A Lesson from "Balloon Boy"

It's been awhile.  I have been buried in paperwork related to report cards. This week, I'll be buried in parent conferences, so blogging may be sketchy still.  By the time I spend a half an hour discussing their children with thirty or more parents, all I want to do is come home and collapse.

I did want to blog a little tonight on the topic of honesty.  I was watching the news yesterday, and I saw the story on the parents of the so-called "Balloon Boy" who plead guilty to a misdemeanor and felony for lying about the incident. I'm surprised they weren't charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor, because they instructed their very young and impressionable son to lie about what happened.  After being repeatedly questioned by the police and talk show hosts, the child finally caved and told the truth.  The poor little thing is probably traumatized for life.

It seems that lying is trivialized more and more these days. Some parents don't see anything wrong with telling a "white lie" in front of their children when it is convenient to do so.  They may even include their child in the deception, as in the case of Balloon Boy.

Perhaps popular culture sees nothing wrong with lying.  However, I am happy to report that the legal system still sees things in black and white.  Lying can get you thrown in prison; just ask Marion Jones, a variety of political figures, and the Balloon Boy's parents.  Why would you want to send your child down that path?

To make my point, I once had a student who was low on classroom cash, because she had wasted her money all year long.  It was time for our end-of-year party and auction, during which students would bid on items I had purchased.  Well, rather than being told that having little or no money to bid was the price she would have to pay for wasting her money all year long, her uncle had her bring home one of my bills (it was play money, of course) and had her make copies of it.  That's right, she made counterfeit bills!  Fortunately, I was able to tell right away because her bills were much darker than mine.  I had to confiscate the counterfeit bills, and I also had her suspended.

I know, you're probably saying, "But it wasn't her fault.  She was mislead by a wayward relative."  However, the public education system attempts to teach children about integrity and honesty.  We hold assemblies on the topic and use programs that teach character education.  Although this child was unduly influenced by an adult, I wanted to punish her for being a follower, because society will punish her for being a follower.

Every year, I have students who attempt to get out of a situation with a lie. Some forge a parent's signature on a failing test. Others steal something or hit someone and try to lie their way out of it.  I once had a student steal half the candy out of my candy jar and give it to three accomplices; two from my class and one from another.  When his parent was notified of the incident, all he received was a lecture.  He didn't write a letter of apology.  He didn't have to replace the candy.  I don't even think he got grounded.  This child had been in trouble since Kindergarten, and his parent still made light of his behavior.  Where do you think he will end up in a few more years?

As for Balloon Boy, I hope his parents are thoroughly embarrassed and ashamed for what they did.  I hope this poor little boy can escape the nickname "Balloon Boy" some day, and I hope he doesn't need therapy for the rest of his life.