Cheaters damage self-image

Cheater. Cheater. Pumpkin-eater.

Had a future, but became a self-deceiver.

Researchers from Harvard and Duke University found evidence in a 2010 survey that students who cheat throughout their academic careers have inflated expectations for future success, an article in Education Week said.

As obvious as this consequence sounds, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences survey showed 59.4 percent of more than 40,000 public and private high school students have cheated on a test. Fifty-five percent were honors students.

The study showed if someone focuses on a high test score rather than cheating as a reason for it, then this train of thought would lead students to feel smart.

These actions could encourage teachers to treat the students as smart if they aren’t caught and will lead students to continue to think they know the material.

If students are led to believe their knowledge on a subject is accurate, despite cheating, they’ll never learn how to ask for help.

It’s time for a reality check.

Not only do students who cheat have a possibility of facing self-deception, but cheating says a lot about their morals and character when they continue to do so.

These students are tricking themselves into thinking they’re succeeding. If they aren’t caught, they’re also tricking others around them. If students are struggling in a class because they don’t understand the material, cheating isn’t going to help them understand it any better.

Students can’t cheat in the work force. Cheating could cause people to be fired or, worse, be charged with criminal acts depending on the situation.

It’s OK to ask for help, especially if it’s needed to learn and move forward. It’s better to ask questions, no matter how dumb or foolish the questions may sound, than it is to make a mistake because none were asked.

Sometimes the strongest thing a person can do is ask for help. Don’t let cheating become an issue in the classroom, in the career field or in your own successes. Because when your head hits the pillow at night, the cheating and lies stop. Are you willing to live with that?

Choosing to cheat comes with a price — be it academic integrity or personal integrity. Choose wisely.