My last days of a teaching – marred by cheating.

 June 18, 2022

I waved goodbye to my last class at ENKA School and possibly my last ever yesterday.  Sadly because of an incident that happened in the last days, I feel rather hollow at the moment.  I have written before about the pressures students undergo because of the high stakes testing that occur four times a year.  Students and teacher live and die by “the exam.”  Most students only care about what will be asked from them on “the exam.” So, one could rationalize what happened over the past two weeks is the result of this pressured filled environment created by the Ministry of Education.  Or, one could realize that, when given the opportunity, students cheat.  And lie.   I wish I could see otherwise.

All exams at ENKA are created “in-house,” by the team of teachers teaching that grade and based on the goals of the current unit.  The creation of the exam and rubric takes a few weeks as we toss around ideas, write and revise.  Sometimes the exam is written on a WORD document, but Google Doc makes the most sense because we can edit it together.  Grade 10’s unit for the final quarter was focused on writing text analysis – the texts on which we focused where advertisements which promoted products by using gender stereotyping.  It was a good unit.   Techniques of persuasion using visual images and language were emphasized.  Since many students will be entering IB next year this would prepare them for their first analytic writing – the Paper 1.  The essay structure taught, was also very clear for those who struggle with writing.

As I graded these final essays – the last papers I would ever grade – I was happy and satisfied with most of the progress I saw on student papers.  One in particular, from a bright young girl, was especially thoughtful, coherent and maturely written.  The analysis was spot on.  I awarded her a 100%.  She is capable.  Even though we aren’t allowed to give grades until all teachers finish grading and results are checked by the department head, I told the girl – student A – I read her essay and then gave her a “thumbs up.”  I could see on her face she was delighted.

Fast forward a couple of days. I am giving back the papers and students are either squealing with delight or shrinking into tears.  I am anxious.  My worse days at ENKA are the days I return exam results. Students challenge and argue about grades.  They are taught to do this by their parents I suppose. I chalk it up to be a cultural practice.  I am steeling myself for the challenges to begin, when Nurcan, my head of department, comes to my classroom door.  She beckons me to the hallway.  I learn that Student A had a copy of the Grade 10 exam on her ipad.  Also, a typed copy of an essay – that soon turned out to be word for word the essay she wrote in the exam.  Nurcan shows me the proof and I feel duped, angry, disappointed and gutted.  I can hardly speak, yet I must return immediately to the classroom where Student A and one of her good friends – Student B - are celebrating their good fortune.  I wanted to cry. They cheated.  But how?  How?

What happened over the next few days was nightmarish.  It mars all my experiences in an ENKA classroom. First students were called in – starting with Student A – who could not deny the image before her of a copy of the exam and a typed essay matching the one she wrote which was indeed found on her ipad.  So, she blamed her tutor.  The tutor had the exam copy.  The tutor gave it to her as a practice. She did not know it was the actual exam.  More came to light as student essays from other classes were brought in and compared.  Whole paragraphs matched.  Unusual phrasing was identical.  They followed the same order.  Even a mistaken interpretation was repeated in several papers.  It came down to 5 students who had likely seen the exam beforehand. 

The school’s discipline committee convened as soon as they could be assembled.  It was determined that Student A and her boyfriend would get zeros for the writing portion of the exam.   The other three were questioned by the head of department and dean of students; all denied any knowledge of the exam beforehand.  Because the exact phrasing and sentences found in their essays were deemed not “proof” enough, there was no consequence. 

I had one way I could reflect the dishonesty I am certain occurred by Student B – and of course    Student B.  The behavior and participation mark.  The school’s rubric for this mark includes “academic honesty.”  I lowered their marks. Students saw my original marks – which I labeled “tentative” -  the week before because teachers are required to show them. When Student A and Student B and parents protested my lowering the mark, administration awarded the marks back.  I do not know their rationale, but I am sorely disappointed in ENKA administration for not backing a teacher’s assessment of “academic honesty.”  I am beyond sick about this.

The question of HOW the exam got out of our school system haunts our Grade 10 team.  Our worse fear is we left our computers unattended and a savvy student transferred the exam.  But, our IT department searched our computers and were unable to find where it may have been shared.   However, unattended computers are now the focus.  Locking my computer, or turning it off at the end of the day has never been a habit.  I am too naïve to think someone would actually look at my files. This week I started shutting the computer down at the end of the day.  But, I slipped up.  I forgot to turn it off at the end of the day Thursday.  My computer was confiscated because it was left on.  When I arrived Friday morning, I found a note on my desk by the high school principal saying it had been taken. I felt so defeated. And ashamed.   It is impossible to get everything right as a teacher, especially when there are so many forces wanting to blame you for another's failure.

I will reflect more on these events as I move toward my departure from Istanbul and ENKA School.  But at this time I feel no joy.  I feel no anger.  I feel only hollow.