ESSAY: WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
"In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing." –Theodore Roosevelt Our twenty-sixth American president knew what it was like to make hard decisions that pull from deep within a person's values. At some point in time you are going to be faced with hard decisions, if you haven't been already. These decisions are hard because you'll have to rely on your beliefs to make a good choice, when the easier choice might not always be right or even ethical. For example, when you're at the grocery store with your parents, do you go ahead and eat just one grape off the bunch even if you're not buying the bunch of grapes? What about the candy bin? Have you ever eaten a piece of candy since it's out there and available with easy access? Actually, participating in these acts is a form of shoplifting. Do you hold an after-school job? Do you give free food to your friends when they come in? Or perhaps you use your employee discount to buy clothes for friends at a low price when that price break is only supposed to be for you. Hopefully, you choose to be honest. The true test of character is how a person chooses to act when nobody is around to see it. How do you behave when nobody is watching? Are you the same person in front of your friends as you are in front of your parents or as you are when you're alone in your room? Now it's time for you to make some personal evaluations as you get ready to write some essay responses.
OBJECTIVES Select three ethical situations to evaluate. Write three one-paragraph essays on three different ethical dilemmas. Directions You've learned that decisions and actions have consequences. Now it's time to evaluate what you would do in certain situations. Consider the five scenarios that are presented. These are real situations that other students have encountered before. Put yourself in their shoes and respond in essay format to each scenario. Take time to think and consider each situation. Read through it and even ask your parents or trusted friend for their opinions if you wish. Then write one paragraph for each of three scenarios you select.
Scenario 1. It's the middle of class, and you've been excused to use the restroom. Along the way you find a $10 bill lying in the hallway. Nobody is around to claim it, nor do you know to whom it belongs. Do you pocket the money, or do you take it to the lost-and-found?
Scenario 2. You are taking a test, and the teacher leaves the room. You can see the test answers on your neighbor's paper, and you are tempted to check your answers. You actually studied for the test and know you probably did pretty well, but it wouldn't hurt to compare answers, just to make sure you got the right answers. You won't get caught. Do you consider it cheating? Would you do it?
Scenario 3. You are a teacher's assistant, and your job is to record grades. It just so happens you know a few of the students in the class, and they approach you one day to ask for higher grades on their papers. All you have to do is change the letter grades on the score sheet, and the teacher will probably never find out what happened. Knowing that you would never get caught for changing a grade, would you do it?
Scenario 4. You overhear a couple of students talking about plans to come back to school in the evening to play some pranks. You know these students have a reputation for getting into trouble a lot, so you wonder if their "pranks" are more serious than just a little fun. Would you report the students to your teacher, or would you just let it slide? Nobody will know that you did or didn't overhear these students. Is it your responsibility to notify your teacher?
Scenario 5. You have a short essay to write for your English class, and you found some reviews on the Internet. You're running short on time, and you don't like the assignment about Hamlet anyway, so you'd rather get it done quickly. You can easily take the Internet review and doctor it up a bit and turn it in for your homework. Is this plagiarizing, or have you really done your own homework assignment? Would you turn in that fixed-up review?
