Karie double-checked the words on her spelling test. If she got 100 points today, she would win her class's spelling competition and a brand-new dictionary. Also, Ms. McCormack had promised to do a handstand if anyone got a perfect score.
Three more words to go. N-i-c-e-l-y. Q-u-i-c-k-y. H-o-n-e-s-t-y. Wait!
She had spelled honesty, not honestly! She erased the t-y and wrote l-y before handing in her paper.
After grading the test papers, Ms. McCormack walked into the classroom. Then, as if she were an Olympic gymnast, Ms. McCormack's feet flipped into the air,
"Congratulations. Karie! You did it!" she announced while doing a handstand.
The whole class cheered!
Ms. McCormack righted herself and presented Karie with her prize. It was a dictionary with the words: To Karie Carter, for her perfect score in spelling.
As soon as she arrived home, Karie showed Mom her spelling test paper and prize with excitement. "Well done, Karie." Mom hugged her.
Karie smiled widely and scooped up her cat, "Can you spell nicely, Casper? And quickly and honesly, and."
_. Honesly?
H-O-N-E-S-L-Y!
Karie threw the test paper into her schoolbag, rushed to her room and fell onto her bed. How could she tell the class she hadn't earned the prize after al!? That Ms. McCormack did the handstand for nothing?
Then, Karie thought back to the last time her mother had bought her brother Kevin a pizza after his school play. They had almost reached home when Mom realized that the shop keeper had given them too much change. "Let's turn around," Mom said. On the way back to the shop, Kevin kept saying," But it's not our fault. The shop keeper should have been more careful."
Had Kevin been right? If he had been right, then it wasn't her fault that Ms. McCormack had given her the prize. Shouldn't Ms. McCormack have been more careful when grading her test? Karie took out her pencil. If she put the missing "t" back in, no one would know.
The next morning, Karie got to school earlier than usual. Ms. McCornack was unlocking the classroom.
"I can't keep this. I misspelled honestly and you didn't catch it." Karie said with her head down, giving her teacher the spelling paper and the dictionary.
For a moment, Ms. McCormack stood silently, reading the words on the dictionary. Then she took out her pen, crossed out the word perfect and wrote honest before retiming the dictionary to Karie.
Karie's jaw dropped. "I get to keep this? Honestly?"
"For honestly, no." Ms. McCormack smiled. "But for honesty, yes."
