Honor Code violation? Or just a lazy teacher?

The Advocate is reporting that a high school student, Katherine Glod, from St. Martinville, LA is suing after she was reprimanded with an "F" and expelled for violating the school's honor code - as it applied to one particular class.

Her violation?  Katherine prepared for her Western Civilization exams by reviewing her teacher's past exams.  Apparently, this instructor has been giving students exactly the same tests for over a decade.  Not similar tests - exactly the same tests.  To make matters worse, the teacher, Arthur White, returned  corrected copies of tests to his students.  Thus, the old tests were in circulation with White's knowledge.

So let's set the scene: White can't be bothered to change his exams; he gives the same tests for over ten years; he corrects the tests and then gives them back to his students; and then when a current student studies from those tests she is expelled for cheating. 

What?

Frankly, I think Glod should be giving lectures on how to succeed in college.  If a teacher is going to permit his old tests to remain in circulation then those exams become fair study material.  If he is too lazy to change his exams from year to year, then the students will benefit from his apathy.

Studying from a professor's old exams is common practice in most schools.  Fraternities often have file cabinets of old exams.  At my school, the United States Merchant Marine Academy, we called studying off old exams "riding the pony".  The Naval Academy calls it "gouge."  At Tulane Law School the school library keeps and index of old exams and model answers.

This young student "rode the pony" and was fortunate enough to have a "direct pony hit."  She shouldn't be punished.  Old tests that are placed in circulation by a teacher are, by definition, legitimate study materials.  Instead of punishing Glod perhaps the school should direct White to buck up and do his job.  Which is exactly what my high-school principal did when my Advanced Algebra teacher pulled the same crap.  (He turned in half the class for "cheating" because they studied from his old exams).

The problem in this case is with the teacher, not the student.

Comments

[RNM]

I don't imagine that someone who's too lazy to update an exam (or, heaven forbid, craft a new one) would be an inspiring teacher, either.

[Rick Burch]

I understand that Dr. White is not even a certified teacher in Louisiana. I could be wrong, but that's what I understand. Also, the administration was told by myself whose daughter was expelled with Katie Glod, that everyone cheats, not only students, but all parents, teachers, administrators cheat, and was acknowledged by Mr. Berthelot. I also told him that the punishment was too severe and the kids should be in class learning, not sent home to watch TV.

[Katy Glod]

Thank you so much for writing this great column. Hearing things like this from a stranger has made me realize that perhaps I am not completely in the wrong here. This has improved my confidence in continuing with this lawsuit. Thank you again.

[One Familiar with the Case]

Brad -- You have nailed this on the head, and you don't even know the half of it! The facts of this case are almost identical to the cheating incident which occurred at West Point in the late 70's. A commission chaired by Frank Borman was appointed to study the Honor System at West Point, and they concluded that the institution had not provided support for its own Honor Code. All the responsibility had been placed on the cadets -- much like the ESA students. At West Point, an electrical engineering teacher handed out take-home tests to hundreds of cadets at a time. They were allowed to collaborate on one part of the test, but forbidden to do so on another. The commission concluded that hundreds of cadets had "cheated" but had gone undetected and unpunished. It concluded that the hundreds of cadets who had been dismissed from the Academy should be re-admitted, and that the Academy needed to make some changes in its teaching and administration of the Honor Code.

Your comments furnish new insight into the "big picture" and add to the sense of tragedy we still experience on behalf of the harshly disciplined students.

Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge and understanding of academic mores. Your clear and incisive thinking on this issue has given great comfort to the kids involved, and that alone could get you into heaven.

[Brad]

I appreciate all the feedback related to my post.

I certainly don't know all of the facts involved in this case. But, I think Ms. Glod's punishment is excessive.

Here is the thing about honor codes: It is NOT merely enough for a school to adopt and honor policy. Students and teachers must be educated about the policy, the procedures, and acceptable behavior in an honor-code-governed environment.

An honor system cannot work if ambiguity exists. The only way to excise ambiguity is if the code procedures are structured and consistently followed, and if the teachers and students are educated about the honor system and their expected behavior.

[ESA Class of 2005 Member]

It is funny to see all these post supporting Glod and her actions. I am a proud member of the ESA class of 2005 and a former classmate of Katy. First of all you all have no right to disrespect Dr. White or his teaching style, he is a great teacher and i grew as a student thanks to his class.

I can see the argument that it is common at most school especially colleges to use old test as study guides, many teachers know and allow this. However on the first day of class Dr. White specifically told us that he did use the old test and that we were not allowed to study by them. This rule was set in stone and we all accepted it (or so i thought).

I believe my school runs succesfully on a honor code, the community of ESA thrives upon it. However, last year knowing it was wrong nine of my classmates used the forbidden old test to study, and ace Western Civ II. This action was wrong and went against everything ESA stands for. When exposed they recieved a deserving punishment by our honor council.

The punishment was suspension from school and the students would receive an F in Western Civ with the possiblity to retake it durign their senior year. They were also allowed to return for their final exams.

However, Katy decided to leave ESA upon her suspension and enroll in Lafayette High school. On her transcipt she recieved only credit for Wsestern Civ because the council had already established her final grade. I do not see the problem, this decision was made by the council and upheld by the board. Had she of stayed at ESA and taken her final exams she would had recieved credits for those classes.

I think it is low to attack the school claiming they did not use sound educational techniques and that Dr. White invited people to cheat in his class. If that is the case then why did 36 of a 45 member class not cheat on the tests? Because we knew it was wrong and we followed the honor code.

This lawsuit needs to be dropped because it is no fault of ESA that Glod cheated, it was her decision, a decision most of my class knew not to make.

[ESA is wrong]

ESA Class of 2005 Member should read the lawsuit before passing judgement.

[ESA Class of 2005 Member]

I know the lawsuit is not about Katy cheating, that has already been established. It is about the F on her transcript and the "damages" it caused, i was merely giving the story behind the grade because most of the stories i have seen have been very biased and sympathetic towards katy avoiding the story and the circumstances surrounding it.

[ESA is wrong]

As I stated earlier, read the lawsuit.

[Seeking the Truth]

I wonder if "ESA Class of 2005 Member" would say if before April '04 he/she ever saw or heard anything about ESA students using Dr. White's old tests?

[ESA Class of 2005 Member]

I can honestly say that i had no idea that students were using his old test and i was extremely dissapointed when i found out.

[Seeking the Truth]

If you had no idea, then how do you know that "36 of a 45 member class did not cheat on the tests?"

[esa is wrong]

Look, according to ESA's on rules, a student should not be using the internet for personal use during school hours, which obviously "ESA Class of 2005 Member" was. (Check time of first post) I guess you will be next to be dismissed.

Also, if you are so proud of your school and yourself, why are you hiding behind an alias? Could it be because you are not a student? Probably!~!

[Moyer]

I think there are alot of people at ESA that are kidding themselves, but most of all the professor. If, and I'm only relying on the posts here, 1/5 of the class aced the exam, and the remainder of the class scored on a perfect bell score, any teacher worth their salt would either a) assume his test was flawed; b) some students were using an old test; or c) try to figure out why 4/5 of his class wasn't learning the material.

Second, for a student to say that he had no idea that students were using an old test is simply unbelievable. When I was in college, I knew which professors always used old tests; whether or not I was taking that professors class or not. Students talk. They knew these things. Part of being successful in life is listening and gathering information.

I obviously don't know the facts of this case. I don't know what or was not said in class. I don't know if all the students were present when ESA claims certain things were said. It does appear that nothing was written in the Honor Code about using old tests. If you are going to go to the trouble of having an Honor Code, you shouldn't have ambiguity, and there clearly seems to be that case here.

I would say that Katy's punishment is absolutely absurd. I think she should be praised for using the resources available, and for taking advantage of a teacher that has no interest in keeping his material fresh and interesting.

There are three types of people in the world. Those that make things happen, those that watch things happen, and those that wake up on Monday morning and say, what happened? It appears that Katy is one of those make things happen people, and ESA would have us believe that he is the ostrich that pulled his/her head out of the sand and said what happened?

[former ESA student]

This is to the ESA class of 2005 member:

I respect Dr. White. I learned a lot in his class, but I think he needed to change his method of testing. It's sad that it took something like this for him to realize that. With all the new teachers and administrators ESA has hired, one would think that one of them would say something about how not changing your tests every year is not a sound way of teaching.

I realize that the honor code is the "basis" of ESA, but a teacher should not take advantage of it by not changing his tests. Honor code or not, students are going to make mistakes. There is no such thing as a perfect school where there is no cheating, stealing, or lying. ESA wants the reputation of being that ideal perfect school where everyone does the right thing, even if it is unrealistic. Is that what ESA stands for? a good rep?

I strongly suggest that you read the lawsuit before commenting because I don't think you know what you're talking about. There were other students who cheated but the administration, for some reason, decided not to do anything about it. I know of a couple students who knew about the cheating but did not say anything, which is against the honor code. Why weren't those students punished?? Also, not everyone got the same punishment. One student who decided to go back to ESA received an A in that class and another who left ESA received a B, while the rest of us got Fs. I guess ESA also stands for unfair and favorable punishments.

It was a smart choice for Katy to have switched to Lafayette High School to finish the year. Like my dad had said when I told him about the punishment, students need to be in a classroom learning, not at home where there are so many distractions. If she would have stayed to finish at ESA, she would have had to get her notes from someone else or the teacher and teach herself in order to prepare for the exam. I wouldn't call making students teach themselves a sound way of education even if it is part of a punishment.

Once again, read the lawsuit before saying anything. You might change your mind.

[Seeking the Truth]

Mr. Parker, is there a way to link a copy of the complaint to this website if you could get one?

[Observer]

It seems to me that a school which says its Honor Code is a "core value" has a responsibility to support the Code. Does ESA think the Code is just for students? Should teachers and administrators be free to do whatever they want because all retribution will be focused on the kids? Is this a mature way to run a school?

[Katy Glod]

I have a copy of the complaint. Just email and I will send it to you if I am allowed.

[gail white]

My husband is the teacher in question in this blog. I will leave the matter of
whether he is a "lazy" teacher or an
"inspiring" one to be decided by his students. For all those who have come to
his support at this time, with letters on this blog and in the press, I wish to
express my gratitude here.

If the Glod suit reaches court, facts will emerge that I am not free to make public
in a blog, beyond saying that I believe
ESA has nothing to fear from the truth,
and that the school will emerge with a brighter and stronger reputation, the more the public knows about its teachers, its students, and their devotion to the Honor Code.

Thanks for listening!

[Wayne]

I can assure you that Dr. White is an inspiring teacher and has a PhD. I would even guess Ms. Glod would say Dr. White was an extremely capable and inspiring teacher. Was he a little bit naive with his testing methods? No doubt about it. However he was a great teacher.

[MJC]

Commenting on Mrs. White's statement that "ESA has nothing to fear from the truth," I can only say that the phrase "its version" should be inserted before the word "truth." ESA has been extremely skillful in marketing its myth to an unsuspecting community. Thank goodness our system of justice distinguishes between fact and fiction. The litigants will be limited at trial to presentation of facts and expert opinion. It will be up to a neutral judge or jury to find the "truth." Does ESA have anything to fear? Only time will tell.

[dotro]

I went to ESA when Dr. White was the only history teacher for sophs and juniors, and had been so "forever" (teen years here folks). And there were more than 1/2 in my class who regularly aced the tests by doing nothing but studying the rear ends off. My first day in class, he told us not to use old tests to cheat. So I never thought of it again. If someone doesn't have the self discipline to stay away from such temptations and stick to what is provided in class, then they suffer the consequences. I have heard from many people that it is unfair that ESA's honor code puts all the responsibility on the student. Yes, the code does put a great deal of responsibility on the students, and after being exposed to that for 4 years, I am a better man. Dr. White is a passionate teacher who trusts his students, plain and simple. And let us not forget that the whole reason we are arguing what is right and what is wrong is because someone was caught cheating and being untruthful.