Speak the Truth
By Dr. Marcia Davis-Dawkins
During the month of May we celebrate children, we appreciate teachers, school nurses, Mothers’ Day, and Memorial Day. In addition, May is an important month for me because it is my mother’s and one of my brother’s birthdays. I thought that because children are our future it would be fitting to write about children.
One of my fondest activities in 3rd Grade (Elementary School) was when I was learning to write cursive. This was exciting because, not only was I learning a new skill, but I was also writing and learning new gems or poems. They were meaningful and have stuck with me throughout my life. So much so, that I have used them many times in my writings and even have them posted in my classroom/s. One of these, I don’t know the author and have even tried to Google it, but to no avail. So I hope I will be forgiven for not giving the credits to the author. Here it goes:
Speak the truth and speak it ever.
Cost it what it will.
For he who hides the wrong he did.
Does the wrong thing still.
In my classroom where I have that treasure posted, it always seems to spark a conversation with my students. After reading it (even those who struggle to read), they usually ask questions including: “What does it mean?” “Why do people lie?” “Why do put you it (the poem) there (in the classroom)?” “What does ‘Does the wrong thing still’ mean?” The discussions usually include that lying is not a good thing and once we begin lying, we cannot seem to stop, or that lying is difficult because you will always have to remember what the first lie was, so your story is kept straight.
Because I have had many students over the years, various questions and discussions have arisen. Some of them have been thought provoking as well. A recurring one seems to be that we can misrepresent the truth just a little bit so that we won’t get in trouble or look bad in other people’s eyes. Of course as humans, most of us want the truth to be camouflaged simply because we might not want to be controlled or judged by others. As a little girl, I was always told that once you start with one small lie, it will lead to a bigger one, still a bigger and eventually could lead to stealing, then jail time. Essentially, it is best not to lie because there are consequences to lying and telling the truth will be better than lying. If you tell the truth, “the truth sets you free” and brings peace of mind, since you don’t have to try to worry or remember what you told someone previously about the same topic. Plus, it also means that if you are caught lying once, then people might not trust you another time. If you are not trustworthy, then there is no respect for the liar. In other words, they might think you are lying even when you are telling the truth. Is it worth it to lie? The truth will help you grow stronger because you can learn from the mistakes you make and not constantly lie or avoid the truth. Speaking the truth is part of my core foundational value and was taught early on in my toddler years by my mother and those who were responsible for my upbringing, including teachers. There is value in knowing that I can be trusted – it boosts my integrity for life! Another quote sums up telling the truth best, “The truth doesn’t cost anything, but a lie could cost you everything.”
Since one of the many hats that we wear as educators is to actually teach, I say posting certain quotes in our classroom can evoke certain teachable moments. One of my goals continues to be spreading a key foundational core value by encouraging students to speak the truth and speak it ever. In a world where being deceptive sometimes rears it ugly head, it is best that we help students to carry a moral standard of speaking the truth all the time.