1. After a long morning of learning addition, phonics, and art in Ms Wegman’s first grade classroom the children were ready for a break and snack.

2. Ding ding ding ding ding! “Okay everyone its snack time, so you can all go get your lunch boxes out of your cubbies and wash your hands so that we can eat,” Ms Wegman instructs.

3. All of the children scattered around the room talking noisily while they lathered their hands with soap and waited in line to wash it off.

4. Allie grabbed her lunch box and was very excited about snack today!

5. Hey Cynthia, I have the BEST snack today!!” Allie shouts excitedly. “Oh yeah, well so do I! What do you have?!” Cynthia asks curiously. “My mom packed me my favorite so super yummy gummies.. See look! Yummmmayy!”

6. “Opps, I forgot to open wash my hands.” Cynthia says. Allie leaves to wash her hands.

7. While she is gone Cynthia looks around quickly and reaches into Allies lunch and pulls out her gummies.

8. Allie returns and her snack is gone. “Hey, where did my so super, special yummy gummies go?”

9. Allie asks as she ducks under her table and fumbles through her lunch box.

10. Cynthia eats gummies.

11. “Did you take my so, super, special, yummy gummies?” Allie asks shocked. “No.” Cynthia replies. “Yes you did. Those are mine!!” Allie shouts.

12. “Wah, wah stop being such a cry baby about it Allie,” Cynthia teases. The girls were getting louder and louder and Ms Wegman was not happy about what she heard.

13. “Cynthia did you just call Allie a cry baby? You know that that is not how we treat our friends.” Ms Wegman says.

14. “I never said that.” Cynthia lies. “I heard you say that Cynthia and now you are getting into double trouble.”

15. “You not only were rude to your friend Allie, but you took her gummies, lied to her, AND lied to me.” Ms Wegman responds

16.“ I didn’t lie.” Cynthia insists. “That is the third lie you have told today.

17. “I know that we have talked about lying before, but I think this time we should pay a visit to Principal Jones so that a new person can explain to you about why lying is not a good habit.”

18. Cynthia looks at the ground sadly and hands Allie her gummies. “Here you go Allie. Here are your so super, special yummy gummies.”Cynthia says quietly.

19. “Thank you” Allie responds and she pops a green one in her mouth.

20. Okay Cynthia, time to go to the Principal’s office.” Ms Wegman says. Ms Wegman and Cynthia head down the hall and walk into the Principals office and Cynthia’s stomach feels full of butterflies!

“

21. When they arrive, Principal Jones looks up from her computer and says to Cynthia seriously,

22. “I understand that you have been lying lately and it hurts my feelings that you are not acting like a big first grader and being a good example to your friends.”

23. Allie sits still, looking out the window at her friends who are now outside on the playground enjoying recess.

24. “I know that lying may not seem like a big deal now, but it is. You can’t get in the habit of lying because it could mean serious trouble when you get older and once you lie it just leads to another and another is really hard to stop.”

25. “Besides Cynthia, you want to be nice to your friends. You don’t want everyone to think of you as a liar. You want everyone to know how much fun you are to play with and how special you are.” Principal Jones says.

26. Allie looks outside at her friends having fun. Principal Jones is right she thinks. This is silly. I should be having fun with my friends instead of lying and having to be here, Cynthia thinks.

27. And just like that it clicked like a light bulb in Cynthia’s head. “You are right,” she says quietly.

28. And so, Cynthia walks back to the classroom thinking about the lesson she learned.

29. I should say I am sorry to Ms Wegman and Allie for lying. I don’t want to be a liar anymore.

30. I want to be a good friend, Cynthia thinks. And so, Cynthia learned that its always better to be honest.

31. Honestly. 32. Cynthia and her friends lived happily ever after. The END!

Cynthia Learns to be Honest

By: Bridget Wegman