Maggie Berens is an eighth-grade teacher in a moderately sized community in the Midwestern United States. Recently in her history class during an exam, she overheard three of her native Hispanic/Latino students talking among themselves. As she approached them, it was clear that two of the students were helping the third student on his exam. Ms.

Berens accused the students of cheating on the exam and threatened to fail them. But the students claimed they were not cheating. They explained that in their culture when a member of the group is having trouble on some task, it is the responsibility of others in the group to help him or her.

What should Ms. Berens do? Should she fail the students? Or should she explain to them that in U.S. culture, one is expected to do his or her own work without the help of others?