SOUTHWORDS
November 1976
Science partners work on cheating
no author
The science department, as most other departments in this school, has problems with cheating and vandalism. Biology teacher Mr. Kent and Chemistry teacher Mr. Cook were ... asked for their insights on these two problems.
When asked how much cheating goes on, Mr. Kent replied, "There is a fair amount of it, although now with the use of test boards, cheating has sharply decreased." Test boards are wooden dividers which are set up between students every time they take a test. Mr. Cook added, "I don't think that there is much cheating in my classes. The tests in chemistry are designed so that the numbers are different for each problem." He further replied that the kids are seated far apart while taking a test.
When asked what the procedure is when students are caught cheating, both teachers said that they would talk to the student and advise him not to cheat again. "Although," said Mr. Cook, "this is done at the beginning of the year."
Concerning vandalism? All teachers have an inventory sheet that covers the apparatus in their classroom. From a chemistry point of view, not much gets stolen from the classroom. Mr. Cook commented that the last major loss of apparatus was five years ago. From a biology point of view, "Items have been stolen which are valued in hundreds of dollars," Mr. Kent said. To prevent this, the doors are kept locked, a supervisor is always in the laboratory, and a teacher has to keep his eyes open.
When asked if the science department has more troubles regarding vandalism and cheating than others, Mr. Cook said, "We don't have more problems than any other department. If a student vandalizes and cheats, they are only exposing themselves to difficulty." Mr. Cook continued, "It's too bad that we have to live in a society where people don't respect the rules. But one rotten apple could spoil the whole barrel."