From Gregory Stock’s The Book of Questions: If you saw someone cheating on a test, what would you do? Would it matter if you had (or hadn’t) signed an honor code?

Picture this: you’re sitting in a silent classroom, the only sound being the furious scribbling of pencils on paper. Suddenly, out of the corner of your eye, you catch a glimpse of your classmate’s wandering gaze. Their eyes are darting back and forth between their own exam and their neighbor’s, like a ping pong ball at a championship match. Congratulations, you’ve just witnessed a classic case of cheating!

Now, the real question is, what do you do about it? Do you raise your hand and alert the teacher, effectively throwing your classmate under the bus? Or do you keep your mouth shut and let karma run its course?

Personally, I’d opt for the latter. Unless I’ve signed some sort of honor code that legally obligates me to report any instances of academic dishonesty (in which case, I’d begrudgingly do my duty), I’m content to let the cheater dig their own grave. After all, when you cheat, you’re only cheating yourself out of actually learning the material. Sure, you might get a good grade on that one test, but what happens when you’re expected to know that information later on? You’ll be up a creek without a paddle, my friend.

Plus, let’s be real – snitches get stitches. Do you really want to be known as the tattletale of the class? I don’t know about you, but I’d rather not have to watch my back every time I walk down the hallway.

Of course, there’s always the argument that by not reporting the cheater, you’re essentially condoning their behavior. And to that, I say: fair enough. But at the end of the day, it’s not my responsibility to police other people’s actions. I’m here to learn, not to be the moral compass of the classroom.

So, dear reader, what would you do in this situation? Would you blow the whistle on the cheater, or would you let sleeping dogs lie? Let me know in the comments below – just don’t expect me to rat you out if you admit to a little academic dishonesty of your own.