Someone Cheated. Should You Speak Up?

April and Liam saw Jason cheat on a test. Is reporting him the right thing to do?

Liam says: It’s our duty to speak up.

Hey, April: I know we both saw Jason using his phone to cheat on that science test last week. Shouldn’t we tell Mr. Knight? I don’t know about you, but I struggled through that test. It was hard. And watching Jason copy the answers from his phone made me furious.

Here’s the worst part, though. He got an A, and I got a B. He cheated, and I studied all night. It’s not fair that someone can get a perfect grade without putting in any effort.

But I’m not upset just because Jason got a better grade than I did. I’m worried that cheating is becoming a big problem. I just read about this study. It found that one in three students have used their cell phones to cheat. That’s out of control! Isn’t it our duty to help stop cheating at our school?

I think that telling Mr. Knight what happened is the right thing to do. Cheating is serious, and it’s not something we can handle on our own. Jason needs to learn that what he did is just plain wrong. And the only way he’ll learn is by getting the grade he deserves. Can I count on you to back me up?

Liam says: It’s our duty to speak up.

Hey, April: I know we both saw Jason using his phone to cheat on that test last week. Shouldn’t we tell Mr. Knight? That test was hard. And watching Jason copy the answers from his phone made me mad.

Here’s the worst part, though. He got an A, and I got a B. He cheated, and I studied. It’s not fair that someone can get a perfect grade without doing any work.

But I’m not upset just because Jason got a better grade than I did. I’m worried that cheating is becoming a big problem. I just read about this study. It found that one in three students have used their cell phones to cheat. That’s crazy! Isn’t it our duty to help stop cheating at our school?

I think we should tell Mr. Knight what happened. Cheating is a big deal, and it’s not something we can handle on our own. Jason needs to learn that what he did is wrong. And the only way he’ll learn is by getting the grade he deserves. Will you back me up?

Liam says: It’s our duty to speak up.

Hey, April: I know we both noticed Jason using his phone to cheat on that science test last week. Shouldn’t we tell Mr. Knight? I don’t know about you, but I found that test incredibly difficult. It was infuriating to watch Jason copying the answers from his phone while I struggled.

The most frustrating part is that Jason cheated and got an A, and I studied all night and got a B. It’s unfair that someone can get a perfect grade without putting in any effort.

However, I’m not only concerned that Jason got a better grade than I did. I’m also worried that cheating is becoming a widespread problem. According to a study I just read about, 33 percent of students have used their cell phones to cheat. That’s unbelievable! Isn’t it our responsibility to help stop cheating at our school?

I think we have an obligation to tell Mr. Knight what happened. Cheating is serious, and it’s not something we can handle on our own. Jason needs to learn that what he did is unacceptable, and the only way he’ll learn is by getting the grade he deserves. Can I count on you to back me up?

Art by Marcelo Baez

April says: There’s got to be a better way to handle it.

You’re right, Liam. Cheating is not OK. But I don’t think telling Mr. Knight is the right way to deal with this situation.

Sure, I was disappointed when I saw Jason cheating. But let’s be honest: It’s not really affecting us at all. If he gets in trouble, his A will become an F. But your B will stay a B, and my C+ will stay a C+. His mistakes aren’t really our business.

We also don’t know what led Jason to cheat on the test. Remember how he had the flu and missed a whole week of school? Maybe he fell behind and was feeling desperate. I don’t think it would be fair to get him in trouble if this is a onetime mistake.

Jason is always nice to us, so let’s help him instead of hurting him. I think we should tell him that we saw him cheat. After all, he was pretty obvious. Knowing that people noticed might make him think twice about doing it again. We could even start a study group so we can all ace the next test. Are you with me?

April says: There’s got to be a better way to handle it.

You’re right, Liam. Cheating is not OK. But I don’t think telling Mr. Knight is the right way to deal with this problem.

Sure, I was disappointed when I saw Jason cheating. But it’s not really hurting us. If he gets in trouble, his A will become an F. But your B will stay a B, and my C+ will stay a C+. His mistakes are none of our business.

We also don’t know what led Jason to cheat on the test. When he had the flu, he missed a whole week of school. Maybe he fell behind and was feeling desperate. I don’t think he should be punished for this one mistake.

Jason is always nice to us, so let’s help him instead of hurting him. I think we should tell him that we saw him cheat. Knowing that people noticed might stop him from doing it again. We could even start a study group so we can all ace the next test. Are you with me?

April says: There’s got to be a better way to handle it.

Liam, I agree that cheating is not OK—but I don’t agree that telling Mr. Knight is the right way to deal with this situation.

Although I was disappointed when I noticed Jason cheating, I can’t say his behavior has had any real effect on us. If Jason is punished, his A will become an F—but your B will remain a B, and my C+ will remain a C+. His mistakes aren’t really our business.

We also don’t know what motivated Jason to cheat. He missed an entire week of school when he had the flu, so it’s possible that he fell behind and was feeling desperate. I don’t think it’s necessary for him to be punished if this is a onetime mistake.

Jason is always nice to us, so let’s help him instead of hurting him. I think we should tell him that we saw him cheating—after all, he was pretty obvious. Knowing that people saw him might make him reconsider before doing it again. We could even start a study group so we can all ace the next test. Are you with me?