Honesty and Obedience

This morning in Seminary I was faced with a delemna. 

Preface:  At the beginning of the year I made it clear that one of the rules of my classroom was that when 7:00 am came, it was my time and there was to be no homework done in Seminary. None. Period. End. Of. Discussion.

For the most part everyone has been obedient to that rule.  Well the last week or so one of the kids has been trying to "sneak" the homework in.  I don't let them bring their backpacks into the room.  They have to leave them in the hall.  Well, this one particular person sits in the back of the room and is really good at stragically placing his scriptures or whatever is in front of him around the homework so that he doesn't think I can see it.  I guess maybe the first mistake I made was to let it slide last week.  I want him in Seminary badly enough that I just kind of ignored it last week.  But this morning he was busy writing on a piece of paper that I could tell from the front of the room was homework.  So I asked him if he was doing homework to which he promptly said, NO.  I may be almost 50 but I'm not stupid.  So as the class went on ~ in the course of our discussion ~ I said something about coming to Seminary and not sleeping or doing homework.  Then I started to walk back to his seat and he QUICKLY put away what he had out - calculator and all. 

I didn't say anything to him but after class I just really got upset - not so much that he was doing his homework but that he came right out and lied and told me he wasn't.  I just don't do dishonesty.  It makes me grouchy!  You can ignore me but DO NOT lie to me. 

I talked to Lynn about it a little when he called me.  He reminded me that all year I have been stressing that obedience is the law of heaven.  We are here on earth to learn obedience.  So I guess I must do what is so so so hard for me - risk making him mad and not coming to Seminary or holding him accountable and requiring obedience while in Seminary.  I don't like confontation.  I don't like not being these kids' friend.  But I am the adult.  I am the teacher.  I am teaching gospel principles and one of them is obedience and another is honestly.  So I will do what the Savior would do and reprove then show forth greater love.