August 04, 2005

Retro-Cheating

High-tech cheating doesn't work anymore—thanks to Google—so kids are reverting to the old reliables: Morse code, sticking answer keys in their sleeves, tattoos. Wait, tattoos? Tattoos: "Scientific equations seem to be the most popular at the moment, students opting for tattoos with the most long-term value and breadth of application." One college student inked about 30 antonyms for the GRE down his right arm. Now granted, the ingenuity and creativity these kids develop by thinking up new ways to cheat—in effect, to win the arms race against increasingly clever teachers—will probably serve them far better in life than knowing the 30 antonyms under discussion, or memorizing the quadratic equation, or whatever. Still, this seems a bit much.
-- Brad Plumer 4:08 PM || ||