Educated

"Don't let schooling interfere with your education." — Mark Twain

Journal Entry

I used to think education automatically meant authority. That if someone had the title, the degree, the letters behind their name—then they must know better than me. That they must be right.

But I learned the hard way… that isn’t always true.

Before our final semester, we entered what was supposed to be a “preparatory phase.” Time spent with professors, building lesson plans, creating classroom centers—on paper, it sounded meaningful. Like we were stepping into the real work.

But something felt off.

Our professor was new—fresh doctorate in hand—and everything about her approach felt rigid. Controlled. Scripted. Every assignment had to be done exactly by the book, no room to breathe, no room to think, no room to be human. And the busy work… it was endless. Not meaningful. Not practical. Just… performative.

And I tried to sit in it. I tried to play along.

But there’s something in me that has never been able to stay quiet when something doesn’t make sense.

So that day, I raised my hand.

My heart was pounding, but my spirit was louder.

“I mean no disrespect,” I said, “but writing out these detailed, pretend lesson plans—guessing what a child might say and scripting our responses—it’s unrealistic. We don’t know what kids are going to say. This feels like busy work.”

I could feel the room shift.

I kept going.

“My mom is a teacher. My grandpa taught in a one-room schoolhouse. My uncle is a superintendent. No one is doing anything like this.”

And then… I crossed the line that changed everything.

“And having a doctorate is just a piece of paper. I could get one.”

The moment the words left my mouth, I knew there was no going back.

Her face said it all—shock, anger, disbelief.

“Get out. You’re dismissed.”

Just like that, it was over.

Suspended from the teaching program.

And for a moment, I questioned everything. My place. My voice. Whether I had just ruined my future because I couldn’t stay quiet.

But looking back now… I see it differently.

That moment wasn’t about disrespect.

It was about discernment.

Because being educated doesn’t always mean being right.

Having a title doesn’t mean you understand people.

And a degree doesn’t guarantee wisdom.

What I learned that day is this: you can follow every rule, check every box, earn every credential—and still miss the heart of what you’re called to do.

And if I’m being honest… I would rather be the one who speaks up and gets removed than the one who stays silent and loses herself trying to fit in.