“If you want true reconciliation you must be honest with each other. You must say “this was wrong”…you must say the truth….don’t pretend that things are okay.” Desmond Tutu
Pretending may be one of the most harmful things we have been forced to do in our education system — when we are forced to nod and stay silent when lies are being told.
Look for the places and ways to say the truth, where you can call out what is wrong, not go along pretending that things are okay. And then still, notice as well what you can make okay.
I was in a meeting with high level district administrators where we all knew there were serious problems not being acknowledged. After several comments in praise of district policies, a woman spoke up with a gentle voice to bring up what she called the ‘loneliness factor,’ for building administrators. By finding a way to come truly from her heart, she opened a path for all of us to discuss a reality at the center of our concerns, without distracting arguments or confrontations, but rather our open hearts to the truth of human beings trying to lead in school buildings.