Around almost every corner these days, cheating can be found to take place on homework, tests and even in relationships…but let’s hope that our schools are more concerned with academic dishonesty than the numerous love lives of their students. For many staff members here at Silverado High School, cheating is viewed as bad.

“I think it’s wrong. They are looking for an easy way out,” says Dean Scott Fiszer.

The teachers have their own opinions on cheating as well.

“I don’t think it changes your life, but if you cheat in school you may cheat as a citizen, and as a teacher I don’t want to raise cheaters,” says English teacher Eileen Gerken.

Although most teachers and staff feel the same way about cheating, most students have a different attitude.

In a recent cheating survey of over 100 students attending Silverado, 81 percent admitted to cheating on a test, 78 percent have cheated on homework and 77 percent have helped others cheat.

“I don’t think cheating is bad -- only if you get caught,” says sophomore Richard Viado.

The survey also revealed that only 44 percent of the students feel guilty when they cheat.

In contrast, most teachers have a hard time discerning whether students actually end up feeling sorry for cheating or just sorry because they got caught.

On a larger scale, one can see that cheating is not limited to just our local schools. According to a national survey, 64 percent of U.S. students have cheated on a test, and that amount is continuing to rise.

When it comes to plagiarism, only 14 percent of students surveyed at Silverado say they have done so.

Either because it’s hard to do or because it’s easy to get caught, plagiarism doesn’t seem as common.

“Teachers can tell whether it’s the work of a student or a scholar,” Gerken says.  

All in all, cheating can be found throughout our schools, in many classrooms and in various ways.