Make Good Choices

Recently I was teaching a lesson on immigration to my second graders and one of my sweet little girls raised her hand and asked a very, uh, poignant question. I use that word because sometimes they say things that really get to me: like a little life lesson or reality check that comes just at the right time.

Teaching is pretty cool, y’all.

So, she raises her hand just after we’d finished talking about naturalization (the process of immigrants becoming citizens) and says:

“But, if people promise to follow the laws, why do they still do bad things?”

Why do they still do bad things?

It took me a moment to answer, because I was a little shocked at the question. It’s fairly early in the year and I’m still getting to know these sweet babies, and sometimes you just don’t expect something that deep from a seven-year-old.

And, trust me, that’s pretty deep for a kid.

In answering her I simply said:

“You know, sometimes people just don’t make good choices.”

It’s all I could manage at the moment, and she simply shrugged and replied with, “Well, that makes a lot of sense.”

Why does that have to make sense? Better yet, why does that have to make sense to a child?

When the shooting happened at Sandy Hook Elementary security around our school changed dramatically: locked doors, inside transitions, a security officer monitoring daily.

The hardest part was the kids, though. Telling them, talking to them, and answering their questions. There are some things that children shouldn’t have to know about or talk about. To me the number one thing is death. It’s hard enough being a kid without having to know that other kids die.

It’s sad that the only explanation we have when something like that happens is that someone made a bad choice.

Then again, aren’t we all just the choices we make?

If that’s true, then can’t we just use some common sense and like, not make a horrible, life-altering decision that will ultimately make everything suck?

I’m pretty sure the answer is “no”. We were given free will and the ability to choose and, as humans, we do our best to screw that up.

Every.

Single.

Day.

As an adult it is difficult to understand the choices that people make, so it threw me off that a child was so easy to accept that answer. I don’t understand how people choose to harm, kill, discourage, insult, and do various other horrible things to another human being.

How is it so easy?

What seriously goes through a person’s mind?

Am I just that naïve to think they life is just easier if you’re nice? (You’re all probably laughing right now because you know what a sarcastic jerk I am, but don’t I at least smile at you in the morning?)

I make a lot of jokes about hating people and pants and only being able to tolerate my cat and people in books, but it’s not really true.

Okay, it’s not that true.

What is true is that doing good things and making good choices does make it easier.

I say it to my students all the time, but sometimes I don’t realize just how great the meaning is.

“Make a good choice.”

Most of the time it’s about walking in line, or recess behavior, or when they go to specials and we’re having a tough day.

Make good choices about your behavior.

Make good choices about your life.

Make good choices about how you treat people.

Make good, do good, be good.

Simple, right?