The Mistake I Learned From

 I was a really good student in elementary school. I was such a good student. I would at least get 95% on like every test I took. Had all A’s even though we didn't have a grade system like that in elementary school but It was all A’s. I also won an award in 3rd grade called the citizenship award and got a paper with it signed by Donald Trump himself. 

I can go on and on about my accomplishments but I’m not here to tell you that. I’m here to tell you the time I cheated on a test in 4th grade. First of all, it was a history test and history was my least favorite subject at the time. History is still my least favorite subject, it is just so boring and I want to sleep every time in that class. Anyways, the time heading up for the test. I didn't know what was going on in the class and didn’t study the review that well. So I knew I was going to do terrible on the test so I thought of a way to cheat on it. Our desk back then had a feature where you can open the top of it and put your stuff in it and there is a little crack I could peek through. We were given flashcards for the review. The night before, I thought that I would be able to put the flashcards in the desk or the crack. I would be able to see them and cheat that way. I thought it was a smart idea and would work. 

The day of the test I was nervous and freaking out if I actually wanted to cheat. I get off the bus, walk toward the doors. I enter the one place I don't want to be. I look to the left and see the little kids going down the hall that way, then I take a right and then a left towards my classroom. As I was walking down the long-lasting hallway my stomach started to have weird tingly feelings inside. It just dropped to the floor how nervous I was for the test. It was only elementary school like it would have mattered later in life if I did well on this test or not, but I wanted to do well. I didn’t want to disappoint anybody so I was going to cheat. I finally reached the end of the hallway, where my classroom is. As I enter the class I look around and see all the desks, organized posters on the wall, and people talking while sitting on top of the desks. Then I glance towards the whiteboard with our classes on what we're doing today. I look down at history and it says: TEST DAY. Which just did not make me feel better at all.

After a couple of hours through the day we finally started the test. The thing is there was a problem with my plan. One of my classmates has a learning disability and his mom was in the room with him that day for the test. We started the test. I looked down towards the test and didn’t know crap, so I went on with my plan. Where I put the flashcards in the crack of the desk. The first time I cheated nobody saw me. I thought it was a good idea. I kept doing it until his mom saw me one time and I had a feeling she knew what I was doing. Towards the end of the test his mom knew I was cheating and she walked up toward my teacher, Mrs. Keri. She had to tell the teacher because right after that the teacher said, “Jackson come here please with your test.” My soul sank, I scarcely uttered, “ok.” I got up and handed her the test. She said, “I’m going to have to give you a zero and write a referral for cheating.” I was speechless and didn't know what to say. I finally said, “can I at least retake the test or get some points for it.” Mrs. Keri answered “Most likely not.” 

I walked back to my desk with a face as red as a tomato and my face down ready to cry. I finally reached my desk and sat down with disappointment, anger, and even sadness.