Studying is not easy and it is not something that is taught to do well in schools. Normally within educational centers they assume that students should know how to study, that parents teach or that they will go to private psychopedagogues to teach their children the best study techniques. But this is not always the case and adolescents fight for and so that the studies they must learn remain in their minds and then pass the exam. But it is not always so easy.
Many teenagers copy
For this reason, for many adolescents, cheating on exams has become normal and routine. It has become so common that many teens think it is normal and do not understand why it is wrong. Many teenagers cheat on a test, copy their work from the Internet or they do as little as possible by following the very problematic law of 'least effort'.
Furthermore, technology makes copying easier and this makes it more difficult for teachers and professors to realize that some of their students are copying. There are students who use their smartphones to look up test answers or to send text messages to their friends and have them give them the answers. Fortunately, teachers and professors are increasingly aware of this and employ measures to prevent copying from being so easy. Although teenagers try to be more cunning and can take someone else's work from the Internet and try to pass it off as their own, only having pressed the 'print' key. There are applications that translate assignments from one language to another, so the student only has to search for complete assignments published on websites.
Some teens think they are helping their friends by doing their work for them. Others say they cheat because they feel they are under immense academic pressure. Often times, the pressure to 'help' other students is due to the pressure today's teens feel to be successful, because of social pressure to be 'perfect'. They may think that your parents value achievement above all else or may think that going to college at all costs is more important than honesty ...
What should you tell your child about it
If you think your teen may be doing his friends' homework or you think your child is cheating… you need to talk to him or her about some of the risks associated with cheating at school or high school. These talking points can give you a taste of things before you do it again.
- To cheat is to lie. Whether he is copying someone else's paper or plagiarizing something he has found on the Internet, he is saying that he is the author of that knowledge and that is a lie.
- It's like stealing. Taking someone else's job and I know it's yours is the same as stealing.
- It is unfair to others. Students who work hard for good grades shouldn't have to compete with those who aren't doing their own work. Also, people will one day believe in your abilities. If your abilities are not real because you cheated, you will disappoint those people.
- Cheating is self-degrading. When you cheat, you tell yourself that you don't believe in your own abilities enough to do the work on your own.
- Copying is unfair to you. When things are done right, you feel better and it helps to build your own self-esteem and also self-confidence. These are two very important things to a happy and successful adult.
- Copying makes the next learning step more difficult. Using a simple example: if you don't learn the elements in chemistry class, you won't be able to do complex chemical equations. Therefore, to pass you will have to re-copy or start from scratch. It's easier to just learn the basics the first time.
- Copying kills your confidence. If they catch you copying just once, they'll have a hard time trusting you because they'll never know when you'll do it again.
- Copying creates stress. Passing on someone else's work as your own means that you will have to be dishonest and cheat, which is inherently stressful. Keeping those secrets adds additional stress from being discovered as a cheater.
- Cheating is an insult to those who are teaching you. Knowledge is power and when someone shares knowledge with you it is a gift.
- The cheating doesn't end in high school. Copying often becomes a shortcut. It becomes a bad habit that can follow you through college and your future career. Instead of being 'someone who cheated to pass', you are likely to become 'a continuous cheater'.
Conversation with your teenager is very important
Have regular conversations with your teen about cheating. Ask him questions like:
- Do any of your friends cheat on exams?
- Do any of your friends copy class assignments?
- That your classmates copy is a problem in the institute?
- Do you feel any kind of pressure to fool yourself and approve?
Listen to what your teen has to say about cheating. Ask him what he thinks is easiest to copy today. You can make him reflect by asking questions like: Is it okay to use a website that translates words into a foreign language? Is it wrong if you take a piece of paper from the Internet but put some of the sentences in your own words? Ask your teen's opinions on these types of questions and then share your own ideas so you know what is correct and what is not.
Keep in mind that it is important to always be a good role model. If you are dishonest, if you steal or try to evade your taxes, your child will learn that it is okay to cheat the system to get the things that you want or that you consider are more important than being honest with yourself, with others and with the system. Show your teen the importance of being honest, even when honesty is tremendously difficult.