Cheating

On Friday I was substituting for the same Language Arts teacher that I had subbed for on Wednesday. Overall she has some good classes. They don't give me a lot of trouble and for the most part they are a lot of fun.

Friday the classes had a test. Even though they knew about the test (they were even given a review sheet for it) there was still the usual amount of groaning and complaining. Before I ever hand out a test I tell the classes my rules:

1. If they talk during the test I will assume they are cheating and I will take up their test. It will be up to them to come and talk with the teacher about it.

2. If they have wandering eyes I will assume they are cheating and (refer to #1).

3. If they turn in their test and they begin to talk while others are still taking the test then they will be on step 1 (steps is a discipline program) until everyone is done with the test.

Before I ever take up a test for talking I will usually remind them and then if it continues I will take up their test. I have done it before and usually that makes a believer of the students. Evidently on Friday I had a student that thought that she was being cautious. She had the test in her lap with the review sheet under her test and she was referring to it for the answers on her test. I took her test from her and she never protested. She didn't even come up to me at the end of class and talk with me about it.

I have never understood why a student would take a chance on obvious cheating. They can be suspended for cheating and personally I don't think that it is worth it.

On another note on Friday I had lunch duty (again). There were the usual few that can't count that there are already 8 at the table (the limit) so they go ahead and join them. That means that I have to go to them and remove one to another table. Then there was the girl that thought she would check her text messages on her cell phone at lunch (why take the chance). I saw it and confiscated her phone. Now her mother will have to come to school to retrieve it and pay the $15 fine.

I was glad that it was Friday-I didn't need any more excitement in my day. Thank goodness there wasn't a fire drill that day.

Liz