Then, you start to hear of the enormity of the scandal, and the far reaching consequences for all involved. It puts things in a different light. Students who have worked hard to be an acceptable applicant for a particular school, only to have been displaced by a student whose parent had means to ensure the space was taken by the pay to stay crowd.
I work with high school students. Each one had the same reaction. We have to work hard to get there, but someone buys their way in. That’s so unfair. Trying to be balanced, I asked them if they would allow their parents to do the same for them, if they had the ability. All of them stated they would not want that for themselves. That surprised me, somewhat. These are the same students who need extreme motivation to complete homework and classwork. I was heartened to see that they do have a latent work ethic.
In life, there are many times when someone has an inside track on something that could be considered unfair. Some have greater consequences than others. For example, your cousin works at the print shop where they create the tickets for the local theater or sports team, and is provided with complimentary tickets in a prime location. You might think it unfair that you need to shell out $100 for a similar seat. The border of the nation is hotly contested at this time because some people are arriving without prior permission or proper papers, and many of those who arrived legally are complaining that it is not fair. (I’m not saying those two examples have the same impact or value. It’s just two extremes for the sake of the discussion).
In this case, money was exchanged through a non-profit organization. Tax deductions were the natural consequence of the “donations”. People were paid to cheat on an exam that should be fair and balanced for all that take it. Students who could have been on the crew team at USC ostensibly were turned away to make room for the big cash influx. So, sad as it may seem to the Hallmark fans, we have to be glad that Hallmark saw the wrong as a legal matter, not just a lapse in judgement, and that they removed Lori from her position that was a face of the company.
Ultimately, this is the helicopter, lawn mower parent on steroids. What a mixed message. “I want you to become a great person in life. I want you to go to the best schools. I want you to have a leg up on where I started in life. I want you to go further than I will go.” However, the other message is louder. “I will do whatever it takes, legal or not, to get you to the best schools, so you can have a leg up on where I started in life, whether you have earned it or not.” As a parent, these people have lost a large amount of credibility with their children, whether they realize it or not.
Morals matter. Laws count. Rules matter. The ends don’t justify the means. Better to be a great person at a good school, than to be a mediocre cheat at a great school
In the end, I do feel sorry for these parents whose love and desire led them off the path of good parenting. I do feel sorry that they will likely see some prison time when I know that there are violent criminals, drug dealers and others whose actions have hurt way many more people than this set of crimes. But I’m not one bit sorry that justice will be served. It needs to be done.
As teachers, we need to be crystal clear about what matters and challenge our students to be their best. As I always tell my students, “You don’t need to pretend to be someone else or cheat. You, as you are, are good enough for me. You are loved irrespective of your grades or your college entrance or your test scores. You are you, not grades or scores.”
The price of admission to those colleges was steep in a tuition sense. However, the price of admission may have cost them something they can never regain. Parental integrity and exemplary behavior, as well as providing a moral compass will not be easy to restore.
First published March 31, 2019
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