Liar Liar Pants on Fire!

The fact that students lie should not surprise any teacher or parent. The reasons students lie are as varied as the students and the situations. Like many things in life, people generally look for a simple explanation that covers every situation. Take for example two posts I found on the website “tachnology”, both by anonymous posters;

“Students lie because they have been taught to lie. For example, when the phone rings in their household, if mom or dad doesn't want to be bothered than they will say, tell them I'm not home. So when a child thinks it's okay to lie because their parents do it often, they believe it's okay to do so in any situation.”

Most teachers would probably nod their heads in agreement, but all lying can’t be explained by blaming it on the parents. Another post said. . .

“It doesn't matter where the child comes from. ALL ethnic children groups tell lies. Their ages are not important. Where they live is not important. Whether they are rich or poor it doesn't matter. What matters is whether the lie that has been told is told to hurt someone or whether it is told to benefit from a situation; get a job; get out of a punishment; get even with someone. The true reason kids lie is to get out of trouble or to better themselves in some way. They don’t do it to hurt people they do it because they want something. They will lie to get money "hey mom I lost my money at school can I get some more?” , , ,

This probably represents the best explanation for why students choose to lie. My friend from the Theology Department would argue that students sometimes lie even when the truth would result in a better outcome for them. They lie because we represent authority and you never cooperate with authority. In my mind they reflexively lie because they view a lie as always helping them. They lack the thinking ability to weigh actions against consequences.

The other day, before one of my classes, a young lady approached my desk to inform me that she did not have her homework, explaining that she forgot to do it. I reminded her that she could turn it in tomorrow for half credit. Later that period they were given time to work on their next homework assignment, and I noticed that she was wasting her time talking to the girl next to her. I confronted her, asking why she felt she could waste time when she had two assignments to complete before tomorrow. She assured me that the missing assignment was done and that she had just left it at home. She is so used to lying that she did not even notice that in thirty minutes she had told me two different stories, one of which had to be a lie. The embarrassed look on her reddened face when she realized she was caught made me laugh out loud.

I entered a grade of zero for her missing assignment which dropped her grade to an “F.”
Because she was now failing I decided to email her parents with the news, and the story of how she got caught in a lie about the assignment. Her parents did not return my email, but the next day her missing work was on my desk before school.