A nice story about being truthful.

Date:   3/3/2006 8:46:41 AM ( 18 y ago)

To Tell The Truth

"Who did this?" asked my teacher. Thirty children tried to think about
not only what they had done, but also what our teacher may have found
out. "Who did this?" asked my teacher once more. She wasn't really
asking, she was demanding an answer. She seldom became angry, but she
was this time. She held up a piece of broken glass and asked, "Who
broke this window?"

"Oh, oh," I thought. I was the one who broke the window. I had not done
it intentionally. It was caused by an errant throw of a baseball. I was
working on my knuckleball. It needed more work. Why did it have to be
me? It wasn't really my fault. If I admitted guilt, I would be in a lot
of trouble. How would I be able to pay for a big window like that? I
didn't even get an allowance. "My father is going to have a fit," I
thought. I didn't want to raise my hand, but some force much stronger
than I was pulled it skyward. I told the truth. "I did it." I said no
more. It was hard enough saying what I had.

My teacher went to one of our library shelves and took down a book. She
then began walking towards my desk. I had never known my teacher to
strike a student, but I feared she was going to start with me and she
was going to use a book for the swatting.

"I know how you like birds," she said as she stood looking down at my
guilt-ridden face. "Here is that field guide about birds that you are
constantly checking out. It is yours. It's time we got a new one for
the school anyway. The book is yours and you will not be punished as long
as you remember that I am not rewarding you for your misdeed, I am
rewarding you for your truthfulness."

I couldn't believe it! I wasn't being punished and I was getting my
very own bird field guide. The very one that I had been saving up money to
buy. The money I feared would be going to the school to buy a new
window. I wore out that book trying to match the live, flying birds to
their depictions in that field guide. The book is gone, so is my
wonderful teacher. All that remains of that day is my memory and the
lesson my teacher taught me. That lesson stays with me every day and it
will echo forever.

~Al Batt,~

 

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