Teacher caught young student cheating — her powerful response instead of scolding him made all the difference

An adult's words can make a big impact on a young kid's mind. That makes it really important for adults to choose their words carefully when dealing with kids. So, when a teacher discovered that one of her first-grade students was cheating, she decided to address the issue with patience and understanding, rather than scolding the child. She calmly explained to the child why it was important for him to use his own thoughts and gave him words of encouragement, per a video by the teacher, Lakeshia Evans, who goes by @teacherbae54 on TikTok.

"I caught one of my students cheating because he felt he wasn't smart enough. Our young boys simply need reassurance that they can master both big and small challenges," the text overlay of the video read, as the teacher talked to the student. The boy expressed that he had cheated because the test was really hard. So the teacher explained, "I didn't give you this because it was supposed to be easy. I gave this assignment because I know it was gonna be hard." Evans went on, "I have to challenge you." She asked the kid how he would master skills if she gave them kindergarten or first-grade level assignments. "How will you master thinking if I don't provide that to you?"

Evans explained that she was giving them assignments that would make them think more. "You should not copy off him because these are his thoughts." The woman encouraged the kid and told him that she "truly believed" that he was capable of completing it on his own. "How do I know that? Because at this moment you are not feeling it, right?" Evans told him that she felt he was capable because of his already existing skills. "You are smart. You are intelligent. You know how to read. You know how to type. You have mastered that. Did you know how to type before I came into this classroom? No." She continued, "I taught you that. Now you are typing away, right? Because you put in the work." The teacher expressed, "So I just want you to put in your work."

Evans kept on encouraging the boy and asked him to complete the assignment on his own. "Put your glasses on, I want you to sit there and I want you to think." She also ensured that the student was feeling better after their talk and asked him if he had any thoughts on it. "You got this," she pointed out as she sent the student away. People shared their thoughts on the interaction in the comments section of the video. 

@theereallizzyg wrote, "I love that you didn’t scold him for cheating, you empowered him to not feel the need to." @applicant_unknown commented, "That's one of the main reasons anyone cheats. That and incessant pressure to get good grades." @emma.x.cleo remarked, "'Here you go baby,' Those words...those endearing words do something to a child's heart. It truly heals. You're amazing." @kat._.smith shared, "Just so you guys know, this is EXACTLY what gentle parenting is. Gentle parenting gets such a bad rep when it’s actually PERMISSIVE parenting that’s bad. Teacher to teacher, you did a fabulous job here!"

You can follow Lakeshia Evans (@teacherbae54) on TikTok for more lifestyle content.