With exams comes the phenomena of cheating. How to beat the habit? Here are some guidelines:
1. Unrealistic Expectations Lead to Cheating
Parents involved in their child’s education are less likely to face such problems. Knowing your child’s strengths and weaknesses will keep expectations realistic.
2. Too Much Emphasis on Grades is Bad
Once students become grade-oriented instead of learning-oriented, their natural love of learning may be destroyed. The tremendous feeling of satisfaction that comes when mental and/or physical effort results in new or enhanced understanding is the reward that Allah has built into the human psyche. The role of parents and teachers is to encourage and nurture this intrinsic God-given reward, not to completely replace it with meaningless numbers, and most certainly not to punish one who may progress a little slower.
3. Don’t do Children’s Homework
Parents may have good intentions in helping their children with assignments, yet they send the wrong message when they do more than their share of work on a project. Children should be encouraged from early to do their own work, and not mind that their peers are turning in elaborate parent-created projects.
4. Be a Good Role-Model for your Children
Look for opportunities to discuss values or model them for children. This might include reading articles in the paper about people who cheated or showing children what you’d do in the face of temptation, e.g. when the cashier fails to ring up one of your grocery items. Let them know Allah is watching, and cheating is never right, whether a person gets caught or not.
5. Remove the Motivation to Cheat by Creating the Right Atmosphere at Home
If you don’t want children to cheat, create an environment where they know they are loved and have the right to make mistakes. We are human, and there are times we’ll fall short. %
BEAT THE CHEAT
