A First

I caught my first student cheating last week.  Not really something I look forward to as a teacher, but it is a part of the job.  The worst part was I was back in the classroom where I did my student teaching, so this was a student I knew pretty well.  I can't say that I'm surprised at the cheating, just disappointed.  Here's what happened:

I was giving the students their final vocabulary test for the year.  Before I started for the day, I was told that cheating had been a rampant problem with students.  Many found themselves at the end of the school year desperate to get that A for their freshman  year of high school.  Other students were just trying to pass the class and avoid summer school.  Whatever the reason for cheating, I was told to watch the students very carefully during the test. 

I did my watching with no problems that I could see in the first class.  After I passed out all the exams to the second class, I noticed a problem.  One student had his hand balled into a fist, and I could see a bit of white sparkling through his fingers.  I watched him carefully and noticed he never moved his hand out of the fist, and I knew I had a problem.  For awhile, I decided just to watch him carefully, and not give him an opportunity to use his notes.  I realized that I couldn't watch him throughout the entire test and knew I had to move in.  I calmly walked beside his desk, ask for his cheat-sheet, and calmly walked by to my desk where I unfolded the two small pieces of paper with several of the vocabulary words and definitions writen in miniscule handwriting.  He quietly protested as I walked away that he hand not used the papers. 

I let him finish his test.  I was relitively sure he didn't use the cheat sheet, but I really couldn't be sure.  I asked the student to stay for a minute after class.  I told him that no whether he used the notes or not, he still came to class with the intent to cheat and there is no way for me or his teacher to know if he cheated or not.  All we see is that he had at one point decided to cheat on his test.  I told him I would write his teacher a note explaining everything that happened, but he should probably prepare for the worst. 

Overall, I think I handled the situation decently.  I am really not great at the intense discipline part of teaching (another reason why I would make a terrible principal).  I was the kid that never cheated in school.  I know some methods of cheating, I'm just don't think I'm very good at recongnizing cheating yet.  I'm sure I'll get better, but it saddens me that I have to.  I suppose I always have to take the good along with the bad when it comes to any profession.