Cheating for Your Child

Would You Cheat For Your Child?

June 26, 2009

There are parents who prepare science projects for their children, teachers that pass their answer keys off to their own kids to give them an edge and generations of moms and dads who correct their youngster's homework before they turn it in. At what point does one draw the line between "helping" and cheating? A Pennsylvania mother who worked as the secretary at her daughter's high school changed the child's grades and test scores to improve her class standing. She now faces criminal charges. One report said:

McNeal was charged with 29 counts of unlawful use of a computer and 29 counts of tampering with public records. Each count is a third-degree felony punishable by a maximum of seven years in prison and a $15,000 fine.

While this is an extreme case, do you think it's ever alright to cheat for your child?

Source: Getty

8 Comments

runningesq 3 years 47 weeks

Did you actually do it, Ziva ?

Zivanod 3 years 47 weeks

When I was a kid my mom forced me to do my brother's homework sometime because "he just wasn't as smart as me."I used to fight with her that he wouldn't learn anything if I did it for him.So because of that I am a firm believer in helping them understand the work and helping them come to the conclusions themselves but not actually to do it.And on another note, I used to work at a retail print shop and on more then one occasion, a parent would come in and actually hire me (graphic designer) to do their kid's art and design projects.

Zivanod 3 years 47 weeks

When I was a kid my mom forced me to do my brother's homework sometime because "he just wasn't as smart as me." I used to fight with her that he wouldn't learn anything if I did it for him. So because of that I am a firm believer in helping them understand the work and helping them come to the conclusions themselves but not actually to do it. And on another note, I used to work at a retail print shop and on more then one occasion, a parent would come in and actually hire me (graphic designer) to do their kid's art and design projects.

3 years 47 weeks

Checking a child's homework and telling him that #4 is wrong, and asking him to do it again, is far from changing a child's grades illegally. Like MissSushi, I do not consider that to be cheating.

MissSushi 3 years 47 weeks

Nope, I wouldn't, and my parents didn't. They did check my work however. I was an insane perfectionist as a child, so I would do my work, have my father check it, tell me which ones were wrong, and then I would go back, reread the chapter/book/whatever, and try them again. Then I would rewrite the entire thing, and bring it in, starting from a really early age, 1st grade in fact... I was totally over the top and quite anal, but I eventually stopped getting anything wrong, ever. I dont consider it cheating. I dont believe you should just leave your kid to their homework, to turn in good or bad. There was a time when parents took a far more hands on approach with their childrens education, and it had nothing to do with helping them cheat or giving them the answers.

3 years 47 weeks

No. You do the work for them and they get to the next level and; SHOCK they can't keep up. There is no short cut to knowledge.

runningesq 3 years 47 weeks

I completely agree macgirl. When you cheat for your child you are really cheating your child out of learning + experiene.

macgirl 3 years 47 weeks

NO. When you cheat to help your child you are going to hinder them in the long run. I even have a problem when parents "help" their child so much with homework/projects that you can tell they weren't done by a child. Kids need to experience the occasional failure in order to grow.

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