High Stakes Cheating

A Certain Young Lady came to her mom with a dilemma recently. She had observed two of her classmates trading answer booklets on a, shall we say, Very Important Test. Even though she knew there would be repercussions, she went to the principal. Even though she knew that one of the students observed in this action was very close to this principal. Even though she knew that her identity could not be protected. Even though she knew this would be a big deal, for good or for ill. Even though the consequences assessed did not seem commensurate to the offense.

Her mother is so proud.

Her mother is not so thrilled about the teacher who then paired this Certain Young Lady with one of the miscreants for a project a scant few days later. Yo! NOT such a good idea, there, and if her mom hears about anyone trying to make her daughter's life miserable, she's going to show a whole 'nother "Mama Cougar" side to her normally placid mien, so to speak. Use a little common sense, for God's sake!

What in the world was going on in the thought processes of those involved? Yes, this can be blamed on the incredibly high stakes of these Very Important Tests, but "moral relativism" is not really spoken here.

That Certain Young Lady is growing up quickly. Too bad she had her illusions cracked a bit, and one wonders how prevalent this kind of thing is. But the pride in seeing a kid do the right thing-- it truly is priceless.