Soz!

To challenge the students to think about how they can show that they are really sorry for the things that they do wrong.

by Helen Redfern

Suitable for Whole School (Pri)

Aims

To challenge the students to think about how they can show that they are really sorry for the things that they do wrong.

Preparation and materials

•  Prepare four children to read the parts in the interview section.

Assembly

1. This assembly is about a word that we all use every day. Can anybody guess what it might be? We say this word when we have done something wrong.
   
   Yes, this assembly is about the word ‘sorry’. There are many different ways of saying this word (say it in different tones of voice). Sometimes we even just say ‘Soz!’ Sometimes we mean it; sometimes we don’t.
2. Can you think of the last time you said sorry to someone? Why did you say sorry? Did you mean it? If so, how did you show that you meant it? Turn to the person next to you and tell them about the last time that you said sorry. (Allow a few minutes for each child to do this.)
3. We hear people saying sorry every day. On the news, official people apologize for disasters caused by human mistakes; footballers apologize for bad behaviour on and off the pitch; celebrities apologize for broken relationships. Even politicians sometimes apologize for their mistakes or promises they don’t keep. There are many examples on TV and in the newspapers every day.
   
   But how do we know if sorry is just a word? How do we know when people actually mean it when they say sorry? Listen to these interviews now and see if you can tell who really means it when they say sorry.
4. Interview 1
   
   Interviewer:  Hi Rachel. Thank you for agreeing to talk to me. So when was the last time you had to say sorry?
   
   Rachel:  My mum made me say sorry to my little sister this morning. I was really sick of her and made her cry by pulling her hair. She went and told Mum and Mum made me say sorry.
   
   Interviewer:  Did you want to say sorry to your sister?
   
   Rachel:  Not at all. She was trying to take my hairbrush and I’m fed up of her taking my things and losing them.
   
   Interviewer:  So why did you say sorry?
   
   Rachel:  I said sorry because Mum told me to. I knew I would get into trouble if I didn’t. But if that little brat goes near my stuff again, she’ll get what’s coming to her!
   
   Interviewer:  (to audience) So do you think Rachel said sorry and meant it? (Allow time for suggestions.) No, she did not.
   
   Interview 2
   
   Interviewer:  So, Ewku, you’ve just come out of the head teacher’s office. Can you tell me what happened?
   
   Ewku:  My teacher sent me to the head teacher because I would not stop talking in class and was really cheeky to her.
   
   Interviewer:  So what do you have to do?
   
   Ewku:  I’m going back now to say sorry to her. I’m going to ask her to move me to sit somewhere else so I’m not tempted to act the fool. I also think I should stay in at lunchtime and catch up the work I have missed.
   
   Interviewer:  Is that what the head teacher told you to do?
   
   Ewku: No, I thought of all those things myself. I do really like my teacher and I know I went too far this time. It won’t happen again.
   
   Interviewer:  (to audience) So do you think Ewku said sorry and meant it? (Allow time for suggestions.) Yes, I think he did.
   
   Interview 3
   
   Interviewer:  Well, Sonja, what have you been up to?
   
   Sonja:  I’ve been taking money out of my mum’s purse every now and then to get sweets at the shop. But today, a friend of my mum’s saw me in the shop and I know she’ll tell my mum I was there.
   
   Interviewer:  So what are you going to do about it?
   
   Sonja: I’m going to have to tell Mum and say sorry. I think she should stop my pocket money until I have paid it all back. I’m going to make her a card to say sorry.
   
   Interviewer:  Are you doing this just because you’ve been found out?
   
   Sonja:  Maybe, but I used to think there was no harm in it. Now I can see it was wrong. I don’t want to do it any more.
   
   Interviewer:  (to audience) So do you think Sonja said sorry and meant it? (Allow time for suggestions.) Yes, I think she did.
   
   Interview 4
   
   Interviewer:  And lastly, we come to you, Paul. What did you have to say sorry for?
   
   Paul: It’s no big deal, really. I borrowed my friend’s FIFA 10 PS3 game and now I can’t find it. I said sorry, but he seems pretty upset.
   
   Interviewer:  I can understand why. What are you going to do about it?
   
   Paul:  Nothing. I’ve said sorry. What more does he want?
   
   Interviewer:  Well, how would you feel if it was you?
   
   Paul:  I would be a bit cross, I suppose, but I would get over it. What’s all the fuss about? It’s only a game!
   
   Interviewer:  (to audience) So do you think Paul said sorry and meant it? (Allow time for suggestions.) No, he did not.
5. We have heard four examples of children saying sorry. Two of them meant it; two of them did not.
   
   We can show that we are sorry by the way that we apologize. We can show that we are sorry by not doing the wrong action again. We can show we are sorry by doing something to make up for what we have done wrong.
   
   Next time we say sorry, let us think about whether we really mean it and how we can show that we mean it.

Time for reflection

Many people choose to say sorry to God for the wrong things they have done. In the Church of England, people use a prayer called Confession to say sorry to God. Please listen to these words of Confession and make them your own if you would like to. You might like to join with me when I say ‘Save us and help us’.

God our Father,

We come to you in sorrow for our sins.

For turning away from you,

and ignoring your will for our lives;

Father, forgive us:

Save us and help us.

For behaving just as we wish,

without thinking of you;

Father, forgive us:

Save us and help us.

For failing you by what we do,

and think and say;

Father, forgive us:

Save us and help us.

For letting ourselves be drawn away from you

by temptations in the world about us;

Father, forgive us:

Save us and help us.

For living as if we were ashamed
to belong to your Son;
Father, forgive us:
Save us and help us.

Song/music

‘Father hear the prayer we offer’ (Come and Praise, 48)