Now of course the guy who cheats always wants to steal the board problems. We had previously come to a consensus, as a class that if you do a board problem one day you don't do one a next since they were limited and to give others a chance. The guy lashed out saying, "that's not fair, no! I don't agree to that." And the matter was put to rest. Now my friend and I each put a problem on the board, yet the other guy decided to put up 3, the maximum you can put up, stealing points from others.
Now the teacher asked me to explain my problem, I did. Although I messed up the domain since I didn't read the question properly he still accepted it and said, "good." He then asked my friend who explained his question well and the teacher said, "good." Now it came time to ask the person who cheated how he got his answers. I thought he would get away with it, but the teacher did something I never expected and probably one of the coolest things I have ever seen.
Now the guy can't explain his problems. As was found out, he usually goes into the library and gets the solution's manual and copies it all word for word, letter by letter. So of course when it comes time to explain it, he makes stuff up to get through it having to get the teacher to explain it. The teacher usually allows it. Well not this day, not today. One of the problems involved exponential functions using half life. Now although I don't recall the problem, I do remember the particular issue in question which was so simple.
Now the guy had the ln(1/2) and then on the next line he all of a sudden had ln(-2). The teacher asked how we got it. The guy stuttered, "yeah well the 30 there and you take the log of the natural log." He was spouting nonsense for ten minutes, the teacher didn't let up. "No! How did you get ln(-2) from ln(1/2)?" He couldn't explain it. The teacher than said, "ln(1/2) is the same as the ln(1) - ln(2) through the property of the division of logarithms. The ln(1) is 0 therefore it's 0-ln(2) therefore it's ln(-2)."
I looked at my friend, he looked at me as if to say, "he got 'em" nodding our head's. People looked at us not knowing what had happened. My friend stood up stretching his arms, I thought he was going to do something but then sat back down.
He didn't continue on with the problem. He said, if some of you would be so deceitful as to copy and paste problems from the solution's manual at least have the decency to explain it properly. He then went on with class.
At the end of class the guy just bolted for the door not asking about the point he had lost on the quiz. My other friend, who had a point stolen by the guy via a board problem he got wrong talked to the teacher saying it's just not fair. He told the teacher, "he comes from a well to do family and gets to cheat yet myself who had it hard my whole life (his dad died when he was young) has to work for every damn thing!"
Thanking the teacher for catching him I looked on in awe. This was the single coolest and greatest thing I have ever seen. The way he approached the situation was so methodical and mathematical in its own right, it was truly amazing. I felt for awhile that cheaters do prosper and that teachers don't care. And for the most part it's true, yet that day I ran into a cheater who didn't prosper and a teacher who did care.
I agree society has become a muck of cheating and taking the easy road out. But no matter how bad it is, never give up on society and stay true to yourself and those around you.
/End rant
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