“Cheaters Never Prosper”

I remember hearing this saying as a kid and although I don’t think I ever said it in the classroom, I was pretty strict when it came to my students doing their own work. Being dishonest with me, such as in lying or cheating, was a “pet peeve” mentioned the first day of school. It was reinforced often, and included encouraging my kids to simply do their best. I also reminded them that they wouldn’t really learn anything if they cheated, and that no one would trust them, etc. Regardless, it could be a difficult battle.

Cheating in school comes in many forms, including copying answers from a classmate’s paper, not doing your fair share when working in a group, turning in someone else’s work, etc. There are two aspects related to cheating that make it a difficult area to address. First, teachers have to impress upon students that cheating is wrong even though kids witness cheating on a daily basis in areas as diverse as sports and politics. Second, teachers are often faced with the dilemma of suspecting a student of cheating, but not being positive as to what actually occurred.

Tales From My Classroom…

One student in third grade tried to hide the spelling words under her leg during the Friday test. That’s also happened with students having a book open in their desk during a test.

One of our projects in third grade was building a castle while we were studying Europe. When the project was due, each student would show their castle to the class and explain how they built it, what materials they used, etc. One student stood up and announced that she didn’t know anything about her castle because her Dad had told her to go out and play while he worked on the castle.

Once in a while, a student would turn in homework that had obviously been written by someone else, most likely a parent. Treading softly was very important in that case!

Did you ever cheat in school, and, if so, were you caught? What happened?

How do you react as a parent if a teacher contacts you about your child cheating?

Teachers, have you had students who cheated? How did you handle the situation?

“That’s not how Mrs. Smith does it!” or The Plight of Substitute Teachers

As October comes to a close, there is a decent chance that there have been substitute teachers roaming the halls of most schools. As a teacher who has arranged and planned for subs many times over the years, I can say that it is more work getting ready for a sub than being in the classroom myself. As a principal who has interviewed substitute candidates and walked into classrooms where subs are working, you just never know what you’re going to find. As a retired educator who has worked as a sub, you quickly realize the good, bad, and ugly. The good is that, at the end of the day, you go home- no papers to correct, no plans, phone calls, or meetings. The bad is that you’re in someone else’s classroom where you don’t know where everything is, following someone else’s plans, and with students whose expectations are not yours. The ugly? Students view you as an outsider. You hear a lot of “Mrs. Smith doesn’t do it that way” and kids feel the need, almost a compulsion, that you need to be tested, and they live up to that need!

Tales From My Classroom…

I once had a student eat a sock when I had a substitute teacher in my room. When I asked him why he did this, he said he just wanted to see what the sub would do. By the way, I found a note from the sub. She wasn’t coming back.

The first time I subbed, I was outside with the 5th grade class I was assigned to when one of the kids punched another student in the face. I told him (the puncher) to come over and he promptly ran in the other direction. I had to have the principal come outside- a first for me. I remember thinking to myself- does this kid know who he’s dealing with? Then it came to me. He didn’t know and he didn’t care.

When subbing for a math specialist one day, I was working with a small group of first graders in the math teacher’s room. At the end of our group time, because we ran a little late, I walked them to the gym, where they were sure their class would be. They were wrong. Then we tried music. Nope. I finally got smart and walked them to the office to check the class schedule and brought them to art.

I didn’t use a Smartboard until I was subbing. It made me feel very old.

How were your classes different when a substitute teacher was in the room? Think about changes in assignments, behavior, and expectations.