Be Brave

I am an upbeat person and typically listen to upbeat music to get myself ready for the workday. The two genres that energize me most are hair band metal and today’s pop music. Think Bon Jovi and Motley Crue meet Katy Perry and Lorde. These genres put me in a good place, and I feel ready to take on the day. (Don’t judge).

I was listening to a song by Sara Bareilles titled “Brave” this morning. There was a line that hit home for me:

“Say what you wanna’ say

And let the words fall out.

Honestly, I wanna’ see you be brave.”

I wondered the rest of the day: how often am I brave in education? I think I am with my teaching: I stay current in my research on best practice and am always looking to integrate new learning into the classroom. I continually invest in myself by reading my PLN’s education blogs, attend conferences, co-moderate and participate in Twitter #edchats, write, and co-direct a region of a valued professional educational organization. But, do I invest in myself and others when it’s difficult, when I may face initial isolation for my honesty, when it’s harder for me to be brave?

Bravery as an educator (to me) means the willingness to be open and honest with peers when discussing best practice. I believe I need to be brave and willing to disagree respectfully with the hope that through this dialogue my fellow educators and I will both grow in a backdrop of honesty. This means we “say what you wanna’ say, and let the words fall out.”

When we do this, we aren’t being unprofessional or judging one another. Instead, we’re willing to have the hard conversation. It isn’t personal to us, it’s about personalizing the learning and making it relevant to the children we serve. Because, isn’t that why we went into education in the first place -- to make a difference with students and their parents? To change things for the better, so others could have a better overall educational experience than we had?

Bravery as an educator to me also means the willingness to be direct and honest with the parents’ of children who need it. It’s not easy to sit with a parent and explain why their child isn’t behaving in class, producing quality work, or making good choices. However, if we want to make the difference we told ourselves when we went into this field, then we need to have this conversation. Daily, if need be. Because if we don’t, not only are we not being brave, but we’re not honoring the educators who did invest positively in us and the lives of others.

Martin Luther King Jr. stated in his ‘I Have a Dream’ speech, that “The architects of the constitution wrote a promissory note...instead of honoring this sacred obligation...America defaulted on this check….which came back marked insufficient funds.”

When we make decisions that impact children and their families, let’s make sure that those deposits we make in them never come back insufficient. That’s not brave. And, I think whether someone listens to Sara Bareilles or not, we can all agree that the more honest and real we are in our relationships, the more satisfied we all will be. Then, when we “let the words fall out,” we’ll be ready for them. And, we’ll hear them the way they’re meant to be heard. (Now you can judge).