I don’t think that kids are any worse nowadays than they were when I was a kid or my grandparents were kids (parents and parenting may be worse, but that’s another post).  So, I don’t think they’re more inclined to cheat.

But I do think they maybe define cheating differently than adults do.

I found a great site for tween girls, called It’s My Life, which discusses a lot of cool stuff, but one thing on there is cheating.  While they do allow kids to give their input, they also offer some pretty clear guidelines about cheating.  I like that–kids’ experiences should matter, but not at the expense of teaching them right from wrong. 

Here are a few of the things IML says about cheating:

• It applies to all of your homework–not just tests!
• It applies to all tests and quizzes, too, even if the teacher steps out of the room.
• It can even apply to group projects, if not everyone carries their fair share or  you use resources your teacher didn’t approve.

Then it has a section that says these things are cheating:

• writing out answers beforehand
• letting someone else do your work
• doing someone else’s work
• copying out of a book (my college students are still working on this concept)
• copying on a test or letting someone else copy you

Kids know when they’re cheating.  The big clue is for them simply to ask, “Do I mind if my teacher or parent sees me doing this?”  If you don’t want them to know, you’re cheating.  If you weren’t cheating, you wouldn’t have anything to hide.

And parents and teachers…get with the times.  Watch out for that cell phone, laptop, bluetooth, Blackberry, etc.  You might not have figured out all the possibilities,  but they sure have.

Related posts:

1. Parents’ Involvement in Kids’ Education
2. North Carolina Judge Orders Homeschool Kids into Public School