Third Graders Learn About the Power of Mean Words

As part of the district Circle of Friends program we read and discussed a story called Mr. Peabody's Apples about the tremendous power of words, how quickly they spread, and our inability to take them back once they are out in the world. It takes place in 1949 in Happville, USA. Mr. Peabody, the beloved elementary school teacher and baseball coach, one day finds himself ostracized when rumors about him spread through the small town. We learn that things are not always as they appear. Mr. Peabody silences the gossip with an unforgettable and poignant lesson about how we must choose our words carefully to avoid causing harm to others, for once they are out we can never get them back. We learn that before we speak our words or repeat the words of others we must ask ourselves two questions: “Is it true? Is it nice?” If the answer to either question is no, then we must stop those feathers before they get out in the world.

Ask your children if the toothpaste can be put back in the tube or the feathers back in a pillow and what the moral of that lesson is.