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Honesty

Character in Action

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Honesty Character In Action

Table of Contents

How to Use this Character Ed Program 4 Reflections on Honesty 6 Honesty Video Guidelines 8 Honesty Video Questions 9 Honesty Video Summary 11 Pre/Post-Video Quiz 15

Honesty Video Student Worksheets Honesty Defined 17 Honesty in the Media 18 Honesty in Those Around You 19 Honesty at School 20 Joey’s Story—Part 1 21 Actions Speak Louder than Words 22 Jordan’s Story 23 The Internet—Fact or Fiction 24 Christina’s Story 25 Thomas/ Story 26 Gossip, Rumors, and Lies 27 Gizelle Story 28 Joey’s Story—Part 2 29 Keeping Your Word 30 Ben’s Story 31 Andrew’s Story 32 Letter to Myself 33

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Honesty Lessons

Lesson #1 ……….What Is Honesty?

Lesson #2 ……….Honest with Your Words

Lesson #3 ……….Learning to Discern

Lesson #4 ……….Being Honest with Yourself

Lesson #5 ……….Being Honest with Others

Lesson #6 ……….Honesty at School

Lesson #7 ……….Honesty at Home

Lesson #8 ……….Honesty in the Community

Lesson #9 ……….Deception is Honest?

Lesson #10 ………Benefits of Being Honest

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How to use Character Ed Tools - Honesty—Character in Action

Overview Honesty—a significant building block to earning trust from others. Unfortunately, today honesty is hardly ever seen or heard. Years ago a handshake and your word were stronger than a contract. Today however, though many claim to be honest and trustworthy, too often it’s all talk and no action. The truth, honesty, and trust are easily discarded or distorted as people work to manipulate others to achieve their goals. This honesty program is designed to help students consider how they are living their lives. Is their character defined as honest, sincere, and trustworthy? Do others consider them to be a person that can be counted on and trusted? They’ll be challenged to ponder the answer to questions like: Is it okay to cheat on an exam? When my parents say, “Be home at 10:00,” is 10:30 acceptable? Is it right for me to bully or tease others? Should I smoke, consume alcohol, or take drugs in order to ap-pear cool to my friends? Let’s motivate your students to engage those around them with honest words and actions. Everyone wants to be someone others can count on—a person they can trust. In order to do that, we need to start making honest decisions today. It’s not going to be easy. It takes a tremendous amount of cour-age to be honest, to be real, to stop pretending to be something we are not, and start walking the talk with our actions. By speaking honestly with others, taking responsibility for our actions, and respect-ing others, we will soon become a person everyone can trust. This honesty program will help you present the character quality of honesty to your students in an in-teresting and engaging way. The DVD is a great discussion starter and we have provided you with several pages of worksheets to get the students responses to the material presented. We have also provided you with ten lessons with tons of ideas to get you and your students talking. We are excited about the opportunities you will have to help guide your students to developing their ability to be trust-worthy. Most of all, have loads of fun and enjoy talking about this significant character quality of hon-esty. Ten Great Honesty Statements A great way to reinforce the messages on honesty is to begin or end your class period reading these daily statements. Also, these reflections could be a reminder for you to use with the students weeks after you’ve ended your lessons on honesty. However you decide to use them, I’m sure you’ll find these statements to be motivational and filled with great thought-provoking comments.

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The Honesty Discussion Video There are several worksheets provided to accompany the discussion video. The video is broken into four distinct segments. We suggest following the discussion video guidelines provided later in the book. The students have worksheets that correspond with each segment of the video. You may de-cide to have the students watch the video and fill out the worksheets on their own. Either way, these worksheets and discussion questions will get your students thinking and talking about what it means to be a person that others can count on and trust. Lessons 1 Through 10 Each lesson contains tons of interesting insights and thoughts to get your students talking for hours and hours on end about honesty. Okay, maybe we’re exaggerating a bit, but this will get your stu-dents talking.

Activities This workbook contains multiple activities for each lesson. Use as many of these ideas as time or resources permits. Our goal is simply to get your students talking, thinking, and acting on what, when, and how to be a person others can count on and trust.

The Lessons

Each lesson is packed with thought-provoking content to get your students talking. An inter-esting comment is then followed by open class discussion. We think you’ll find it fun to see what your students think it means to be honest.

Biographic and Historical Data We thought you could use some real examples of people and historical events that demon-strated honesty in quite different ways. With each lesson you’ll find wagon full of data on a real person or event demonstrating honesty.

Worksheets Several worksheets are provided for each lesson to get your students’ feedback as they re-flect on what they have learned.

Some Legal Thoughts Copyrights and all that jazz. You know the drill. These lessons and discussion video are owned by Character Ed Tools, so don’t copy them. If you want more videos or books or a license to use these materials school wide, just give us a yell, we’ve got solutions. But when it comes to those work-sheets? Copy tons of the worksheets (well, perhaps not tons since we are supposed to be saving trees, but you get the idea). Let’s get those students writing and reflecting on what they have learned. And most important of all, let’s have fun learning about honesty!

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Daily Reflections On Honesty LESSON 1: WHAT IS HONESTY?

Thomas Jefferson wrote, “Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.” It seems that honesty is one of the main building blocks used in relationships to build a strong foundation. Without honesty there is no trust, and with no trust, no true lasting relationship can be formed. Let’s start building strong relationships today by being honest with our words, actions and feelings.

LESSON 2: HONESTY WITH YOUR WORDS Mark Twain once said, "Why shouldn’t truth be stranger than fiction? Fiction, after all, has to make sense." The words we choose to use can either encourage those around us or tear them down. Let’s choose to speak the truth in love and build each other up, working as hard as possible to be truthful and honest with everyone we encounter.

LESSON 3: LEARNING TO DISCERN It takes courage to step up and give an honest answer to the tough questions we will encoun-ter in life. It can be even harder to learn to discern the truth from all the fiction we hear on a daily basis. Consider this wise advice. It’s best to be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to respond so that we can give an honest, genuine response to all those we encounter each day.

LESSON 4: BEING HONEST WITH YOURSELF

Socrates once said, “The life which is unexamined is not worth living.” Take an honest look at your life, your skills, and abilities. Everyone of us has truly been blessed if we will just take the time to look and see all that we have. Let’s use what we have been given to the best of our abilities. George Allen put it this way, “Each of us has been put on earth with the ability to do something well. We cheat ourselves and the world if we don't use that ability as best we can.”

LESSON 5: BEING HONEST WITH OTEHRS Listen to this great advice from William Penn, “It is wise not to seek a secret; and honest, not to reveal one.” Honesty is one of the main supports that holds up the trust we have in others. When people are dishonest with us, we stop trusting them. Let’s work on developing honest trusting relationships with those we encounter each day.

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LESSON 6: HONESTY AT SCHOOL There is a tremendous amount of pressure on us to cheat at school. We may receive short-term benefits when we do cheat but in the end we are the big losers. Every time we cheat we lose a little bit more of our self-respect. We have begun to lose a little bit more of our integrity and honor. In the end, we know what we have earned and what we have not. Ralph Waldo Emerson writes it this way, “No one can cheat you out of ultimate success but yourself.”

LESSON 7: HONESTY AT HOME Contrary to what you feel, your parents don’t spend every moment of their lives thinking of ways to make your life miserable. Bill Cosby writes, “Parents are not interested in justice, they’re interested in peace and quiet.” Living honestly at home will make your life and the lives of others in the home more enjoyable. In the end, most of us feel like John Ed Pearce when he said, “Home is a place you grow up wanting to leave, and grow old wanting to get back to.”

LESSON 8: HONESTY IN THE COMMUNITY An old proverb states, “A person is not given integrity. It results from the relentless pursuit of honesty at all times.” Or you could say it like this: your character is the sum of all the deci-sions you have made up to this moment in time. If people had to describe you with only a few words, would honest or sincere be one of them?

LESSON 9: DECEPTION IS HONEST?

According to Millard Fuller, “Truth is honesty in speech; honesty is truth in action.” Imagine what the world would be like if more people put honesty into action.

LESSON 10: BENEFITS OF BEING HONEST

The benefits of being honest are felt more on the inside than seen on the outside. Thomas Fuller noted it like this, “Honest men fear neither the light nor the dark.” Zig Ziglar stated it this way, ” What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.”

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Honesty Video Guidelines

The Honesty video is divided into four distinct segments. The video will have on-screen questions following each segment. Those questions are printed for you on the next page. Please take time to discuss these questions with the students and add your own personal experiences concerning honesty. The following guidelines are how we would use these worksheets and video with your stu-dents to help them understand what it means to be a person that others can count on and trust. Honesty Discussion Video Guidelines

Take the Pre-Honesty Video Quiz

Open Discussion

Complete Worksheet #1

Watch Video Segment #1

Discuss On-Screen Questions for Segment #1

Complete Worksheets #2 through #5

Open Discussion





Open Discussion





Open Discussion





Take the Post-Self-Leadership Video Quiz

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Honesty Video Questions

The Discussion Video has several on-screen questions following each segment. Those questions are as follows: Questions for Segment #1

1. Talk about the cheating or lying you observe at your school. Why do you think so

many people lie or cheat? What would happen if they were honest with their actions and words at school?

2. Joey's drug use created problems for him at school and at home. Discuss how dis-

honesty can affect the people around you. What can you do to help someone who is lying, cheating, or using drugs?

Questions for Segment #2 1. Jordan earned a reputation for being a very good field goal kicker. His coaches knew

they could count on him when he was needed in the game. Discuss how our actions tell others that we can be counted on to be honest and give it our best effort.

2. Christina heard the comments from others comparing her to great basketball play-

ers, but she didn't let it go to her head. She continued to honestly evaluate her skills and worked hard to let her efforts on and off the court speak for her. What do we admire about people who give a solid, honest effort and don't brag about how well they are doing?

3. Thomas is not the fastest runner on the planet, but he is the best he can be. He took

a realistic view of his talents and worked hard to develop the running skills he had. What can we learn from his example?

Questions for Segment #3

1. Gizelle was picked on by those around her, even those on her basketball team. How do you think you would feel if you were being bullied by those closest to you?

2. A group of anonymous bullies posted negative comments about Gizelle on the Inter-

net. What should you do if someone is bullying you in this way?

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3. Joey had to change the way he was living if he expected to survive. He had to be-

come honest in his relationships with others. At first they didn’t believe him, but over

time they gradually began to believe he was honestly attempting to change his life

because his actions supported what he was saying. Talk about a time when you

didn’t believe what someone was saying but later saw it in their actions.

Questions for Segment #4

1. Dennis believed Ben would help him write his letters because he knew Ben would honor his commitment to assist him each Sunday morning. Discuss how keeping your word strengthens the confidence others have in your abilities.

2. Andrew had to trust those around him if he wanted to compete on the swim team. It

wasn't easy. He had to conquer his fears and believe that those around him would help him succeed. What can you learn from his example?

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Honesty Discussion Video Summary

Overview Years ago a handshake and your word were stronger than a contract. Today however, many claim to be trustworthy, but too often it’s all talk and no action. The truth, honesty, and trust are easily dis-carded or distorted as people work to manipulate others to achieve their goals. This HONESTY dis-cussion video is an educational experience that will challenge students to consider the integrity of their character in their words and actions with those around them, encouraging them to become hon-est and trustworthy individuals.

How To Use the Honesty Discussion Video In the next few pages of this book you’ll discover our recommended guidelines for using this Charac-ter Ed Tool. We suggest following the discussion video guidelines to get the most out of the program. The video is broken into four distinct segments. Each segment concludes with a few discussion ques-tions that will help you lead a discussion on the material just viewed. Worksheets are provided that correspond with each segment of the video for the students. These worksheets will help you evaluate how well the students are understanding the material. You may decide to have the students watch only a few segments of the video. Either way, these worksheets and discussion questions will get your students thinking and talking about what it means to be a person that others can count on and trust.

Summary of the Honesty Discussion Video Section #1: Truth vs Fiction Honesty – it is a straight-forward type of conduct that is fair and factual. It is personified by the type of person you can trust; someone you can rely on to make the right decision, or to simply be there for you. How honest are those around you? Unfortunately, it’s not easy to tell the difference between truth and fiction today. Are those athletes we love using illegal drugs or not? Can we believe what we hear on the radio or see on TV? Can we fully believe what we read in the newspapers, magazines, or on the Internet? Promises are made, and then broken. People lie to each other to cover, conceal and hide the truth. People will say and do anything to achieve their goals. They will lie, cheat, and steal to get their way. When you mix dishonesty with drugs and alcohol you have a real, life-threatening problem.

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When Joey was in high school, he only thought about getting things for himself. He would lie, cheat, or steal to get what he wanted. Eventually, he started using drugs and alcohol; his ability to be trust-worthy and honest sank to its lowest point. He thought of himself as trustworthy. He didn't think he was dishonest or selfish. However, those around him would not trust him with anything. Questions for Section #1:

1. Talk about the cheating or lying you observe at your school. Why do you think so many peo-ple lie or cheat? What would happen if they were honest with their actions and words at school?

2. Joey's drug use created problems for him at school and at home. Discuss how dishonesty

can affect the people around you. What can you do to help someone who is lying, cheating, or using drugs?

Section #2: Actions Speak Louder than Words We trust those whose actions declare their trustworthiness. Jordan was a good soccer player who had never played football until his sophomore year when he transferred to a different high school. He became the kicker for the football team and had to earn their trust. During his junior year he proved he could be trusted by making 13 of 14 field goal attempts, making one well over 50 yards. When Jordan reached his senior year the coaches built entire game plans knowing that once they were in-side 50 yards of the goal post they could score. The coaches and team trusted him to be consistent every game, every time. In order to get others to trust them, some people feel the need to brag about what they can do. They are attempting to gain the trust of others with confident, boastful comments. Too often these people can’t deliver on what they claim they can do. Christina is an outstanding basketball player and many around her are comparing her to other great athletes. Christina doesn't let this type of talk go to her head. She could brag about her accomplishments but instead she lets her performance on and off the basketball court do the bragging for her.

Have you ever had doubts about your abilities? At times like that, we're not even sure that we can actually reach our goals. Thomas felt like that. He had doubts and needed to believe that he had what it took to be a good athlete. He went to his coach with a willing attitude and asked for help. He didn't set goals to win races. He set a goal to become the best runner he could be. He knew it would require working hard and committing time and energy to achieve this goal. Questions for Section #2:

1. Jordan earned a reputation for being a very good field goal kicker. His coaches knew they could count on him when he was needed in the game. Discuss how our actions tell others that we can be counted on to be honest and give it our best effort.

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2. Christina heard the comments from others comparing her to great basketball players, but she didn't let it go to her head. She continued to honestly evaluate her skills and worked hard to let her efforts on and off the court speak for her. What do we admire about people who give a solid, honest effort and don't brag about how well they are doing?

3. Thomas is not the fastest runner on the planet, but he is the best he can be. He took a realis-

tic view of his talents and worked hard to develop the running skills he had. What can we learn from his example?

Section #3: Honesty Under Attack Gizelle was doing the best she could when those around her began bullying her at school. For three years an anonymous group of bullies tormented Gizelle by mailing her letters, putting notes in her backpack, setting up signs around school, and posting rumors and lies about her on the Internet. She had difficulty knowing who she could trust around her. Joey was more concerned about partying and using drugs than being a trustworthy individual. Unfor-tunately, Joey's drug use was killing him. He had to change. He found new friends, worked hard to stop using drugs, and decided to be honest with his words and actions to develop trust with those who could help him turn his life around. Questions for Section #3:

1. Gizelle was picked on by those around her, even those on her basketball team. How do you think you would feel if you were being bullied by those closest to you?

2. A group of anonymous bullies posted negative comments about Gizelle on the Internet. What

should you do if someone is bullying you in this way?

3. Joey had to change the way he was living if he expected to survive. He had to become hon-est in his relationships with others. At first they didn’t believe him, but over time they gradually began to believe he was honestly attempting to change his life because his actions supported what he was saying. Talk about a time when you didn’t believe what someone was saying but later saw it in their actions.

Section #4: Keeping Your Word Ben has been writing letters for Dennis, a resident of CLIMB, an independent care facility for the blind. Every Sunday at 9am Ben meets with Dennis to help him write letters. Dennis has grown to trust Ben because of the way Ben honors his commitments. Ben recognizes the importance of keeping his commitments to develop trust with those around him.

When Andrew was five-years-old, he lost his sight. It has been difficult for him to live a normal life and trust those around him. He took a risk and joined the swim team. It's been awkward at times but he

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has learned to trust those on the team to help him compete. He has learned to dive off the starting block, stay in his lane, and—with help—know when he's near the wall. It's been a learning experience in trust for Andrew and his teammates as they work together to compete and have fun. Questions for Section #4:

1. Dennis believed Ben would help him write his letters because he knew Ben would honor his commitment to assist him each Sunday morning. Discuss how keeping your word strength-ens the confidence others have in your abilities.

2. Andrew had to trust those around him if he wanted to compete on the swim team. It wasn't

easy. He had to conquer his fears and believe that those around him would help him suc-ceed. What can you learn from his example?

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Honesty - Character in Focus - Samplecharacteredtools.com/pdf example pages/Honesty - Character in Focus... · Honesty Character In Action ... achieve their goals. ... “Honest men