The Denigration of Intellectual Integrity

Ridgewood High School is a renowned institute of education known for producing some of the finest and productive students in the country. From the moment one enters the high school, the idea of getting into a good college is drilled into a students’ head until asking a friends GPA is as casual as asking the score of the Yankees game from the night before. While walking through the lunch room students discuss their polished resumes and how they believe they have a good shot of getting into their dream schools. Yes the drive for success is present, but at what cost?
Once a vital part of adolescent development, the art of actual learning is dying. In an effort to keep up with the standards set forth by the colleges, GPA and SAT, students put scores before knowledge and pursue the end goal while sacrificing the journey. Learning has become obsolete and is no longer the quickest way to achieve success, and is viewed rather as an unnecessary detour. The deteriorating values of the generation in general have allowed the problem to manifest. It has become acceptable to cheat; an act once looked down upon by students and teachers alike. Not the traditional “let me see your paper” cheating but rather in the form of lackadaisical work ethic. Instead of putting in the time necessary to learn students glaze through work looking for the fastest and easiest way to the end. Some may ask, “Why should I care how I get there? The ends justify the means.” Anyone who has followed the news within the last year should know the answer to that question. Corporate moguls made the decision to reach their end goal, money, without consideration for the consequences. They sought the easy way to success even though they understood the possible ramifications. The United States must realize that the reason for this crisis was not poor economics but rather poor values that have been reinforced from an early age. Why should the country expect a different result if the future leaders are using the same corrupt means to rise to power?
In a country largely built upon the ideal of self regulation and responsibility, it is up to the individual to step up when the system fails them. Although the temptation of cheating is all around, students must rely on their intellectual integrity to do the right thing. Do not go through high school in pursuit of a hollow goal, make something of your time and pursue extended learning opportunities while maintaining the core values that will allow you to achieve meaningful success. The ideal of honesty and integrity is greater than the individual and is worth upholding above personal reward. As Sophocles once said, “I would prefer even to fail with honor than to win by cheating”