would you tell your teacher about cheating students?

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i must be VERY naive! i had no idea that people cheat the way that they do in school. there are two groups of people in my chemistry class who i found out are cheating their way through our class, and it makes me so angry :angryfire -- partly because they talk throughout the class, try to copy my group's labs, show up late or not at all.

in our exams we are able to bring in our periodic tables as a reference. we've colored in certain things, drawn arrows, etc. -- but, no words. our teacher looks at our tables and calculators as we enter the exam to make sure there are no words or numbers. however, one group was plotting how to cheat on that. they were going to write formulas and such in white crayon so that she couldn't view it when making a quick glance. another person who speaks a foreign language asked one of my lab partners who speaks that language to keep her answers uncovered on her test so that she copy that day. of course she asked in their shared language, not english. my lab partner was PISSED! like me, she puts in the necessary work to do well.

on one hand i feel like the cheating doesn't directly affect me, so why be a snitch. on the other hand, i just don't think it's fair. :nono: i show up daily, and put in the work inside and outside of class. i have no problems helping people who try, but i can't stand to look out of the corner of my eye and see someone looking at my paper, and copying my lab results almost every lab.

what would you do in my situation? :uhoh3: would you give your teacher an anonymous note to be a little more aware on test days? would you tell her blatantly what's going on? or would you just focus on yourself and trust that karma will run its course with your classmates?

looking forward to your feedback!

ActNowNrsL8r

p.s... i went emoticon happy -- forgive me, it's a new discovery :lol2:!

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Specializes in OB, M/S, HH, Medical Imaging RN.
i must be VERY naive! i had no idea that people cheat the way that they do in school. there are two groups of people in my chemistry class who i found out are cheating their way through our class, and it makes me so angry :angryfire

what would you do in my situation? :uhoh3: would you give your teacher an anonymous note to be a little more aware on test days? would you tell her blatantly what's going on? or would you just focus on yourself and trust that karma will run its course with your classmates?

looking forward to your feedback.

I personally would let it go. It would really make me angry too but come time for NCLEX they'll be the ones failing. :trout: In the end cheaters never prosper and God keeps track.

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Specializes in ER/Ortho.

I have ran into this also, but it's not my business or problem. I do REFUSE to let anyone cheat off me, but otherwise I ignore what everyone else is doing. I show up daily, study, pay attention, and do my work because I take it seriously. When the time comes I am sure I will do well on the Nclex. These cheaters are only cheating themselves. They may skate by in the class, but they are still responsible for knowing the material they never learned.

I also think the instructors know more than we give them credit for. I am sure the professor knows which students are there to learn, and which are screwing around. When the time comes if a good student is a couple of points shy of an A she might be kind. On the other hand a screw off she will not be so kind to.

Let the cheating go, but do not be shy about speaking up and telling them to be quiet because you are trying to hear. You pay for the class, and if their talking is disturbing you then tell them to shut up.

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There have been several threads regarding cheating on this site. Advice usually runs both ways: keep your mouth shut or report the cheaters. Think about the situation and what your personal standards are, and act accordingly.

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Absolutely! These people will be the nurses you could have to work with in the near future, or they could be the nurses taking care of your parents or grandparents or children for that matter. You would be wrong not to tell. I had the same situation in my nursing school. We had a large number of students from a certain country. One smart girl from the group did all of the work and gave the rest of them the answers. Many people in our class told the teachers what was going on. It took awhile, but eventually the teachers were able to catch them in the act and most parties were expelled.

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Absolutely! These people will be the nurses you could have to work with in the near future, or they could be the nurses taking care of your parents or grandparents or children for that matter. You would be wrong not to tell. I had the same situation in my nursing school. We had a large number of students from a certain country. One smart girl from the group did all of the work and gave the rest of them the answers. Many people in our class told the teachers what was going on. It took awhile, but eventually the teachers were able to catch them in the act and most parties were expelled.

what would you say to the teacher? how would you say it -- in writing or face-to-face?

i just read another thread about it, and it sounded like the general consensus was to say something. i want to, but i'm still a little on the fence about the method if i do move forward with it...

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Send an unsigned letter but make certain you put enough info in the letter so that the instructor can identify what is going on. If you don't mind being identified by the instructor, then send an email. If the school has a voicemail system, you can pick a time when you know they wouldn't answer the phone (like in the evening) and leave a voicemail message.

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Check your school's honor code; most say that if you witness cheating and don't report it, you are just as guilty as the cheaters.

Peace,

Cathie

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Specializes in geriatric, med/surge, psychaitric.

Although more than likely these people would never get past the testing point to actually be profesionals in this field, the fact that they have such poor integrity, character and morals at this point shows that they do not deserve the privilage of doing this job. I would rat them out and I would not care if they knew I did it. My pet peeve in life are people who do wrong and think it;s okay as long as they don't hurt anyone else but if they cheat it will throw off any curvers the instructor has and people who deserve the credit won't get it and people who don't deserve credit will get extra points etc...

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Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.

I agree with most of the posters above: you HAVE to report it.

If it were me, I'd do it anonymously...but however you feel comfortable reporting it is up to you.

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Specializes in ICU, SDU, OR, RR, Ortho, Hospice RN.
There have been several threads regarding cheating on this site. Advice usually runs both ways: keep your mouth shut or report the cheaters. Think about the situation and what your personal standards are, and act accordingly.

I totally agree.

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Specializes in RN- Med/surg.

I'd report it. It may not be true that it doesn't effect you. Do their scores bring down the grade curve? Does your proff ever give extra points?

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