A Minute for Parents

Summary

Dishonest? Is It Your Kid?

Article

By JoAnn Hibbert Hamilton

What is happening to honesty in the world? In light of the national problems America is having, this is a great time for family discussions on this subject. Are you aware of what the environment is like in Davis County as far as honesty is concerned? Most important of all, are we doing the teaching we need to do in our families so we don’t have this problem?

According to Shalyn Roberts in a Davis County Clipper article the Josephson Institute released a survey showing that nearly two-thirds of students today cheat on tests and homework. My impulse as I read this was, “but not here in Davis County.” However Shayn states, “In the Davis School District, the figure is actually higher” (Shalyn Roberts, “Dishonesty? Davis schools exceed national average,” Davis County Clipper, December 9, 2008).

On a national level the survey included 30,000 students at 100 different high schools, according to Shalyn. It was disconcerting to find that on that national level 30 percent of students surveyed also admitted to stealing and 42 percent said they had lied to save money (Ibid.).

Again according to the Clipper article, “In the Davis School District, junior high schools are shocked by the amount of cheating, and high schools find their numbers are actually higher (Ibid.).

“Viewmont High School conducted its own survey recently, which assistant principal Dan Linford released to administrators (the first of December). The survey found that over three-quarters of students admit to cheating on tests and homework” (Ibid.).

In her article Shalyn indicated that the Viewmont High School administrative intern, Jason Smith, said that many of the students actually thought that what they were doing was OK. Obviously there needs to be some core value discussions at home.

I am sure that many parents are not aware that their student is involved. Realizing Shalyn’s article was on the front page of the Clipper in December I still felt a need to encourage in-depth discussions about what constituted “honesty.”

Really listening to what your children/youth say and staying calm is critical if you plan to accomplish something with this discussion. You might ask your children how much cheating is going on, how it is done, and if they are tempted to do it. Technology has made it much easier to cheat. Ask about that. You might ask if cheating really matters. You might ask where the line is between helping a friend and cheating. Then another issue is homework. What is cheating and what is okay. What is the long run result of cheating? What is happening with today’s leaders? What will happen to the people they associate with someday in the business world? Do they want a spouse who lies or cheats? What are they going to teach their children some day? How can they be effective as parents?

An article in the American Family Association Journal entitled “Today’s Youth, a Dishonest Group,” stated, “More than 8 in 10 students (83%) from public schools and religious private schools confessed they lied to a parent about something significant (AFA Journal, February 2009, p. 4). This article also said that “despite these high levels of dishonesty, these same kids have a high self-image when it comes to ethics. A whopping 93% said they were satisfied with their personal ethics and character, and 77% said that ‘when it comes to doing what is right, I am better than most people I know.’”

In light of what is going on in the national scene as well as here in our county, this should be of concern to every family.