IS IT EVER OKAY TO LIE TO STUDENTS?

The question of whether it is okay to lie to students, in my opinion, is very difficult to answer for numerous reasons. My gut instinct tells me that the answer to this question is, with 100% certainty, ‘no’. On the other hand, I know that realistically it would be difficult to tell children the truth all the time. I do not by any stretch advocate to be dishonest with children; however, there are certain things which children need protection from at certain ages. There is an appropriate age in which children should be educated on matters. For example, if a Grade 2 student asks, “How are babies born?”, the teacher would not respond with an explanation on sexual intercourse because it is not appropriate. At times, as a teacher, one is not required to lie but it may be advisable for the students that the teacher does not go into detail or simply coats (with sugar) some pieces of information.

The answer to this question hinges on many factors. If it is your own child that asks the question, you, of course, have the option to take whichever approach you feel is acceptable; however, as a teacher, we must consider the bearing of our words and the potential reaction and consequences that a certain answer may create on children and their parents.

It is my opinion that, by exposing children to the truth, one could potentially provide them with information which is detrimental to their psyche. For instance, telling a child of 3 years old that “Santa Claus is not real” takes away a child’s natural process of development and awareness. Such information may have negative implications. I can remember being in Grade 5 when certain kids shouted out how Santa was not real. I was shattered to hear such blaspheme. I recall running to my brother for shelter and crying to him about this non-sense. Thankfully, he reassured me that Santa existed. From this, you can see that on that day, my loss of innocence had been threatened a bit sooner than it needed to be. Gratefully, my brother and the teacher had told me otherwise: Santa existed. From this personal experience, I believe that children ought to discover, all in due time, certain truths at the appropriate age. With this in mind, it is still important to expose children to realities and to prepare them for the potential dangers that exist in the world. To completely shelter a child from the truth, a parent or teacher negates an important duty as an educator: to inform and direct children on a path of objectivity.

Although I would like to sit on the fence, I fear it may start to hurt my posterior region. So, I quantify that it is not okay to lie to students when it is a way of avoiding a moment to teach children and explain that there are always two sides (or more) to a story. It is important that children learn to be objective from a young age. In my opinion, the explanation of a truth to a child is likely to be more of a developmental enhancing experience, as opposed to lying to the child. Since each case varies, we are all professionals and must choose to exercise our professional judgment in each and different circumstance.

Completion of Block I

I do not know how I got through my first block but I did. Thank goodness! It was most certainly challenging and extremely exhausting. I am glad that I had the time to reflect and refresh my mind until the next block. I think that, if I had not had a short time to reflect upon my experiences, my second block could have been sabotaged with pessimisms. Above all the challenges, the main reason one teaches is for the students. This thought, alone, kept me going the majority of the time. Amazingly, the feeling of reward and the impact that I had on the children, to shape their lives, paid off ten fold.

On my last day, one of my students wrote me a card with a bow on it. The card wished me, “Good Luck Ms. D.”. I will never forget this student, a little angel sent from Heaven. How intuitive she was! Her message was clear that I should keep going and persevere. She must have known how much I needed this. Potentially, if not for this card, the awareness of my efforts could have slipped through the cracks and I would not have known that my actions and sleepless nights made a difference. I keep her card by my work table, as an inspiration. I look at it every time that I am struggling with an assignment or planning session.

I love children and teaching. Although classroom management was a challenge and I felt numerous times like a failure and not respected, at the end of the day, one realizes that children are so innocent and unique. I cannot help but want to protect and nurture them always.