He cheated on a test and now it’s eating him up inside.

Can our elder help make it right?

Dear EWC

I cheated on a test and my teacher caught me. She let it go, but I feel really bad and regret what I did. So much so that the question I cheated on I didn’t complete, I was so guilt-ridden. I still want to have a good relationship with my teacher, but I don’t know what I can do. It seems to be OK, but I feel embarrassed and know that she doesn’t trust me anymore. What do I do?

Ms.JuliaJ replies

Thank you for writing to us with this issue that is bothering you. Your teacher understands that sometimes kids do things that they know they should not. The really positive thing is that she understands this to the point that she let the incident go without further punishment from her (like giving you a zero for the entire test). Because you respect her and want to let her know how bad you feel about cheating, think about writing a letter of apology to her. In this way, you will be taking responsibility for what you did and she will in turn respect you and you will be on the way to regaining her trust. In addition to academics, school is a teaching place where kids can make mistakes, learn from them, and recover. Teachers want to support you not only in your classes, but in social/emotional development also. So, write a few drafts of the letter until it says what you want to say. Your teacher sounds like the kind of teacher who will forgive you.

Please feel free to write back and let us know how things turned out.

Letter #: 433267
Category: School