Stepping Forward to Do the Right Thing

11/18/2015

Allan Hardy, Principal

As a student and teacher, I appreciated the short story “So Much Unfairness of Things” by C.D.B. Bryan. Though the story is set in an American prep school in the 1960’s, the ethical dilemma it explores remains pertinent today. In the story, the protagonist must pass the school’s Latin exam in order to graduate. Though he has tried to study for the exam, the subject matter eludes him, and during the middle of the exam, he decides to cheat and copies a passage translation from his class notes. The protagonist’s best friend, who witnesses the cheating, follows the school’s honour code and informs the school authorities about the incident. The story ends with the expulsion of the protagonist.

In sharing this story with students, my focus is on the role of the protagonist’s best friend. Turning in his friend must have been an agonizing decision. Clearly, this decision flies in the face of the informal social code within the school, which guides students not to “snitch” on one another. However, if bystanders turn a blind eye to things that harm individuals or others, then the bonds of trust and responsibility that hold a community together begin to fray.

Ultimately, every Greenwood student is responsible for reinforcing the school’s values. When other students see individuals step forward to do the right thing, it encourages others to do likewise. These actions are what keep Greenwood a safe place to learn.

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If bystanders turn a blind eye to things that harm individuals or others, then the bonds of trust and responsibility that hold a community together begin to fray.

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Greenwood College School

443 Mount Pleasant Road
Toronto, ON M4S 2L8
Tel: 416 482 9811

We acknowledge with gratitude the Ancestral lands upon which our main campus is situated. These lands are the Ancestral territories of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, Anishinabek and the Wendake. The shared responsibility of this land is honoured in the Dish with One Spoon Treaty and as settlers, we strive to care for the land, the waters, and all creatures in the spirit of peace. We are responsible for respecting and supporting the enduring presence of all First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples. When away from this campus we vow to be respectful to the land by protecting and honouring it. We will create relationships with the people and the land we may visit by understanding the territories we enter and the nations who inhabit them.