I have heard complaints, as we all have, that students do not appreciate honesty; kids aren't as honest today; kids don't respect truth. It is easy to see how kids could get disillusioned. They see dishonesty frequently rewarded. Our politicians lie to the public and then get elected. Sometimes it seems the better liars are the more successful politicians. John Edwards is a master at it and was nearly elected President of the United States. Negative role models are all too common for our kids.
As schools, we need to make sure we reward honesty and punish dishonesty, and not the other way around.
For example, earlier in my career, I was teaching at a school where a group of seniors were drinking. The police arrived and delivered a botched breathalyzer test to everyone at the party. The school had already made the mistake of deciding it would only penalize students who were drinking at a party of under-age minors, and not everyone who was merely present.
The police presented to the school a list of students who had tested positive for alcohol, but the tests had been performed improperly. Their results were inconclusive.
So the school methodically called every student to the office one at a time and asked each if he/she had been drinking alcohol at the party. They probably all had been drinking. That was the purpose of the party. But some students confessed to drinking while others denied it. The school concluded the affair with punishment for every student who had confessed.
Several students from the party went on to receive rewards near the end of the year that they would not have earned if they had confessed. What a poor lesson to teach our kids.
The message here was clear and something that would stick with kids through to adulthood: honesty can get you in trouble, and it is lying that shall set you free.
So does your school provide a better consequence for students who confess? Do kids earn a reprieve through honesty? Are students regularly complimented and praised for honest answers? If not, then the school is sending the wrong message.
No comments:
Post a Comment