Blue Umbrella Official Feb 2020 issue | Page 5

One interesting reason AOA English teacher, Mr. Harrington, says why students cheat is that they do not know how to receive help from their teachers, such as through booking appointments, help notes, or the Academic Support Line. But cheating cannot be that bad, right? Wrong! Mr. Harrington says that ?when a student cheats, they are more afraid of failing than they are of sinning.? ?When you know you have all of these high-quality ways of getting help, you shouldn?t need to submit someone else?s work." AOA?s motto follows along with Proverbs 22:6, ?train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.? One of the ways teachers here strive to train students is by having integrity in their work by being honest, whole, honorable, and true. When asked what cheating meant to him, Mr. Harrington shared 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 in that ?God wants us to accept our weaknesses, knowing that His grace is sufficient.? - Mr. Harrington ?Students attend school to learn, and when someone chooses to not do the work him or herself, that student won?t learn anything about the subject.? Next time a situation arises, and it would simply be a lot easier to take the ?easy way out,? remember this verse from Colossians 3, ?Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord.? Cheating affects more than just the student, it affects their relationship with their teacher, parents, and ultimately, God. - Mrs. Cottam "You can avoid cheating by having the integrity and courage to resist the temptation. Truly learning the material is much more important than a perfect score." - Mr. Gesink