I did this once or twice intentionally (probably because I wasn’t thinking straight due to depression). First time, the teacher left the pop quiz out on a very visible table. Second time, I went up to his desk and saw the quiz (I don’t know if this actually happened but assume that it did). I barely looked at the questions and didn’t try to solve them, so I just found out about the pop quiz ahead of time. I was ranked number 2 at the time, but the person who was ranked number 1 wasn’t any better. I’ve seen her ask for exam questions and answers ahead of time twice and I assume she has been doing this for a while. Reason I’m asking this is because I’m still thinking about whether or not I should have been the valedictorian. I don’t know if this would have disqualified me.
What’s done is done. The only thing you can do is control your actions in the future. Learn from this experience. Your conscience is troubling you. Resolve not to do things like this in the future, and you will feel better.
Stop cheating. Period.
And stop second guessing what you OR the person who was the class Val did. Move on.
And if this screen name is your real name, I suggest you change it. Here is how.
Just want to add that I am not aware of a connection between depression and cheating- on behalf of all sufferers of depression.
So you just saw the test on the teacher’s desk, didn’t read the questions? The only “crime” was that you knew a pop quiz was coming ( I assume the next day)? Did you go to the teacher’s desk to talk to her/him and just notice it was there or did you go up to her desk and rummage around to see what was there?
If you innocently saw that there was a pop quiz on her desk and didn’t even really look at it, I wouldn’t call that cheating. Did you share this info with your classmates, give them a head up too?
What you did happened before high school graduation, right? My suggestion…put this in the rear view mirror. It’s over and done with. And really, once college starts, no one will even care who the class val was in your graduation class. Move on!
I was very depressed over not making the Texas All-State band recently, so I probably wasn’t thinking straight. I was absolutely against cheating when I saw the first ranked girl ask for answers on an upcoming exam from a classmate who took it already.
Becoming valedictorian was a very important goal of mine. It is for me. That is why I have been thinking about this.
The quiz was going to happen in the next class period. I was looking around to see if there will be a pop quiz. I did not think the teacher would leave the pop quizzes out in the open. I didn’t share anything about it to others.
Of course…but you can’t wind the clock back to before graduation…you need to let this go. It didn’t happen. In the big scheme of things, being class val isn’t as important as what you do after high school graduation. So…move on.
Really, in a couple of years no one will remember who the class val even was. True story…no one can remember who the Va was on my class, or my son’s. We think we know who was the class val for my daughter’s class, but honestly…no one cares.
It didn’t happen. Yes, but did I deserve being valedictorian? I don’t care about what others think about the title.
I hope you will change your user name if it is your real name!
I really hope you stop using depression as an excuse. And being upset at not making All-State Band is not clinical “depression.”
Move on and know that cheating not only is wrong but it doesn’t sit well with your conscience and probably causes you more harm than not doing well on a test. Time to stop making yourself suffer. This infraction seems minor and may prevent more serious consequences at the college level for cheating.
Not making state had a huge part in my depression.
Were you diagnosed with clinical depression?
Again, that is not an excuse for cheating. It is better to just accept that you did that honestly and move forward.
The larger issue here is that you are having trouble with not being the best at something. I hope in college you can understand that you can actually learn and grow more when you are not the best!
No, but I know I would have been diagnosed as depressed.
The person who became valedictorian was cheating on exams though and didn’t take as many ECs as me. She also took Spanish classes when she was Hispanic and cane from a Spanish speaking family. Would you say she was better than me?
The OP has received the advice requested so I am closing this thread. Nothing productive will come out of discussing other students.