September 20, 2013
The following is an adaptation of remarks originally prepared for the Opening of School Mass. When we were running long, these remarks were cut from my address to the students.
I remember vividly, almost 40 years ago, a history exam I was taking with about 10 others. We were trusted by the teacher who left the exam room unsupervised for a few minutes. One of us started it. He broke the silence saying something like: "The answer to #7 is D. The answer to #8 is A." We all picked up on it. Before long, we were giggling like a bunch of total dopes and answers had been shared to almost all the multiple choice. We cheated, together. Pretty dumb.
I don't think there was anything planned about it. It was the stupid psychology of a bunch of boys "being bad" together. It seemed hilarious at the time. Not that it makes a difference, we were never caught or called out. We totally got away with it. Well, maybe not totally, because decades later, here I am sharing that story. I've always liked being in school, and doing well in school. But not that way. The shame of that poor choice still sticks with me. I abused the trust of my teacher and showed myself untrustworthy. I strongly doubt that any teacher here will be leaving students unsupervised in the middle of an exam, but we do know that opportunities will arise and the temptation not to do the right thing is going to be there every day. We know the biggest single reason that students cheat is to get better grades. We know the pressures on students – so many things to do; Mom and Dad expecting A's; sights set on a "stretch" school.
The strength of Good Counsel rests with students and the integrity of their academic performance. This school year, I urge our students to strive to do the right thing – not just when it suits, not just when the going is easy, but when the pressure is on. Make the choice to be trustworthy. Any other choice endangers the whole enterprise.
We give out diplomas. We send official records off to college in the belief that the numbers on the transcript signify something accurate about academic performance. Any time someone takes an integrity shortcut those numbers are compromised, undermined for all of us, our school's reputation suffers a wound, and hard work gets cheapened. Sometimes it's simple to judge. Cutting and pasting straight from the internet; notes for the test in teeny, tiny print hidden away; sitting in the Gallery before school, copying someone else's homework. None of these is OK. But what about telling or even hinting to friends what is on the test you took 1st period and that they will take at the end of the day? Or turning in a paper so extensively edited by Mom and Dad that they might as well have their name at the top of the page? Or staying home in order to put off taking a test until you're more ready? Or claiming you handed a paper in and the teacher must have misplaced it? Or taking credit on a group project when you did nothing and left the work to others? I've witnessed all those. It sure seems easy to take the shortcut.
I challenge all of us, let's do the right thing. Let it be one of our goals for this year, in all that we do and say, to be people deserving of TRUST.