1. Here's an interesting article about teasing from the NYTimes. What are your thoughts on this issue? Is there any forms of teasing that go on at MA? Is this something to look at for a future article?
2. An interesting follow-up to our article on cheating. Clearly the article in last year's paper wasn't an anomaly. What are your thoughts on this study? Do you think this issue needs to be revisited considering the community response and the lack of follow-up we've had this year?
8 comments:
Article on cheating
This article was very similar to the Voice article last year. Although I was not in journalism last year, being on the other end of the spectrum there was a lot of talk about it. People talked about it more than any other article that was published in my opinion. It really opened people's eyes on the issue.Especially the affect on MA.
I think cheating is a stupid thing to do because you are not learning anything. I don't agree with cheating, and some may agree with me. The sad thing is people will not change what they are doing. Like the article pointed out there is a lot of pressure on teens. Therefore, they chose the "easy" way out. In some ways it could be helpful to write another article about it. However, at the same time I feel like it should not be as a big of a thing as it was last time. The sad thing is I feel that many people who cheat may not change their ways no matter what articles are written.
Cheating Article
To be honest, in my opinion no article that is ever written in the Voice should cause that kind of negative reaction from the school community. Articles that are published with a clear, defendable purpose are one thing, but if we come out with articles saying how horrible we are as a society of cheaters, then that kind of work shouldn't be published (not to say that the cheating article last year was like this, but a lot of people thought it was).
Sadly cheating isn't stupid. Students are so loaded down with work that there's no way they plan on learning it all. So, instead of learning it all , they'd rather learn some of it and cheat on the rest. Unfortunately, not every student shares Dami's opinion that cheating is stupid because you don't learn anything. Again, cheating is done for survival.
The people who cheat just because they can ruin the "integrity" behind cheating. The quotes are there for a reason, because people are supposed to cheat to get ahead, or catch up, not to just keep up the status quo when there is no outside pressure.
I think cheating is kind of a necessity in schools because it forces administrators and teachers to try new methods of teaching and testing, instead of boring old sit-down tests.
I liked how this article took a more historical perspective on cheating and went into how it is a growing problem and is not just something we should think of solely as an occurrence in present day culture. I also like mention of how cheating reflects the morals of our society, and how some people are even willing to steal or cheat off friends or family members, and may even find it easier to do because they are acquaintances as opposed to strangers.
Quite simply, if cheating exists at our school then we have a problem. How large of a problem it is or how it compares to other schools has to be looked into, but it will always be an issue seeking solution. Having cheating and stealing present on our campus is not unique, but it still says something about the morals of students and faculty alike. Like the article and Josh alluded to, it is important that emphasis is placed on the trials and errors of the learning process as opposed to the final answer. I think it would be valuable to cover cheating again, but we would have to be careful to cover the issue in a fresh way with a much different tone. It would probably also help to look at the topic through a wider lens instead of singling out cheating at MA. Personally, I would like to see any piece written address stealing as well; though the original article focused on cheating, I think MA also has a significant problem with stealing. There always seems to be knowledge of stolen iPods, laptops, and cell phones drifting around campus, and it exemplifies the degradation of the trust we have in each other just as much or more than cheating.
Although it may seem like cheating has been talked about a lot, the issue has never truly been acknowledged or addressed appropriately in our community. It is obvious that cheating is a problem and there is no denying the statistics.
What is difficult about the cheating issue is the reluctance for many in our community to discuss it. The negative reaction from the school community in response to the article is just one example of this. This sort of behavior exacerbates the cheating problem. The AP article mentioned how most adults turn a blind eye when students cheat. We should be unafraid to talk openly about this issue. Another article could be a possibility for next semester, but no matter what is written the school community must look it in the face and be willing to change. We can't hide from it.
The article also mentioned how easy it is for students to cheat in this day in age. The risk-reward ratio is small for most students. It is unlikely that they will be punished or caught, while that test that seemed so hard to study for is no longer that way.
Also, just to play devil's advocate with this issue, I feel that it is unfair to say that cheating prevents you from learning anything. Cheating forces you to think creatively. I am often amazed at the way students have discovered to cheat. That date and event you need to memorize for a history test will not serve you well in the future, but the innovation conjured up to cheat will. Oftentimes, "street smarts" are much more valuable than "book smarts."
Note: I do not support cheating. I was simply trying to shed light on the other side of the issue.
adam
This post is about the teasing article...
I really enjoyed reading this article. Never have I ever heard somebody advocate teasing. Usually, we see teasing as something that is unacceptable. Even if you are giving somebody a hard time about something small, it can still make them feel uncomfortable. Poeple don't like to have their shortcomings pointed out, no matter how subtle they are.
I do now realize the benefits from having read the article. It can be a socialization tool. The idea of building emotional intelligence and moral imagination is also important. Teasing also prevents bullying as it is still a way to release feelings, but without the hatred and in a more subtle manner.
Teasing at MA is most certainly not an issue. It is present, but I do not think it is a problem. People do like to give each other a hard time, but never in an excessive way. Teasing lightens the atmosphere and prevents our community from getting too caught up with norms.
As far as an article, I do not know how it could be related to our community in an interesting way. We could ask a variety of students how they feel about cheating because I'm sure some students will feel strongly against it.
adam
In response to the article on teasing...
Like Adam said, this article explored a new perspective on teasing that I had never seen portrayed before. The idea that teasing can be an important social tool and the distinction between bullying and teasing is necessary to recognize because I think that it holds a lot of validity. When I was in middle school we had a school wide unit on teasing and why people shouldn't tease others. However, from this came more teasing of the course and the instructors. The students used it as a way to make light of a boring and probably useless course. This article made me realize that this wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but simply a method of socilization that is ingrained in our culture.
I like how the article went into the history of teasing and explained the finer points of "the language of teasing", etc. Overall, I really enjoyed this article.
Olivia
Re: teasing
I think it's fascinating that there's this difference between teasing and real criticism. I like Keltner's idea that there is a difference between "on-the-record" and "off-the-record" criticism. I don't feel like the writer really conveyed those ideas very well – a lot of it went over my head. I thought he had some interesting examples – the frat experiment, etc. – but never really tied it all together. I don't think the article actually 'defended' teasing.
That said, I agree with what I think was the premise of the article. Teasing can be a good thing; it teaches us how to respond criticism – when to take it seriously and when it's best not to let it bother you.
In regards to the teasing article, I have always thought that teasing serves an important role. Of course, playful teasing is far different than bullying and it is important to know where the line is. Teasing someone about something they obviously fell bad about is not acceptable about other topics including virtues someone is overly proud of are definitely on limits. As the author points out, teasing serves many social roles, and I've always wondered why teasing is looked down on so much. Kids who are not subjected to cheating, are usually not fit to face the real world. In the right circumstances teasing can be a positive thing.
Adam spell your name right man
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