Who really enjoys taking standardized tests? A test where they sit you in a quiet room and make you try and remember everything you ever learned or didn’t learn.
We are all familiar with these types of tests; we have been taking them since first grade, — it’s a part of the educational experience. However, in Great Neck, N.Y., twenty high school students have attempted to bail out on taking these standardized tests. They have been accused of hiring college students to take their SAT and ACT tests, paying $500 to $3,600 per test.
Are you kidding me? First of all what kind of high school student has that amount of money to blow on paying someone else to take a test? That’s enough money to buy a car or a new computer. Or what kind of high school parent is just giving their child that much money and not wondering where it’s going?
Second, seriously? I mean, I know those tests really are horrible and no one likes sitting in a quiet room for hours just filling in bubbles, but are you that lazy? The guilt would eat me alive if I paid someone to take my test and then thought I could claim the score as my own. The fact that twenty students didn’t think it was a big deal is a scary thought for our generation. Do we really devalue personal pride, dedication and self-motivation that much? The fact that twenty students think that lying, cheating and stealing is justified makes me question the moral being of our generation. If we are willing to cheat on a test, what else are we capable of?
I was raised to believe that if you work hard and take pride in what you do you will get far in life. If I am successful in what I was trying to accomplish I can look back and feel satisfied in myself and ultimately my success will mean more to me. If I am unsuccessful I can look back and say that I tried my best and still feel accomplished because at least I gave it my all.
The older I get the more I realize other people weren’t raised this way. They were raised to think about themselves alone and how they can get ahead in life. Don’t worry about who you are stepping over to get what you want, just make sure you are satisfied at the end of the day. That’s basically what these students in New York were doing, just thinking about themselves and how they can “better” themselves.
My advice for our generation: Get over yourselves. It’s fine to want the best in life, but maybe try actually working for it and not expecting everything to just be handed to you.