<p>kwu talks about a community of learning, but he seems to think that everyone should go through school completely alone without help from anywhere. If a teacher gives answers that doesn’t mean the school doesn’t take cheating seriously, it means that that particular teacher felt those problems were too difficult and decided the kids shouldn’t be left on their own.</p>
<p>Also, all but one of the take home tests I’ve ever recieved were given out with the understanding that kids would help one another. Any teacher who thinks otherwise when giving out a test is either kidding themselves, or is just tempting the kids (and maybe, in a sadistic way, WANTS to catch kids for cheating so they can prove some preconcieved notion they have about kids’ morality- I doubt that though).</p>
<p>Cheating on things like mid-terms, finals and standardized tests is obviously very serious, but on things like homework, who really cares, it’s not like someone else having their homework effects the credit you recieve for it. I’m not encouraging cheating, but I don’t cover up my tests or hide my homework or anything. If someone cheats thats their perogative, and they may or may not face consequences. (By the way, I don’t think that anyone should have their application rescinded for being caught cheating once. That is a serious, long-term consequence for a momentary lapse of judgement at 17 or 18, a lapse that was probably caused by the pressure placed on students by parents, counselors and the whole college admissions process.)</p>
<p>People who get angered by cheating are upset because they judge themselve based on the results of others. If I do well on a test I’m happy, it doesn’t matter if other people do just as well or better- even if they recieved those results through cheating.</p>