Basically, I got caught. It’s somewhat ironic that the subjects in the AP Blogsites seem to follow the issues of my life- in this case, the question of “truth” and the importance of academic honesty. I discovered during FIRE today that I had a project due sixth period- a project that I had not completed because I was not informed about. And, rather than receive a ‘zero’ on said project (and subject myself to my parents anger and the loss of my car, not to mention enduring the personal consequences of having an “F” showing up on Zangle), I went into my mother’s yahoo account and sent an email to Helen, ‘excusing’ myself from sixth period under the pretenses of having orthodontist appointment. “She will be driving herself,” I ingeniously wrote (or so I thought), “and will not be returning.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Let me interject into my story here for some moral reflection. Does it not strike anyone else as peculiar that I felt more alarmed about and had a greater fear of not receiving a good grade, as opposed to lying to my parents, Helen, and Ms. Powers? NOT ‘getting the grade’ would have led to (again: or so I thought) more serious consequences than having to deal with my personal conscience, and even the fact that I LIED to my parents. In essence, I was screwed either way. Being honest and admitting to not having my project would have led to a zero; meaning disappointment (which is basically the worst feeling I could possibly experience, by the way) and heat from parents and the lack of a car (a superficial, side-conflict); whereas taking the option of lying; which has gotten me nothing but even MORE disappointment and heat from parents, and the lack of a car. It was essentially a seesaw choice between a zero and the level of frustration coming from my mother and father. I would have lost my car no matter what I did, and my parents would have been upset at me whichever path I took (which is by far worse than any other consequence), but at least they wouldn’t have thought of me as a LIAR if I had taken the righteous path. And looking back on it, I would have much rather accepted the zero than lose the trust of my parents. They always say that hindsight is 20/20, but I should have KNOWN even before I got myself in this predicament not do act in such a way. I actually think I did KNOW not to do it; the problem is that that I didn’t fully understand the consequences. But now I do; I’m living them. And tomorrow I’m going to wake up to parents who trust me a little less, respect me a little less, and value me a little less. And that’s something that I’m just going to have to deal with, because I’m the one that caused that to happen. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So, as you probably have guessed, my parents found out what I did. Helen sent an email back to my mother, telling her that she went ahead and excused me from class. Am I sorry that I got caught? Actually, not particularly, no. I’m actually thankful in a way, because it’s a lesson well learned. A lesson that’s not to be interpreted as “next time check and see if they sent an email back,” but a lesson that shows the importance of choosing the ethical and honest way. The only thing I regret about the situation is having to gamble with my parents trust to learn it.