Academic Competition; Is it Causing Cheating

Most of us are aware of the websites on the Internet on the Internet where College and High School Students go to download pre-completed complete reports on over 50,000 different subjects. You can buy someone else’s report for a fee and then put your name on it and turn it in? Indeed it is rather funny that such a huge website or even several of these websites exist for the sole purpose of academic cheaters. It is obvious that it is a truly a desired service or they would not exist.

Which brings me to my next point? Why to so many of our students desire to cheat on their academic projects? Is it the competition to succeed that is doing this? Are we putting too much pressure on our students these days or are they simply lacking integrity? If so have we failed as parents or is our public school system to blame? Whatever it is this is a rather serious situation indeed and although the teachers and professors are onto this scheme and are finding ways to combat it and catch the cheaters there still seems to be an unlimited supply of cheaters out there.

Something that is rather alarming and troubling when looking at this issue is that these students will grow up and end up working in our corporations, for our government or even for themselves and if they lack the personal integrity to things right, well then we may be in for a rude awakening in the future due to character flaws in all aspects of American life. Consider this in 2006.