First, let me tell you a story about when I was getting my Master’s Degree 4 years ago. At the end of our program of study we had a choice of writing a thesis or taking what they called an “intensive examination.” I hate research and have always been an ace test-taker, so of course I chose a 6+ hour exam rather than months of writing and rewriting. We were allowed to choose our own exam day. You simply showed up at the department office, picked up an envelope with the questions and a disk, and went on your way to take the exam wherever you felt most comfortable. The disk full of essays was due back by 5pm. My best friend and I decided to take the exam on the same day. We picked up our envelopes, went to a nearby computer lab, sat at opposite ends of the room, and got to work. We IM’d each other at lunch time, took a break to eat, and then got back to the exam.

Here is where I feel this story is relevant. I COULD have worked with my best friend. I COULD have used a year and a half worth of notes to help me. I COULD have looked up answers on the internet. I COULD have taken the disk home and worked on my own computer. No one was watching us. But I didn’t do any of these things. Why not? Because that’s not me. That would have gone against my own personal values. This test was a test of my knowledge, what I had learned over the course of the program. It wasn’t a test to see if I could find the answers in my notebook or on the internet. Sure, some people probably did. And you know what? That’s really none of my business. I don’t care what they did, because I know I prepared for this exam by showing up to class every day even when it was a summer course and it was 90 degrees and my friends were going out on someone’s boat. I went to class from 7-10 pm after a whole day of student teaching at some inner-city middle school. I studied the guide we were given over and over again. I got a good night’s sleep the night before. I did what I could do to get the best grade I could earn. In the end I was responsible for my failure or success and nobody else.

So, yes your midterm exam was flawed. The administration of it was not what I would have done in my own classroom. Some people used outside resources. Your teacher is not perfect. Life is not fair. But did you do the best that you could do, and do you feel good about the way that you took your exam? That’s what matters. In a few months you will leave this little G-Town bubble and have to make it in the “real world” where no one cares if you don’t think something is fair. There will always be some people who find a flaw in the system and exploit it for their own gain. If you spend your life worrying and complaining about what the person next to you is doing, you’re going to be pretty miserable. All you can do is your best and what feels right to you. So think about it. Stop worrying about what someone else did and take charge of your own grade and your own success. You will have the satisfaction of knowing that you relied on your own hard work and that you really earned the grade that you achieved and that’s what really matters.

Like our physics teacher said, according to the document we weren’t supposed to have any information about the test before hand; but everyone signed it and like he said, he herd every student talking about it the second we walked out the door. Everyone was saying oh what did you get for number whatever and what did you get for this question. Everyone cheated according to the document that they signed. So everybody had “aides” to the test they had each other’s (classmates) help. I still do not Alex cheated she used her resources and like i said before she knew how to do everyone of those questions and she always asked for help outside of class on things she did not understand.

1.) A curved grade is not a right, it is up to the teacher to decide whether or not they choose to GIVE FREE POINTS to their students. If one student was able to score a 100% on a test by means that broke no rules and are readily available to everyone, then why did not all the students score as well? In an advanced course such as Physics, it is not due to lack of ability.

2.) The teacher has the responsibility to compile the test. Not to steal a test, but to pick and choose questions that will challenge all the students of the class, especially those that have proven that they are willing to commit the hours of study required. It should be known that I have a great deal of respect for the teacher in question, but I do not agree with how he chose to go about creating or administering the midterm. As I have stated, it should not have been a direct Regents, but a mixture of questions from the past several exams. Also, to have both portions of the exam available on both days, therefore giving the students a chance to study the material they know is on the test, is leaving the door to cheating wide open. These two facts coupled together make for a situation extremely vulnerable to questionable results.

I hope I introduced a couple ideas that will make this situation go away so you guys can get on with enjoying your senior year.

While I support the discourse happening here, and I understand that everyone who comments isn’t going to agree with me, and I think I can learn from a good disagreement, I take exception to the repeated comments left by you that question my integrity. I have also refrained from arguing with you on this blog, as I believe it requires a face to face conversation which will take place tomorrow in class. However, I did not ask you “not to mention this again”, I asked you all not to talk about it until I had a chance to investigate further, to talk to the other parties. I have spent a considerable amount of time listening to YOU personally, because I value you and what you have to say. I have told you that I understand your point of view,and in a follow up conversation that I disagree with you, that I don’t see this as cheating. I’ve answered you, you just haven’t liked my answer. I haven’t lied to you and I’m not sure what you think I promised you. Originally, your teacher planned to retest the student. Upon further investigation and extensive conversation, we decided not to do that and he curved the test from the next highest grade.

It’s not that I haven’t followed through, I’ve spent considerable time discussing the issue with you, the teacher, the department leader, the guidance director, the other student, the superintendent, and any other student who’s wanted to discuss it. I make mistakes like the next person, but I do listen, follow through, and make decisions that are as fair as possible to EVERYONE. I have continued to respect you and all of our students throughout this. I’m sorry that you’ve now made this about me. It seems you didn’t hear half of our conversation.

Again, we’ll discuss it tomorrow. This is enough.

Being the student that went to Mrs. Moritz, I would agree that this has gone on way too long. The day that I went to the office, with other students to back me up, I was asked not to mention it again. Up until now, I have done what was asked of me. What you all need to realize, is that I was promised a specific solution. This was not follwed through. This has become an issue, not of the student who used the answer key, but of the words that were said and not meant.

Now that you know my point of view, I ask IF YOU WERE IN THE CLASS, how would you feel? What would you do?

Myself and a small group of students did what we felt was right and I stick by my actions. If this happened again today, even knowing that this would happen, I would do the sme thing I did before.