True or Truth?

True or Truth?

One of my favorite authors is Andy Andrews. You have heard me reference the first book of his that I read called The Traveler's Gift. A friend recommended it to me several years ago and ever since then I have been hooked! In Andrews’ most recent book, The Bottom of the Pool, he introduces a concept that I want to elaborate on, because I think it applies to where we are today. His writing highlights an understanding of the important distinction between what is true and truth!

To make his point, he uses tomatoes as an example. The tomato plant is a member of the deadly nightshade family, and the household fruit was originally considered poisonous for over two hundred years. Andrews explains that Northern Europeans and American colonists held fast to the belief that the tomato plant was highly toxic. Who could argue the fact. No one, as the early settlers had seen dogs and cattle die after eating the tomato plant.

That the tomato plant is highly toxic remains an undisputed fact to this very day. It is absolutely true that the tomato plant is poisonous, but this true fact is not truth!

Andrews goes on to explain that it is only the stalk and the leaves that are dangerous and then only if eaten in large quantities. As you already know the fruit of the plant is not only edible, but for most southern palates, quite delicious. Andrews goes on to tell the story of a man named Robert Gibbons, who in 1820, sat outside of the old Salem courthouse and in front of a gathering of onlookers ate a small basket of tomatoes. Everyone waited to watch for him to die - he did not! 

That the tomato plant is poisonous is true; it's just not the truth! More often than not, people cease searching for more when they find what they find to be true. Why? Because they believe they have found the answer. The proof is in the results that are produced. The Truth, however, is somewhere that lies just a little deeper and requires us to keep going a little further.

Now think about where we are at this moment in time. We are in the midst of fighting a pandemic. In our battle, we have been told to remain home to remain safe. School buildings have been closed but learning has continued. Every school system has made valiant attempts to keep learning going in this environment. The ones that have felt their attempts to be most successful, have shifted the learning to a technology-based platform. Educational technology has advanced in many ways: learning management systems, gamified lessons that aim to increase engagement, adaptive lessons based on responses, meeting spaces that allow for communication with a large number of people simultaneously, and the ability to differentiate learning to a greater extent. It is amazing! With all these advancements, to say that learning continued, would be TRUE. It is just not the TRUTH!

You see, teachers have wondered for years if there was going to be a time when they would be replaced by technology. I believe that over the past weeks and months we have discovered the TRUTH! The importance of an educator has never been demonstrated to be more evident. To be educated is a delicate human experience that is based on personal interactions. While the role of a teacher may change from being in front of a class to delivering information; a task that technology accomplishes most efficiently. The role of the teacher may be shifting from in front to alongside our students. Teachers, especially during this time, create the roadmap through the content and provide a gentle whisper in the ear of the student. “You can do this.” “I am proud of you.” “Dont quit.” There is a social emotional component to the learning experience that technology will never be able to replace.    

To further this understanding, we use grades and test scores. And, to say that these pieces of information are indicators of what a student knows from the lessons that they have participated in would be True. To say that the data points tell us that a person is educated is just not the TRUTH. Remember the TRUTH lies just a little bit further!

As we are becoming increasingly aware, the Truth is that it is not what a person knows that makes them educated. The TRUTH is what they can do with that knowledge. Education is founded in the application of learning. The best indicator of learning is the observation of how students apply learned-skills in real life situations. This application in combination with intra/interpersonal skills like persistence, the ability to work with others, empathy, are what it means to be educated!

That we control very little in life would be something else that we are discovering in our current situation to be TRUE. If we had control, we would not choose the situation that we are experiencing right now. But just because this is true, as we are discovering, does not make it the TRUTH. 

The TRUTH is that we can take charge of our actions in this situation and in our lives. You see, by taking charge we are able to create routines and habits in our lives that will lead to better outcomes. Our success as a community, a state, and a country relies on us breaking our current habits and routines. Our future is dependent on us establishing New Habits. New Routines, New Expectations. Normal will simply take us back to where we were. I hope that WE are willing to dig a little deeper!

With this in mind, As we continue to move forward,  there are still many things to decide and in the end reflect on at some point and time. It is my prayer for us all that we push ourselves to make sure that our journey be marked not by what is just TRUE but on TRUTH. It is on TRUTH that we can find our foundation to accomplish our mission!

Blessings to all. Continue to remain safe and healthy!

JRM