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Study Guide Black Market

from 2022 -2023 Winter Issue

from 2022 -2023 Winter Issue, page 7

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MIHS history teacher David Willecke does not provide his students with study guides; instead, he encourages them to create their own. However, many students buy and sell study materials since sharing materials is permitted according to the MIHS Academic Integrity Code, unless a teacher actively prohibits it.

for those tests,” Wang said. “I’ll read the text and write a few questions about each chunk.”

This year, Wang’s business model has shifted. “Last year, I sent them out and if you wanted to ‘donate,’ then you could,” Wang said. “This year, I decided that they’re too much work.” Wang believes Willecke appreciates his work. “He encourages trading [study guides], but also selling them,” Wang said. “As long as someone’s making it, it’s fine, and if people are too lazy to make their own, selling [them] is fine.”

In reality, Willecke does not support monetizing study guides, but he accepts that some students will make that choice no matter what. “Yeah, I don’t really have any control over that,” Willecke said. “I guess I would be sad if they did that instead of making their own tests. That’s the best possible way to study.”

This year, Willecke had his AP USH students create a practice test as a class to help them study. This did not discourage Wang. “[Willecke’s] questions are very specific and he writes them in specific ways, so our class didn’t make a very good study guide,” Wang said. Thus, Wang’s business has continued to thrive.

However, that is not true—Wang openly promotes his business in the classroom, as well as online. “I usually post it on Instagram or write on the whiteboard,” Wang said.

Willecke did not realize this, but he does not care. “I haven’t noticed that—there are lots of things on the whiteboard in my room, student drawings and such, so that isn’t something I am officially posting,” Willecke said via email. “I am not attempting to control student’s [sic] sharing of materials.”

Some have argued that study guide commerce is harmful to the culture of our school since students may not have the resources to purchase a study guide. Teachers can attempt to eliminate study guide businesses by providing study guides with keys. That way, students can still choose to create their own study guides or have one without making it regardless of economic background.”

Willecke disagrees that it is inequitable. “It’s just students

Junior Keegan Wang is one of the most popular study guide vendors at MIHS. “Willecke has these long-a** history tests and last year and this year, I’ve been making study guides coming up with what they think is going to be on the test,” Willecke said. “It’s not like they have any inside info.”

Willecke does not believe educators have an ethical responsibility to take a stand against study guide commerce. “That doesn’t happen in my classroom or whatever, so I feel like I’d just be pretending [to restrict it],” Willecke said.

In fact, Willecke advocates for purchasing professional study materials even though some students may not have the resources to do so. “If kids want to pay for study materials or pay for Princeton Review or whatever, that’s probably a good idea,” Willecke said. “I guess that strikes me as the lay of the land; that kind of inequity exists in education.”

Wang is using the money he makes to pay for his ticket to Taylor Swift’s next concert tour. “I’m going to the Eras concert.

I am a Swiftie,” Wang said. “It was $300.”