Children lie, what do adults think?

(Baonghean) - Recently, at the workshop "The current state of school culture and the need for life skills education for high school students", Professor, Doctor of Science Tran Ngoc Them, Director of the Center for Applied Cultural Theory, announced a survey research result that stunned public opinion nationwide: "The rate of students lying to their parents increases with age and level of education. Specifically, 22% of primary school students, 50% of secondary school students, 64% of high school students and 80% of university students lie to their parents". (With parents, the rate of lying is like that, with society, with outsiders, the rate will probably be even higher!). The statistical chart also shows that the older the student, the more they lie. This raises the question, so what if there was a test to survey the words of adults? Do adults lie? And, according to the “upward” trend of the test graph, what will be the rate of lying in adults? Many people may object to such a way of posing the question. However, the following question should not be avoided: When children lie, what do adults think? Of course, adults always think and act correctly and seriously.

Parents do not teach their children to lie.

Schools do not teach students to lie.

Vietnamese national ethical tradition rejects lies.

Agencies, organizations, trade unions, youth, women... never agree with lies.

Our laws also have many provisions to prevent, deter and punish lies, if they cause harmful consequences. Indeed, in name, in speech,In principle, documents, papers, arguments... our entire society everywhere opposes, condemns, hates, and eliminates lies. Yet lies still exist, still grow, one could say like poisonous mushrooms after the rain!

Why is that? We know that the basic philosophy and method of education is the principle of persuasion by example. Adults teaching young children, parents teaching their children, older siblings teaching their younger siblings, teachers teaching their students... must always uphold and adhere to the two words "example". "Exemplary" is the method, the immutable principle of education. We cannot use empty words, we cannot use preaching with cliched, dry language to replace example. The taboo in education is excuses, rambling, words that do not match actions, and in some cases, "saying one thing and doing another".

Have we followed the principle of educating by example? That is the question of parents, teachers, and everyone. Have we ever suddenly become the villain in educating children about honesty? That is also the question for everyone.

Nothing gets past the kids.

Parents do not teach their children to lie, but who has gone to the teacher's house to ask for a higher score or a change in the report card to "help" the child have a better profile?

Schools do not teach students to lie, but who has managed to achieve a 99.9% score on the high school graduation exam?

Organizations… don't teach teenagers to lie, so why are members of those organizations so afraid to tell the truth?

The principle of education by example is not only extremely important in schools, but social education and community education must also operate according to that principle. Parents and grandparents must be exemplary before their children and grandchildren, teachers must be exemplary before students, leaders must be exemplary before individual members, officials must be exemplary before the people, party members must be exemplary before the masses... That is an immutable principle, requiring the efforts of all members. Not only in schools, if in society, officials or responsible people are not exemplary, their words do not match their actions, they say one thing but do another, they say good things but do bad things... then the whole society will inevitably be in a state of decline and degradation in morality and lifestyle!

Currently, to overcome the alarming rate of children lying, we should all ask ourselves: What do adults think when children lie? To what extent have we been implementing the principle of education by example?!

Thach Quy (Vinh City)