Recently I have found myself in the midst of an academic conundrum. I took a test last Tuesday and when the grades were posted on Monday, I went to go check how I did. I was slightly concerned when I saw a "0" where a grade should have been. I was even more concerned what the stats for the exam were sent out and it reported that the lowest grade was indeed a zero. I have gotten my fair share of bad grades in my academic career, but never, never, have I gotten a zero. Thoroughly flummoxed, I went up to the teacher during break and asked why i had a zero. Her response shocked me. Evidently, some sitting near me had 5 or more same incorrect answers as I did. According to her statistics, that is too high on an exam of that length (51 questions) to be pure chance - therefore someone was copying. Since she can't prove who was copying (if at all), both myself and the other person got zeros. This also happened to several other students and they were outraged. I suppose I was mad as well, and kind of offended really, but it got me thinking. Has the current academic population sunk so low that honest students must now be penalized along with the cheating ones? Why do people feel the necessity to cheat anyway? As I walk around campus every day, I can begin to see some answers to my questions.
1) We have bought into the lie that life is easy.
Look around you and you will see a plethora of items that are sold under that mantra of "It's that easy!". Food products, weight loss gimmicks, electronics - you name it, it's out there. As Americans, we are all about making our lives easier. Distance learning so that we don't have to commute to class every day. Instant microwave rice in a bag because making it on the stovetop takes too long. Mobile phones providing instant access to Facebook because waiting until you're home to check how many likes your status got will take too long. A cookie diet that will help you lose weight fast because going to the gym every day and foregoing sweets is too hard. And so, if life is this easy, why should school be any harder? Why should we have to attend class every day and pay attention? Why can't I just slum through it and be happy with a C at the end of the semester? We are quickly learning that if we want something, we don't have to work that hard to get it. Compare that with a 3rd world country where the students have to walk 5-10 miles one way to school. I think if Americans today suddenly found themselves in that situation, everyone would be in uproar.
2) Working hard for something you want is a thing of the past
Now, before I continue, I must point out that I know lots of people to whom this does not apply. I would venture to say that America as a whole is slowly but surely drifting towards this line of thought, compared with the generation of 50-70 years ago. For example, my grandfather was born on a tobacco farm in North Carolina. When he was a boy, he would get up at the crack of dawn and do his farm chores. He would eat breakfast and begin the 5 mile walk to school. After school, he would walk the 5 miles back home and do his afternoon chores. It was only after dinner that he would begin his homework and then go to bed when he was finished - and the cyle began again. There was not time for nightly television shows, no time to check facebook, no time play video games - and he took great pride in his education. After World War II, he pursued his education and eventually attained his Ph.D. He taught business at a University for many years and truly enjoyed what he did. Would any of us survive in his circumstances? I'll be the first person to admit that no, I probably wouldn't survive - at first. Then, I suppose I'd get used to it. But what's our definition of "Working hard" - or has our work been made easy because of modern conveniences?
In short, I am disappointed with our culture, I am disappointed in our generation. It is not right that students (and people for that matter) should sink so low and assume they can just slink by. Why not take pride in the country we live in? Why not be proud for the educations we are receiving, some at the cost of other people's hard earned salary? Why? Because we're Americans. It's "our right" to these things and therefore, we take no pride in them. Would you take more pride in making cake and icing from a box that someone else bought or would you take pride in a cake made from scratch, that took many long and laborious hours? Sorry people, but education, healthcare, financial aid, welfare etc, they're not rights - they're privileges. And like my parents used to tell me, privileges can be earned, but they can also be taken away. I think it's high time we start earning these privileges again. Let's start putting in the hard work for what we want. My grandparents worked hard their entire careers to be able to draw from their Social Security benefits - but they had to put the money in first.
School is a privilege - and if I could tell every single freshman, sophomore etc at my school who are currently taking this privilege for granted by skipping class, posting pictures of themselves being bored in class, chatting and being disrespectful of the instructor, watching you tube videos on their iPad etc - If I could tell them that College isn't an extension of high school, I would. If I could tell them that the drinking isn't worth it, I would. If I could tell that that being able to down a 5th of vodka in one evening won't get them a job, but a diploma with good grades to back it up will, I would. If I could tell them that respect, honesty, and good intentions will get them much further in life than partying, lying and cheating will, I would. If I could tell the young ladies that a gentle and quiet spirit is so much more attractive than heavy makeup and baring the midriff and raggedy cutoffs, I would.
But even if I could tell them these things and more, they probably wouldn't listen. Because we are also raising a generation that knows it all. That because they saw it on Facebook, it must be true. That because the media says it's true it must be. We are losing the thinkers, the dreamers and the doers. Instead, we are gaining the Facebookers, the Instagramers, and the how-fast-can-I-text-ers.
I'm not mad I got a zero - Rather it has opened my eyes to the reality of the world as it is. An honest student got penalized because of the actions of a dishonest student. Not only will this mean I will ensure to do my 100% for the next exam, but I hope this encourages others around me to do the same. It's not about what's fair, not fair. No one ever said life would be fair. If life were fair, I'd be a millionaire with all the degrees I wanted, living in a mansion without a care in the world. But as it is, I'll just have to be content for working hard for what I want.
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