Hate feeling guilty for doing the right thing.

[Plaidman]

Let me preface this by stating I know that I did the right thing. In my heart and soul, and despite the outcome, I still stand by what I did.

One of my teachers is proud of the class she teaches with me in it. We're the top of them, all highly intelligent, and one of the few classes that has at the worst a 3.5 GPA student or two in it.

During this term, for this particuler class, she'd let the class be put into groups, and each group can make their own test to give to the class. Other classes can give extremly hard tests, which comes back to bite them because they still have to take said test, and often get their own test wrong. So it's a balancing act.

Well, last week was to be the start of it. We got the practice exam to take home and study, and on the way out, that group snuck us the answer sheet to the real test.

I got out of school, and texted the teacher what they did. I felt bad for it, I know they were just trying to be nice and all, but the test was going to be easy anyway, especally for us!

Teacher texted back that she was disappointed, but don't worry, she'd take care of it.

Today, she closed the doors and handed each of us a sheet from our school handbook, the part that covered cheating and all the aspects of it, including punishment. The class went silent.

She asked us why do you think I handed this out? One student stated that someone got caught cheating likely?

She told us that she got called to the dean's office, asked if why she gave students the power to make their own tests. She stated that it was a good way to really get into dept about subject matter, and can really challenge the students. (She still goes over the test and adds or changes the questions so it's not too easy). She then said the dean asked if she knew that group gave out the answers. The one class that was at the top of the chain amoung other students in our division. The one that other teachers are proud to have in their classes. Some of the brightest ones the school has had, was given out answers to cheat. She will never let any student make any other test, and OUR, not the other classes, but OUR class will be given strictly essay quizes now, rather then partial essay.

She then told us all she was very very disappointed, and frankly a little pissed off.

While we were working on our MTM projects, I started talking to T, a girl I kinda liked for various reasons, not the least of which she has the same genetic disease I have. She was one of the members of the group that made that test. I made mention of how pissed the teacher is, just trying to make idle chatter.

T said it was her fault. She was talking to another student in the libray, and stated we all better get A's cause they gave us the answers, within ear shot of two other teachers, and they must have been the ones to tell.

Another student, over hearing us, stated that "Can't kill a teacher. If it was a student we could, but not a teacher"

(T had her back turned to him when he stated that, but she tensed up visibly).



So now a girl I like, feels responsible and guilt for my actions.

I'm the one that told and basically backstabed the entire class, and it's not like I had too. Lord knows I could use an easy test this term, but I'd never be able to look at myself.

Now I just feel worst, because a girl I liked, who likely just went along with the other group when however they decided to do th at came along, is worried she's going to get expelled or worst from other students if they think she was the one involved.


Not sure what to do. I know I ddi the right thing, teacher commended me for it, which isn't something she normally does. She just so disappointed in us all.


Anyway, that's my rant for the day.

[hinakiba777]

Wow that is a really cruddy position to be put in. I mean, of course you want to be honest and do the right thing, but that ends up screwing over your class a little.

It sucks. It really does. But you did do that right thing, and I'm glad you know that.

On a related note, I hate essay exams. I don't mind essays on exams, but an essay exam is really tough because time allotments on essays are difficult to figure out ahead of time.

[Plaidman]

Oh she lied about the dean part.

She had to tell them a way that it was belivable that she knew, rather then say my name or give an annoymous report, cause then it be more likely we'd be pointing fingers at each other.

Likelyhood of anyone else coming forward? Not sure. It's not a big class, but I guess it's likely.

[AdminAssistant]

Honestly, the teacher was asking for this. Plagiarism is a *huge* problem. I could see having students make up a mock exam as a study exercise, but I would never, *ever* have them write the actual exam. Frankly, it smacks of laziness on the teacher's part.

[Sapphire Silk]

Honestly, the teacher was asking for this. Plagiarism is a *huge* problem. I could see having students make up a mock exam as a study exercise, but I would never, *ever* have them write the actual exam. Frankly, it smacks of laziness on the teacher's part.

Not necessarily. The On Course program has students writing test questions as an empowerment activity. I used this in my class . . . the students in groups write test questions, and I pick and choose a few that actually go on the exam (after rewriting them slightly). It's a good exercise: students learn to understand how NCLEX test items are written.

Plaid didn't say what his major was; if it was education, this kind of exercise would make perfect sense to me.

I do think Plaid did the right thing, and I sympathize with the guilty feelings. It's never easy to be a whistleblower, and clearly his classmates do not get how wrong what they were doing was.

So fuck 'em, Plaidman. YOU get it. Personally, I don't care to associate with people who have no character, and someone who thinks cheating is OK has no character.

[RayvenQ]

Plaid, you did the right thing, she feels guilty, because she is.

If it weren't you, then it may have been the teachers and if it went unreported, the class would have suffered, morally if not elsewhere. You'd done them a favour by reminding them that they can get caught out.

If anything, it was the honest people in the class that got backstabed, and frankly, if she's worried about retribution either from teachers or students, she should have been mroe careful before dropping the bombshell.

[hinakiba777]

I had a professor who actually gave the students the questions for the final exam. Not a student, or a TA, but the professor herself. When I walked into that exam room the questions were word for word exactly the same as the sheet she had given us in class. WORD. FOR. WORD.

Now that is a professor asking for plagarism, not Plaid's.

[teh_blumchenkinder]

The girl you like made a bad choice; and like others have said, she has to deal with the consequences.
You like her. You care about her. You don't want her to feel bad. She does feel bad (for a reason). Furthermore, she broke academic (actual?) law. I'm not sure how you feel about her in that light now.
And, like others have said, 1) practically set up for plagiarism/cheating, but it doesn't make it right (honesty/trust) and 2) it's really you and everyone else who didn't cheat who were betrayed. Do you feel betrayed? I would.
I'm sorry this even came up.

[Rhion]

The people who backstabbed the entire class were the ones who handed out the answers.
You did the right thing, mentioning it to your teacher.

[Jarissa]

If I read right, Plaid, the girl you like isn't feeling guilty because she went along with doing something wrong. She's feeling guilty because she thinks she might be the reason they got caught doing something wrong.

Isn't that kind of like saying, "I'm not sorry I kicked a kitten, I'm sorry I got arrested for it"?

This girl hasn't actually learned anything from the incident. I mean, we learn about the importance of "not getting caught" when we're around three years old. She may be a nice person but right now she isn't a decent one. She has a lot of growing up to do before she even approaches being in your league. You did the honorable thing, you did it quietly and with dignity, and I really admire you for it.

[Kheldarson]

I had a professor who actually gave the students the questions for the final exam. Not a student, or a TA, but the professor herself. When I walked into that exam room the questions were word for word exactly the same as the sheet she had given us in class. WORD. FOR. WORD.

Now that is a professor asking for plagarism, not Plaid's.

No, that is a professor who's handing out an easy A. Or not so easy.

Took a Health class in college where the Coach always read out the test questions the class before and it was open book anyway. I never failed one of his tests because I always found the answers ahead of time. That was the point. And if I hadn't been able to catch a question, I could look it up.

Had another professor who would give us the test ahead of time. Yes, the actual test. Reason being? It was an identify and essay test (history class), so we could essentially write out all the notes to the questions we wanted to answer and then come in and attempt to write it out again from memory on test day.

Besides, none of this is plagiarism anyway. It's basic cheating.

[Kittish]

T said it was her fault. She was talking to another student in the libray, and stated we all better get A's cause they gave us the answers, within ear shot of two other teachers, and they must have been the ones to tell.

This might just have been EXACTLY the case, you don't have any way of knowing if you were the only person to speak to your teacher about the attempt at cheating.

In any case, you did the right thing. And, you might mention to T (if the subject comes up again) that you're glad the attempt at cheating was found out, no matter how it happened, because you'd rather have an honest grade than have to live with having cheated.

Just my .

[Greenday]

And, you might mention to T (if the subject comes up again) that you're glad the attempt at cheating was found out, no matter how it happened, because you'd rather have an honest grade than have to live with having cheated.

That'd come off as being an "I'm better than you" which won't accomplish anything good.

Besides the whole conscious thing, this will help in multiple ways:

There can still be a curve. If everyone gets high grades, there won't be a curve. And you know some idiot will use all the correct answers instead of getting one or two wrong.

Also, at the end of the semester, you're teacher will look favorably at your grade.

[Kittish]

Hmm, you might be right Greenday, I hadn't thought of it like that.

In that case, Plaid, probably the best thing is just to put the whole incident behind you as best you can and move on. At the end of the day, you know you did the right thing, so at least when you face that fellow looking back from the mirror you don't have any cause to feel ashamed.

[BlaqueKatt]

Plaid, look at it this way:

many schools cheating is a automatic fail, or suspension, academic probation, or even expulsion. Any of these will result in loss of financial aid. Because the misconduct was brought up before the test, the professor most likely has some leeway(making an alternate test), when it was caught after the test(and that IS a when and not an if-see this professor's lecture on cheating when over 200 students were caught), the dean would have to be called in and a lot of academic careers would be over. Possibly even yours, as without reporting it, you are just as guilty(guilt by association, or accessory after the fact), as you have no way to prove you didn't cheat.

They should be counting their blessings they didn't have to learn the hard way.