what is cheating? (lyn)

Last year, a boy at my son’s school lent his science homework to his friend and lab partner.  This friend claimed he had lost his and just wanted to see the work to get the data.  He promised to draw his own conclusions.   That “friend” then copied the paper, word for word, and turned it in as his own.  The teacher obviously noticed and both students were punished for cheating.  The first boy thought he was helping out his friend.  It didn’t matter.  The school viewed this as cheating and he received an F on his lab report.

I did not include a job I had for one year at Simon and Schuster on my resume.  I was only there a year, but I did not want my resume to exceed two pages (even making the font as small as possible and the margins large).  There was nothing to hide.  I just needed more space.  By omitting a job I once had, is this cheating?

Alexander’s paternal great grandfather came to this country from Cuba.  My son barely knew him as he died when my son was less than a year old.  He does not identify himself with the Hispanic culture.  But when asked (six years ago) on his current school ‘s admissions application to check a box for ethnic background, I checked both Caucasian and Hispanic/Latino and then truthfully explained why.  The school recorded Alexander as Multiracial.  Now he’s completing forms for the PSAT’s.  Is it “cheating” if he checks the multi-racial box for race, and candidly explains why, when his identity is as a white, Jewish, Caucasian male?

On Weight Watchers it’s clear.  If you don’t record your points you are cheating (albeit yourself). There are no watchdogs.  No whistleblowers.  No one is going to punish you.  I try to account for everything.  But how do I know the amount of olive oil that Agata includes in their cooked brussel sprouts?  Or, I didn’t measure so I’m not sure if that was 1 or 2 tablespoons of cream in my coffee, the difference of a half point.  

I always err on the high side.  That way I’m safe.  Wish life had such clearcut rules.