Word for Word

This is a work of fiction. Any similarity to actual persons is purely coincidental.

“Hello, Paul. Have a seat, please.”

“Okay…”

“I called you into my office because Mr. Engelman believes you cheated on your biology test.”

“What? No.”

“Mr. Engelman doesn’t accuse someone of cheating unless he has strong evidence.”

“Well, I didn’t.”

“It’s compelling. Did he discuss the evidence with you?”

“Yeah but…”

“What did he say?”

“Not much. …That some of my answers were the same. You know–as another student. …Lots of students’ answers are the same.”

“Sure. Correct answers would likely be the same. You all took the same notes and studied them.”

“…”

“Paul… On a scale of one to ten, how prepared were you for this test?”

“Whatdaya mean?”

“Like, if you rate yourself at a three, perhaps you should have studied more. At an eight, you studied a lot. After all, it was an end-of-unit test. A major test.”

“Mr. Engelman’s harsh. How could anyone remember fifty bio terms?”

“You’ve had the terms for a while. You could remember them a little bit at a time. How would you rate your preparedness?”

“I studied! …A five, I guess.”

“A moment ago, you said that lots of students’ definitions would be the same. Right?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m going to read from another student’s test and then from yours, okay?”

“…”

“I’ll take that as a yes. ‘Autotroph: an organism that eats only one type of insect.’ Now, I’ll read from your test, Paul. ‘Autotroph: an organism that eats only one type of insect.’”

“Like I said… We wrote down the same definition in our notes.”

“What’s interesting is that this answer is wrong. The definition Mr. Engelman provided last month for autotroph was an organism that can produce its own food.”

“So?”

“So, what are the odds that your wrong answer and someone else’s wrong answer are identical? …Paul, who sits next to you?”

“Shari Lerner.”

“This is Shari Lerner’s test. Why do you suppose Mr. Engelman closely examined your and Shari’s answers?”

“I dunno.”

“He noticed you glancing over at Shari’s test while you were taking it. You glanced several times, in fact.”

“So? That doesn’t prove anything… I look around when I think.”

“I’m going to read another definition. Here’s Shari’s. ‘Bryophyte: A plant that grows on another plant but is not parasitic.’ And yours. ‘Bryophyte: A plant that grows on another plant but is not parasitic.’”

“So?”

“Careful, Paul. I advise you to remain respectful, please.”

“All I said was ‘so.’”

“We’re having a conversation about a serious situation. It’d be a good idea to mind your responses. How you conduct yourself right now has a bearing on the outcome. On the consequence.”

“…Sorry.”

“Apology accepted. Both of you got this definition of bryophyte mixed up with epiphyte. You were the only two that did this. Can you see why Mr. Engelman suspects you of cheating?”

“I didn’t cheat!”

“Please sit down. I understand this is stressful. But we need to resolve this.”

“I didn’t cheat!”

“I think it’s time to get your dad on the phone.”

“My dad’s not gonna care. He cheats on his taxes. At work.”

“That’s a serious accusation, Paul.”

“Everybody cheats. It’s just a part of life… I mean–look at politicians. Lawyers.”

“Thank you for sitting back down… Cheating is not ‘a part of life,’ as you say. And not everybody cheats.”

“A lot of kids cheat at school.”

“Are you one of those kids? Are you saying you cheated on the test?”

“I’m not saying anything.”

***

“…I’m glad I got ahold of you, Mr. Liegen. Paul is in my office because Mr. Engelman believes your son cheated on a recent biology test.”

“What evidence does the teacher have?”

“The evidence is pretty compelling. There are two wrong answers that are identical. Typically, it’s the wrong answers that are the red flags. In addition, Paul glanced at another student’s test several times while they were taking it.”

“Why didn’t the teacher talk to Paul when he saw him looking at the other test?”

“Mr. Engelman didn’t want to embarrass Paul in front of his classmates. The teacher reminded the whole class to keep their eyes on their own papers. Furthermore, this is Paul’s third offense with cheating. His first offense was plagiarism. The next was having answers written on his hand during a quiz. We could call this a pattern.”

“Paul…”

“What, Dad?”

“Did you cheat?”

“…”

“Did you?”

“…”

“I take it your silence is your answer. What do you have to say for yourself?”

“I couldn’t remember all the definitions, Dad. I forgot to study the night before. Mr. Engelman gave us way too many definitions to learn.”

“You panicked. I get it, kiddo. School is a lot of pressure.”

“I couldn’t afford an F on that test. I have a D as it is.”

“Look, kiddo. I taught you better than that. It’s better to take the lousy grade than to compromise your ethics.”

“Mr. Liegen, Mr. Engelman is willing to allow Paul to retake the test after school.”

“So, he’s not suspended for this?”

“No, Mr. Liegen. We don’t typically suspend students for cheating. We try to find restitution. Mr. Engelman wants Paul to know this material, so he’s willing to give him a second chance.”

“What happens if Paul doesn’t want to retake the test?”

 “My hope is that it won’t come to that. Paul, would next week give you enough time to commit the definitions to memory?”

“Maybe.”

“Tomorrow, during lunch, drop by my office and we’ll come up with a plan for how you’re going to learn all those definitions. I’ll show you a few techniques for remembering things, okay?”

“What if I forget to drop by?”

“Paul. I suggest you find a way to remember. Cheating is a serious offense, and you need to drop by tomorrow after you’ve eaten your lunch. Understood?”

“Yeah.”

“Mr. Liegen, thank you for taking my call.”

“I’ll make sure Paul studies at home so he’s ready for the test next week.”

“I appreciate your reinforcement, Mr. Liegen.”