The way it should be

Back on the trails....Yipeeeee!

People do not always think the same way you do. Sometimes they do not even think remotely close to the way you do.

I presented students (10 year olds) a short film set in a school. In the film, three students are helping a teacher clean the classroom while she counts the money the class has raised selling ice creams. The money is to be used to buy toys for sick children in hospital. The teacher gets a message that she has an urgent phone call and leaves the classroom, and the students, with the money still on the desk.

One of the students, Carla, decides that she is going to take a couple of dollars because it is really hot and she wants to buy an ice-cream. She puts the money in her pocket. Another student says that she is going to tell the teacher, that what she has done is wrong, that everyone helped raise that money. Carla responds that she helped so she should get some money, that no one will notice, and that the other girl will be in big trouble if she 'dobs'.

The scene freezers and I ask the question, "How would Carla feel if she out the money back?" I got the following replies from the class of 10 year olds;

She would be hot because she won't get an ice-cream.

She would be sad as well, because she won't have money for the ice cream.

Maybe angry because the other girl was going to tell on her.

OK, what I want to get out of this is suggestions that she may have a feeling of relief, contentment perhaps, for doing the right thing. And sure, she may feel a little sad or angry for missing out on the ice-cream, but this should be in some way be overridden by the feeling of doing the right thing.

That's what I was after, and I wasn't getting it. So I tried to scaffold the understanding.

Yes, she may feel those things. Is there anything else she may feel because she is putting the money back?

OK, well, how would she feel if she kept the money, which was raised to help sick children, and wasn't hers?

But she gets to buy the ice-cream.

Do you think she might feel a little guilty?

Silence

A boy puts his hand up.

When I was younger, I stole some stuff from a store, and I was worried my parents would find out.

So you might have felt guilty? Did you then decide to tell your parents?

Nah, but they found out and I got in serious trouble!

I had nothing left. I was pretty sure the above, and a few other rephrasing and questioning gave the kids all they needed to make the link, but they didn't. They didn't get it. They just didn't think the way I would. The way I thought they would. The way I thought they should.

But that's not the way it should be. 10 year olds shouldn't be thinking that you need to take what you can from this world, no matter who you tread on while your doing it. That your moral compass revolves around whether you get caught or not.

I could write pages on why I think this is the case, but let's just say, 10 year olds take in their environment. If you are part of their environment, you have a role to play.

So, what has this post got a mountain bike track as a photo? Well, this is about the way it should be...

I bought a few cheap rakes the other week, to place in different parts of the local trails, so I could stop mid ride and do some trail clean up. I try to do a bit each time I'm out. The trails are not used a lot, so it takes a while for them to be cleaned up after some strong winds.

It was really windy last week, and I haven't been on the mountain bike for a few days, so I thought my ride tonight would be a bumpy affair, with lots of litter on the track.

I get to the trail head and find myself on freshly racked, smooth trails! The first rake I left was about 1km down the trail. Two other rakes had been utilised around the trail, leaving me to enjoy a great ride on 'fresh' trails.

People in a community doing their bit to help each other. Understanding that we get back what we put in. Feeling joy whilst helping. Doing good.

Now, that is the way it should be!