Speak the Truth

I loved, absolutely LOVED, Elizabeth Gilbert’s post that went viral. A letter to the public saying, “this is my truth.” It was stunning in the way that a work of art or debutante or starlet might take your breath away. 
I loved it for her ability to bare her soul and say, ‘I will not live a lie’ (or something like that). It is what I call being “real and raw”!  
Real and raw…that is when I feel most alive. That is when I’m most in touch with my inner core. 
But it’s not what is always valued. It is not what we are encouraged to be. 
A few months ago I was interviewed for a job and asked the question, “have you ever done anything that would embarrass the university?” To which I answered an emphatic NO! But on second thought, who knows! I’m not embarrassed by my actions, but might they be embarrassed by this? Would they encourage the alignment of values? Would they encourage a party line?  
Hmmm. It gives me pause, but not that long. At this stage of my life if I can’t be who I am then I don’t think it’s a job I really want. 
I’m going to jump here to the idea of schools and schooling because after all, that’s what I do to pay the bills.  
When I started teaching, I had the opportunity to create and innovate. It was the students’ outcome that mattered. But since then we have, increasingly tried to fool-proof school. Right strategies. Right curriculum. Right day. The problem is that the “right kids” are a mixture of backgrounds and abilities. Right doesn’t work! Well, it only kind of works because it creates those who look for what’s right, instead of what works. It creates those who try to figure out, do I fit in rather than do I stand out. 
I want to teach the students who say, I don’t understand or I don’t like that way. The ones who will speak up and challenge. The ones who will speak the truth and in turn allow and teach others to do the same. 
Speaking the truth. We seem to be getting there…slowly. But slowly is better than not at all!