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As kids, when we grow up, our parents warn us that cheating of any kind is not going to get us anywhere. We are taught to be true to ourselves. At school teachers and other authorities teach us the same.

But we give into this temptation at times. To many of us, cheating during tests and exams is okay. This is because we need to get high scores and if we do, then our families are happier and do not question us from their side. Teachers on appreciate us too for our good performance. But God forbid if you were to get caught, imagine the chaos that would follow.

Do only students and small children cheat? The most likely answer to this is yes, but under different circumstances, teachers also cheat. In a recent report from one of the schools in Norfolk, the principle, the vice principal and a few teachers had to resign, given the scandal of tampering with test scores. This report has caused a stir amongst the entire education fraternity in America and everyone is being extra cautious now.

Why did the teachers cheat? There could be many reasons to this. One of them is students’ performances. Every teacher is judged not only on how they teach but how well the students learn and score in their class. So if a teacher is really good at teaching but the bunch of students do not score well in the tests, it does not bode well with the teacher’s reputation. It is the teacher who will have to go through a lot of questioning. This is thought to be one of the main reasons for teachers tampering with test scores.

Being the year end test scores, if the students did really well in a particular teacher’s class, then the teacher is awarded a $3000 bonus which is a lot of money. All teachers within the schools compete for this award.

In class, on an average 15 percent of the students are really bright and all the others fall in the average category. But if the teacher really works hard on her students, the numbers can definitely change. Most teachers however do not have the patience to work hard on students.

When the test scores were out, all students had scored really well. Even the scores of average students were very good. Now this was something that looked too good to be true and hence an investigation was set which unfortunately did not fall in the favour of the teachers and the principal.

Officials say that it is unwise to award prizes for the best scores as this always leads to cheating. Rather, teachers must be encouraged to genuinely work hard on enhancing the performance levels of students.

If the bait is bigger the chances of cheating is more. This holds true for both students and teachers. There should be no awards involved. Only then can they concentrate on the actual education. It is human nature to be swayed by rewards, be it a teacher or a student. Education should be the goal and not the monetary gifts.