Character & Honesty

HONESTY is telling the truth and being truthful. Honesty means you’re not lying or being dishonest about something. When you cheat on a test, you’re not being an honest person. Sometimes, being honest can be hard. You may be afraid that telling the truth may get you in trouble, but telling the truth shows that you’re an honest person that people trust.

1.Telling the truth lets everyone know what really happened. There’s less chance of misunderstanding, confusion, or conflict. 2. Telling the truth protects innocent people from being blamed or punished. 3. Telling the truth allows everyone to learn from what happened. 4. You usually get into less trouble for telling the truth than for lying (and getting caught). 5. Other people trust you more when you tell the truth. 6. You don’t have to tell (and remember) more lies to keep your story straight. 7. You gain a reputation for being truthful—a trait most people value. 8. Telling the truth helps you to feel secure and peaceful inside. Eight Great Reasons to Tell the..

Your CHARACTER is defined by what you do, not what you say or believe. Every choice you make helps define the kind of person you are choosing to be. Good character requires doing the right thing, even when it is costly or risky. You don't have to take the worst behavior of others as a standard for yourself. You can choose to be better than that. What you do matters, and one person can make a big difference. The payoff for a good character is that it makes you a better person and it makes the world a better place.

Play the following clip about HONESTY

WHAT WOULD YOU DO? In small groups, discuss a solution to these situations. 1. You are playing ball inside your house when no one is around. You accidentally threw the ball at your mom’s picture frames, and one cracks. No one would know you cracked it. Your mom comes home and sees it cracked. What would you do? 2. Your dad says that if you pass your Math test you’ll get to go to your friend’s birthday party. Test day comes, but you didn’t study. Your classmate next to you studied, and you can see her test. If you copy her test, you’ll pass the Math test. What would you do?

List all the excuses and rationalizations people give for lying, cheating, and stealing. How valid are they? What’s wrong with each of them? Rationale for Dishonesty Continue in small groups…..

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS (share responses and discuss these together as a large group) 1. How do you know when you can trust someone? 2. Some adults say that your generation cannot be trusted, that you've lost the values from past generations. Do you agree, or disagree? 3. Is it a good idea to risk losing your parents' trust for temporary pleasure? 4. How important is trust in your relationships with friends and family? How would these relationships be affected if you found out someone was lying to you? 5. Once trust has been broken, what can you do to get it back? Have you ever lost someone's trust? Has someone lost your trust? Explain. 6. If your friends were here right now, would they say you were trustworthy? What would your parents say? Are you more trustworthy with your friends or with your parents? Do you think your parents should trust you automatically? Why or why not? 7. If you want someone to trust you, who has most of the responsibility— you or the other person? Why? 8. As a general policy, should we start off trusting people and only stop trusting if they prove that they're not worthy? Or should we be cautious and not trust them until they prove themselves worthy? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each position? 9. What does being trustworthy have to do with the quality of your character? 10. What are the benefits of being a trustworthy person? How do you benefit from the trustworthiness of others?

REFLECTION 1. Name one way we can show HONESTY at home. 2. Name one way we can show HONESTY at school.

GOALS: On the index card provided, Write down 3 ways you will show HONESTY this week “It takes many good deeds to build a good reputation and only one bad one to lose it.” - Benjamin Franklin

How do you live your life when no one is watching? CHARACTER