Book Entry 48: 1961 Cheating on a Test

 

I remember our music teacher holding class in our regular classroom one morning instead of in the cafeteria.  We had a written test.  I’m pretty sure I was the only one in the class that took music lessons.  When I had finished with the test I took it to the teacher’s desk.  The teacher was walking the rows to make sure no one was cheating.  I noticed a paper with an answer different than mine on one of the questions.  I remember looking around to see if any one was watching me, bending over the paper, and changing my answer to the answer on the other student’s paper.  When everyone finished we corrected the papers.  I got one wrong…yep…the one I changed.  I had changed it from the right answer to a wrong one.

To make matters worse, as I was riding my bike home after school I saw a Volkswagen just like my music teachers turning  off our street.  I was sure she had seen me cheat.  I thought she had gone to tell my parents about what I'd done.  My face felt like it was on fire and I could feel my heart leaping in my chest.  

 I was shaking and ashamed of myself when I went into the house.  My parents never said a word about it and believe me, neither did I!  The damage was done or should I say the lesson was learned!  I hadn’t cheated in school up till then and I never did again.  I decided right then I’d pass or I’d fail, but I’d do it on my own.  
When I was in my 40’s I asked my parents if that teacher had ever told them what I’d done.  They both said they’d never heard a word about it.