they are impeccable with their word/speak truth to power

i was first introduced to this concept as in city year.

speaking truth to power means you say what you mean, and your actions follow suit.

in the classroom, this practice is rooted in the awareness that children often do as you do, not as you say. here’s some questions to get you thinking about your own commitment to speaking truth to power.

do you tell your students to be kind to one another, to desist from bullying and name-calling but still engage in workplace gossip? let's be clear: listening to gossip is engaging in gossip. students CAN tell which teachers do and which teachers do not gossip in the most minute ways. they can tell who has an appetite for it and who does not.

do you instruct your students to pay attention or expect them to put their phones away, but scroll while a friend vents to you while you are on the phone? can you eat your own lunch without looking at your phone? do you model appropriate behavior at assemblies by actively listening? do YOU read in your own down time?

just like listening, the practice of speaking truth to power is a discipline one must actively practice.

the truth is: we are role models in our students lives, whether or not they’d always like to admit it. we are the immediately accessible examples of who they can be.