Imagine you spent countless hours on a difficult homework assignment, just working through the problems in an effort to understand what you are doing. Then imagine what it would be like for your peer to simply gaze over to your paper and copy your answers without putting in the effort. Yeah, that's what I thought.

A similar scenario occurred in my high school Spanish class in 2017, where my teacher busted several of her classes for cheating on online homework. How it was discovered still remains a mystery to me and to many other students, but the general consensus is that one peer reported it to the teacher, which ended up in the administration. Once my teacher found out, all hell broke loose with the students.

Unfortunately, the students were more concerned with finding the informant and blaming the educational system rather than trying to solve the underlying issue. Many peers affirmed their stance that copying homework was generally ethical and that the system itself was flawed. They reasoned that they don't need to put effort into classes and activities that don't pique their interest and that the informant should be punished because everyone started to receive fewer attempts to complete homework, tougher exams, more frequent quizzes, and general animosity from the teacher.

I understand that students have more pressing matters to attend to, but this cannot excuse the sheer disrespect shown to the school and to the teacher. I get that students wish to help each other, but harmless collaboration is very different from cheating. The former helps both parties learn, the latter causes one to parasitize off another. I even understand that this high school can be extremely competitive and that grades matter tremendously for colleges, which places an immense burden on the students.

What I can't comprehend is that everyone began attacking the informant rather than the people who themselves cheated. Nobody seemed to understand that if no one cheated, then nobody would report it to the teacher in the first place. To be frank, I wished I was the informant, that I could show the people who tried to cut corners a piece of my mind. And that's what got me bullied.

I miscalculated heavily; I ranted about that wish to Facebook, which did not bode well. Because my peers mistakenly believed I was the informant, I started receiving many undeserved hate-filled comments and even a few threats. It struck me just how passionate everyone was about supporting cheating and breaking from the Bastille that was the educational system. For the next few hours, I evaluated myself and my morals, debating whether to buckle down to the extreme peer pressure I faced. Standing up to peer pressure, I then decided to calmly end the heated chat but rebuke those who did try making threats.

For those who claim that life is too stressful for them in school, forcing them to cheat, I feel sympathy for you. However, understand when I say that life is merciless. In many moments, it will test you. But if you want to truly be successful, make the most of your life by trudging through the troughs, because in the end, you will become stronger.

The backlash I faced in this trough caused my resolve to not unfairly beat the system to grow much stronger. I've faced incredible challenges throughout my life, and as I enter the world of college, I pledge to avoid any instances of cheating, no matter how desperate the situation may seem, so that I can prove to be a suitable role model for those who still intend to cut corners as they ascend up the educational ladder.